Bilingual Preferred

Bilingual Preferred s a nice way of saying we are looking for someone who speaks Spanish.

Unless you do, it is usually a waste of time applying.

Companies have to be very careful with how they words things because of legal ramifications. I agree with Bluetea, don't waste your time.

Try looking for jobs in areas that do not have a strong Latino presence. That may be hard.... but that may help you in avoiding the "Spanish preferred" issue. If you are already doing that then good luck. I hope something works out.

Thanks for your comments. All were very helpful. I am moving soon to an area where there are more English-speaking individuals. Most of the jobs do not have the bilingual preference to them.

gnote in Long Beach, California said: I was just curious exactly what is meant by " Bilingual Preferred." Does that really mean the company is set on hiring a bilingual candidate and is just using there words to not appear discriminatory, or would they really consider a candidate who is not bilingual. I have been out of the job market for awhile, and, re-entering again, it is difficult to even find a job that interests me that does not state a bilingual prerequisite. It seemed like a few interviews went well, but I did not get the job.

I am an independent recruiter which means I get job descriptions and requests from hiring companies. I only get paid if I fill the job, so I fill it 90% of the time. In terms if your question, bilingual is usually "preferred" NOT required. Rarely is it required. It DOES have to do with the job itself. Is this skill a "must have" or "nice to have"? I submit people every day WITHOUT this requirement as long as they have the other skills and experience. Bilingual can be any 2 languages, most people think Spanish but in my industry I work the German, French, Koreans and others daily so do be quick to think Spanish. Think of "bilingual" as a Bachelor's degree vs. a Master's degree, everything else being equal which one is more valuable? My company just had a BIG WIN, we place a CEO for a global GERMAN supplier in Michigan. Our guy was English speaking 100%, no German language skills BUT he had everything else. So do not let "bilingual" shy you away from a job. If you have the industry experience they want, they will "flex" on language 95% of the time. Trust me, I do this for a living. :)

Happy Job Hunting,

JANET JACI RIVERA

I do hiring at my company and we add "preferred" to many qualifications that would be nice but are not requirements. If a job description says "preferred," it often means that the company's dream candidate would have that quality but that there isn't a great expectation of finding such a person, or that it would be nice but isn't strictly necessary. If you list preferences as requirements, it can drastically reduce the number of applicants you get and derail the hiring effort.

Jobber in Bloomington, Indiana said: I do hiring at my company and we add "preferred" to many qualifications that would be nice but are not requirements. If a job description says "preferred," it often means that the company's dream candidate would have that quality but that there isn't a great expectation of finding such a person, or that it would be nice but isn't strictly necessary. If you list preferences as requirements, it can drastically reduce the number of applicants you get and derail the hiring effort.

I do the hiring too and I put bi-lingual (Spanish & English speaking) as "preferred" so that if we do have the choice (the dream candidate) of two equally qualified people then we could justify hiring the bi-lingual applicant.

I was just recently approached by a manager who wanted it removed from the job description because she said "I don't want people who don't speak Spanish not to apply!" I almost fell off my chair. So, obviously we need to explain what the true meaning of that is on a job description!