I’ve been writing up a storm of guest blogs over at the Intern Matters blog regarding Hispanic culture and the Hispanic workforce. This post wraps up and summarizes my initial posts on Hispanic culture. Check it out when you get a chance. Enjoy!
Calculated Risk shares great data and graphic regarding the correlation between unemployment and education. No surprises here. Go get a college degree.
Another great article by Lorelle L. Espinosa, director of policy and strategic initiatives at the Institute for Higher Education Policy, regarding what colleges and universities are responsible for graduating minority students in STEM fields. Dr. Espinosa makes an excellent point that a significant representation of minorities in STEM careers will not occur until ALL institutions make a commitment to graduating more minorities in these fields. Good read.
Came across this great study conducted by The Education Trust showing positive movement in the number of minority group graduation rates between 2002-2007. You can check out the complete report here but some highlights a telling graph below.
Ohio State University and Florida State University, have been recognized for model programs that boost retention and graduation rates among underrepresented populations.
Twenty-five percent of “gainers” improved by 10 percentage points or more, and 10 percent increased by 15 points or more. Among the top gainers, the graduation rates for minority students rose upwards of 20 points in five years.
Just for laughs – because we can all use one at the end of the week. Enjoy!
I just came across a great source of information regarding the representation of Hispanics online including consumer behavior, multiculturalism, and social media trends. A researcher over at Forrester Research, Tamara Barber, focuses on these topics via her indepth studies and blog. Tamara’s most recent research focuses on the social media usage of Hispanics. Take a look when you have a chance. One of the most interesting posts she shares is related to Tips for Building a Multicultural Strategy. Once again, while her research concentrates on ”consumers” – her results can be easily applied and incorporated to employer recruiting strategies for the Hispanic workforce, including Hispanic college graduates. Among some of her key points in this regard are:
Don’t mistake language for culture. When it comes to reaching Hispanic consumers, remember that language is only one piece of Hispanic culture….
Research must drive marketing decisions. In order to create a culturally relevant campaign, brands must do their homework to segment and understand their Hispanic consumers…. (Same goes for college recruiters, a broad approach is a strategy of the past)
Executive buy-in is key. In order to preserve and grow budget for multicultural strategies, marketers must educate their executives on why these segments are important…. (A vital component of organizations hoping to tap Hispanic college grads and the Hispanic workforce)
Measure success incrementally. Once you’re armed with solid research and have executive buy-in, be prepared to keep learning as you go and build out a strategy over time…. (As I noted many times, be prepared for success, recruiting is the first step, but how will you retain, develop, and promote your Hispanic workforce?)
This is really a great resource for anyone hoping to understand the Hispanic market as well as its online trends and activities. I’m looking forward to their future work!
Personalismo is a concept that doesn’t have a direct English translation but basically means building trust or credibilty through relationships. Read more about how understanding personalism can help employers (supervisors) establish a better relationship with their Hispanic interns (and the Hispanic workforce) from my guest blog at Intern Matters (via Internships.com).
Enjoy!
Beyond.com just released results of a survey that provides interesting insights outlining some of the job search strategies used by today’s college graduates. Some of them are surprising. The study was conducted in partnership with the Wharton Small Business Development Center. Here are some of the highlights:
Graduating college students rely heavily on their university career centers…
Graduating college students prefer to use niche job sites over general job boards and social networking sites….
Most college students use social networking sites on a personal level, but are hesitant to leverage these sites for career-related purposes…
Seventy-five percent of students waiti to search for jobs until six months before graduation and are relying so heavily on their colleges to introduce them to employers…
Participants ranked online job boards among their top choices to find employment.
Intriguing results particularly when it comes to college graduates NOT leveraging social media tools as a resource to either network and/or help find employment opportunities after graduation. The disconnect is a bit baffling given that college students are high volume users of Facebook and other social networking sites.
The Wall Street Journal has a quick interview with an MIT career center advisor discussing some trends and where MBA students might have better luck finding jobs. Job market still seems sluggish even for MBAs – unless they’re targeting very specific niche areas such as energy, technology, and some financial areas. Recovery is certainly happening but at a slow and uneven pace.
Serves a good opportunity to remind you that the 2010 National Hispanic MBA conference will be held in Chicago October 21-23, at McCormick Place.
When you get a moment, go over and check out my latest guest blog over at GURConnect – “Establishing Hispanic Affinity Groups.” It discusses some things employers should consider when thinking about estblishing a Hispanic employment group within the company. A big component in targeting and retaining the Hispanic workforce. Enjoy!
