About

>>History
In October 2004, the Linfield College School of Nursing officials met with Edith & David Molina at a local Portland coffee shop to discuss a better way to identify, and recruit bilingual [Spanish+ English] talent. After listening to the problem of the lack of bilingual recruiters who understood the community and could support human resource departments in specific search functions, RED Consulting Group LLP was born. Within days RED identified and recruited high-caliber bilingual talent for the Portland campus. The founders further expanded its offerings to support clients in Latino cultural communication consulting and training, public relations and event management.

Late 2006, RED Consulting Group changed its name to BilingualHire, and in an April 2007 blog, David wrote about the continuation of the business despite being on an 18-month military deployment. BilingualHire relaunched in the fall of 2008 with the help of David Stewart over at Skylark 64 and began experimenting with the use of online advertising. A following iteration led us to using WordPress and blogging.

Today, we’re focused on building a consumer internet service enabling our clients to more seamlessly connect with bilingual talent, while creating avenues of opportunities for bilingual talent to advance their careers. We’ve partnered with Beaverton-based Darkwater Studios on the next iteration and look forward to providing the same unflinching service.

>>Recruitment
There is something to be said about helping others achieve their professional goals, their dreams and aspirations. Often, we are on our own to decipher from what the position is telling us and what it really is. More often, it’s the people inside the organization that are more qualified to speak about the company culture and can provide insight into the field. We make decisions based on what we know, and sometimes from our gut.

For organizations, finding bilingual talent shouldn’t be difficult, or a complex and expensive advertising adventure. We believe the connection should be relatively simple, and the costs minimal. While it can be an expensive undertaking for a candidate to attend to every career fair, every networking function, and every possible venue to meet recruiters and hiring managers, this can be both draining and an equally expensive option. By helping our clients engage with and at the same time develop bilingual [Spanish+ English] talent we are developing a competent bilingual-bicultural workforce that can adapt in both worlds. Fortunately here at BilingualHire, we believe in working towards minimizing these costs for both sides, and work towards connecting bilingual talent with employers– the very reason why we exist.

>>Consulting

BilingualHire, formerly known as RED Consulting Group LLP, provides Latina/o cultural specific consulting/trainings to help organizations/companies meet the growing needs of a changing demographic landscape.

• Our Latino Cultural Awareness consulting/trainings include:
• Changing Trends, and Demographics
• Latina/o Generational Differences: Tailoring Services
• Latina/os and Healthcare: Influencers, Generational Differences and Beliefs
• Cultural and Linguistically Tailored Services

After meeting and closely listening to your needs, challenges and desired outcomes, we’ll work cooperatively with your staff on determining training objectives. During these initial meeting we’ll determine timeframe, and how many training’s will be necessary. In some instances it may be sufficient, given time constraints, for a half-day, others a full-day. If your organization is geographically spread out, we can travel to the desired site-locations.

Review some of our case studies to familiarize with our capabilities. Should this peak your organizations interest, email us your thoughts and requirements.

>>Case Studies

OSU Extension Service
Situation: When Oregon’s Latino population surges to record highs, and continues to outpace other ethnic groups in the state, Oregon State University (OSU) Extension Service experiences a parallel increase of Latinos entering their office and using their services. In order to carry out their vision as the premier provider of non-formal education that meets the needs of Oregonians and to contribute significantly to strong individuals, families and communities, OSU Extension Service needed to gain culturally specific information about Latina/os and learn hospitality Spanish in order to enhance its communication with Spanish-speaking community members. Involving key personnel and front-line staff that have initial contact on a day-to-day basis with the Latina/o community, OSU Extension Service needed to attract subject-matter experts to  strategically train and prepare staff members.

When OSU Extension Service decided to incorporate a statewide Spanish language and Latina/o culture training for its front-line staff into its yearly professional development curricula, two names surfaced: David and Edith Molina.

Insight: RED Consulting Group LLP [now BilingualHire] provided a pilot-training in June 2006. Through evaluation, and feedback from participants, and administration officials the group was retained to conduct five additional training’s impacting 41 extension offices and 13 experiment stations across Oregon.
The greatest challenge for front-line staff has been language barriers, specifically communicating with non-English speaking Latinos, and secondly understanding Latino culture and beliefs. So as June 2006 came to a close, participants of the training declared the pilot-project effective in providing relevant cultural and language specific information that is applicable to facilitate interactions with Latina/os. “The RED Consulting Group team did a great job of providing Latina/o cultural specific information,” said OSU Extension Service Assistant Director Dr. Deborah Maddy. “The oral feedback I received from the participants has been very positive!!”

Participant Post-Training Comments:

• “RED took what might have been a dry, boring and difficult task and made it a celebration. I gained greater knowledge of and appreciation for my Spanish speaking neighbors. I want to be a positive part of the experiences non-English speakers have here [in the U.S.], because I am enriched by the interaction. This training affirms this.”
• “All the speaker’s positive energy and passion for topic has a ripple effect—you leave this training feeling like you can make the world a better place.”
• “Their enthusiasm, examples and real life info was much appreciated. The training opened my eyes to be more sensitive to the Latino community.”

Client: Oregon State University Extension Service provides education and information based on timely research to help Oregonians solve problems and develop skills related to youth, family, community, farm, forest, energy, and marine resources. Reaching more than 100,000 Oregon youth with 4-H youth development projects and programs yearly, OSU Extension Service encompasses 41 extension offices and 13 experiment stations across Oregon.

Situation: Miller Education Center (MEC) is part of the Hillsboro School District (HSD), an alternative school serving the needs of at-risk students, with an increasing number of high risk Latina/o students. In order to increase success-rate for Latina/os, MEC staff/administration needed to gain culturally specific information about Latina/os and learn strategies for communication and best practices. When MEC began researching area subject-matter experts, their partner organization, the Oregon Council for Hispanic Advancement (OCHA) staff recommended contacting RED Consulting Group LLP [now BilingualHire].

After visiting the school and listening to the MEC story, we developed a curriculum for a Latina/o Cultural Awareness Training focused on culture, trends and beliefs as well as general best practices for outreaching to young high risk Latina/o students. The proposed training for MEC staff/administrators and partner organization staff was intended to develop a firm understanding of the Latina/o culture, and strategies for communicating and outreaching to them.

Insight: RED Consulting Group LLP [now BilingualHire] provided a three-hour training session providing insight on Latina/o culture, trends and beliefs to include generational differences (1st, 2nd, and 3rd). The managing partners also offered general best practices for outreaching to young high risk Latina/o students with emphasis on counseling, crisis management, and gang affiliation. The training also included a student panel. Through evaluation, and feedback from participants:

• “The need for more culturally specific curriculum.”
• “More programs & scholarships available to youth in Oregon.”
• “The need for more bicultural mentors to meet with our youth.”

Participant Post-Training Comments:

• “Enjoyed the student panel.”
• “Very inspiring– keep up the great work!”
• “Lecture was motivating to build up the Hispanic community ‘up’”
• “Very passionate! Great information! Keep doing the great work you’re doing!”
• “Great presentation– would be great to spend more time on it– lot of info in short about of time.”

Client: Miller Education Center, part of the Hillsboro School District uses a project-based curriculum that encourages students to become part of a community of learners.  That community includes not only their classmates but the community of greater Hillsboro.  Miller serves as partner with the student, family and community to ensure that each student develops the capacity to succeed and contribute within a global society by engaging the learner in varied experiences and a challenging, innovative, personalized academic program.  MEC believes each student will grow within an environment that helps them set and achieve challenging goals tailored to individual talents, aspirations and abilities.