We take your comments seriously, and ourselves well not so seriously (maybe). We made a few BilingualHire Facelifts and hope they'll make your experience with us that much more enjoyable. Briefly, this picture above the blog post will lead you to another site, ours or someone else on the inter webs that we like, and it helps paint the picture for the blog/site. You don't have to click on the picture unless you'd like to know where it came from, etc. We hope you'll like because we take your comments whether through this sites comment system, Facebook page or through contacting us, very seriously. We're listening. We really are. Since using this site we've been told "your site looks bland, boring and we don't want to just read text, we want to see pictures of you two kayaking, pictures of Maya, video, anything, really." Ok. We're going to be adding more photos, video, videoblogs and podcasts (we have some up already) to meet your needs. Bien? Ok. Second Facelift As you visited the … [Read more...]

There's nothing worse than attending a briefing or worse a keynote that misses the mark and fails to connect with the audience. If we're asked to speak before an audience on any given subject let's begin with asking the obvious questions: What is the objective of the meeting? Who are the audience members? What organizations do they represent, e.g. public, private, non-profit? Is there someone in the room that you should recognize? What geographies do they represent, e.g. urban, rural, etc? What are their motivations for being present? What lesson are they expecting to get from us? Am I the very best person to speak on this? The organizer of such meeting will likely have this information, otherwise ask him/her to get it to you before you walk in the room. The last one requires self-reflection and critique. Audience I'm in the audience and I'm looking forward to you speaking with great anticipation. I've read your bio and I'm expecting to be wowed. I'm expecting a … [Read more...]

Using your second or third language to connect with that particular community bridges the communication divide, and connects with individuals on a more personal level. A few Tuesday's ago, Oregon Representative Chris Harker, an Washington County entrepreneur and Democrat who represents District 34 joined co-hosts Ruth Ibarra and Victoria Hernandez on Radio Tonalli at KBOO Community Radio 90.7FM to discuss in Spanish the upcoming 2011 Oregon legislative session, the challenges facing the state, revenue shortfalls, budget cuts and importance of becoming engaged at the civic level. Probably along with thousands of others who listen to Radio Tonalli weekly had no idea that Rep. Harker was bilingual, if not fluent. Radio Tonalli has previously interviewed former politicians and elected/appointed officials, military veterans, journalists, and social activists. One of a handful of Portland Spanish talk show programs, Radio Tonalli is educational in nature with regulars like Dr. Yves Lefranc … [Read more...]

I was reading over Venture Capitalist (VC) Fred Wilson's post on Venture Partners and thought it would be great to expand on this blog for our business, economics and finance majors (and would-be entrepreneur) readers. Everyone else, you are free to skip this post. I read Wilson's post voraciously, non-stop and I consume it as a part of my personal and professional development. As many of you know when we were RED Consulting Group LLP focused on bilingual recruitment searches, consulting and some public relations our attention was no where near the world of VC, Y-incubators, etc. Today, we are. Why? Because we're online trying to improve a service of connecting organizations with diverse and bilingual talent. Does that already exist elsewhere? Of course. But we believe there's plenty room for improvement. As such we've moved our operation online full-time and fine-tuning how we make the connection, how we inspire diverse and bilingual talent to go for it, how we announce vacancies, … [Read more...]

Former National Hispana Leadership Institute (NHLI) Executive Leadership Program (ELP) '04 fellow, Ms. Celia Nuñez calls it "a life changing experience." When I asked Celia what the program did for her she responded: "Experiencing and graduating from the program enhanced and developed my leadership abilities. It also inspired and motivated me to continue to influence public policy at a local, state and national level. In addition, it encouraged me to accomplish my dream of being a business owner, while at the same time I could reach my goal of being an elected official and becoming a positive strong representative for my community." So who is Celia? For starters she was a former high level staffer at the Oregon State Capitol focused on public policy, a former Executive Recruiter for a Fortune 500 company, and currently an entrepreneur, and Wilsonville City Councilor. Sitting on the Fence Call it motivation, lack of connections, lack of resources, or your boss telling you, "it's … [Read more...]

None of us can deny the benefits of social media in the public service field. So when someone responds, "I don't Twitter, Facebook or blog or allow my staff to or they won't be working for me" I think it's both disingenuous, and wildly off the mark. In particularly, politico types or up-and-comers of all political stripes, from Democrats to Republicans use social media channels, at least the ones I've seen. Individuals wishing to pursue a career in public service should use social media channels to listen, engage, and have a pulse of their constituents and voters. Up-and-comers, to mobilize their base. Utilizing Social media in the 21st century is a required tool in your arsenal in advancing and sustaining your public service career in a world of interconnectivity. Here are a few individuals from around the world and the U.S. that use it most notably: President of the United States of America - @BarackObama The Queen of Jordan - @QueenRania Mayor of the City of Newark, New … [Read more...]