By Diana Silva/reporter
Bilingual employees are in demand by companies who want Spanish-speaking staff to attract the Hispanic population since Hispanics now comprise 32 percent of Texas.
Many Hispanics in America do not speak English, so businesses including restaurants, banks and retail stores may be willing to hire bilinguals and even multilinguals to help out their customers.
According to the Business Week Web site, small businesses need insight and bilingual ads to attract a demographic that will make up 25 percent of the U.S. population by 2050.
Sometimes, employees have a hard time understanding what the clients want and how to help them.
Some business now prefer hiring bilinguals so they hang banners saying “Se Habla Espanol” (we speak Spanish).
Companies like Verizon Wireless hold job fairs to recruit bilingual employees.
“Offering Spanish-language services, including specially trained bilingual sales and customer support representatives, improves our ability to meet the needs of the region’s fastest growing population,” said Ione Davis, an associate of Verizon Wireless.
Karla Flores, SE student, said hiring bilingual businesses lets Hispanics know they are as important as any other demographic group.
Eduardo Solis, SE student, also thinks hiring bilingual people is important.
“Businesses are expanding and so should the expectations of the buyer and the seller,“ he said.
Quetera K. Lomax, senior office assistant in SE Campus career and employment services, said some jobs encourage employees to be bilingual.
“Employers want to see bilingual skills now,” she said.
Working for career services, Lomax said she encourages bilingual people to add that on their resume.
”Now being bilingual, it’s definitely a plus for job-seeking people,” she said.
Job announcement opportunities at SE Campus request applicants who speak more than one language. Companies like RadioShack have certain requirements, including having a high school degree, knowledge of retail and a plus for being bilingual (English/Spanish).
Catholic Charities asks for similar qualifications: a bachelor’s degree in social work, experience working with homeless and preferred bilingual skills.
Overall, employment opportunities are available for bilingual speakers.
Lomax said mostly service-based companies prefer bilingual qualities.
“America is changing so much, it is important to be able to communicate,” she said.
Lomax, who speaks English only, said even though she has experience, a bilingual person could be considered over her.
“Having the quality of being bilingual is really a benefit,” she said.
SE student Sarah Cain said knowing another language is a great advantage when looking for a job.
“I believe speaking a different language is a special gift,” she said.
“Speaking more than one language can be helpful for many reasons, including work, school, family and maybe even socializing with friends. But the most useful and important way for being bilingual is at work.”
Cain said Spanish has always been a common language in Texas.
And there are many who only speak Spanish.
“How are they to communicate with people who cannot understand Spanish?” she said.
Spanish is not the only needed language in the U.S.
Cain’s first language is English, yet she understands Arabic.
“Some Arabs do come to America, yet some are not fluent in English,” she said.
“Knowing Arabic and helping these newcomers helps the Arabs a lot.”
