Click the images below to download a PDF, or click these links to expand the view: Hispanic Heritage Timeline and Hispanic Heritage Fact & Figures

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“We know that diversity and inclusiveness are integral to driving superior business results. Our differences make us stronger and that’s one of the many reasons we’re proud to support Latino advancement and the next generation of Latino leaders at the 2012 ALPFA Convention,” said Turley.

On Aug. 14, Turley will address nearly 3,000 students and professionals during his keynote at the firm-sponsored ALPFA Scholarship Luncheon, recognizing students for their achievements and representing Ernst & Young LLP, which is giving $25,000 total in scholarships to benefit Latino students. This year’s winners include Patricia Guerra, recipient of a $10,000 scholarship, and Ashlee Henriquez, Eric Alvarez and Erika Arce, each recipients of a $5,000 scholarship.

“My family and I are very appreciative of the scholarship and EY’s willingness to invest in Latino students striving to become business leaders,” said Patricia Guerra, the top scholarship recipient. “And it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity for a student to be recognized by a global CEO.”

Ernst & Young LLP also hosted the Student Leaders Program on Monday, Aug. 13, for all 45 scholarship recipients to help them develop self awareness and leadership skills, and enable them to network with Ernst & Young professionals.

“The ALPFA Convention convenes nearly 3,000 participants and 100 companies that recognize the need to identify and advance Latinos capable of leading in our evolving global marketplace,” said ALPFA CEO Manuel Espinoza. “Ernst & Young’s history of supporting ALPFA – from sponsoring activities to engaging its highest-ranking global executive – showcases the commitment required to develop these Latino leaders.”

Since its inception, the Ernst & Young organization has supported ALPFA, the premier business organization expanding opportunities for Latino leadership in the global marketplace. During its 40th Annual National Convention, Ernst & Young LLP is serving as a Host Sponsor, presenting during conference sessions, sponsoring a variety of activities, and sending more than 100 Ernst & Young professionals to attend the Convention and development sessions with Turley.

Other key Ernst & Young organization leaders in attendance include Americas Inclusiveness Officer Karyn Twaronite and ALPFA Corporate Advisory Board members Ken Bouyer, Americas Director of Inclusiveness Recruiting, and Oscar Suarez, Florida Market Leader for Ernst & Young LLP. They will be joined by Hector Tundidor, Jr., Partner, Office Managing Partner and Florida Transaction Advisory Services Leader, Miami, Ernst & Young LLP, as well as nearly 25 other Latino partners from the US firm.

Ernst & Young initiatives benefitting Latinos
Ernst & Young’s commitment to Latino advancement begins with building a pipeline of professionals qualified to ultimately join EY. Its inclusiveness recruiting programs largely start with attracting Latino, African-American and Native American high school students to attend college and work in the professional services industry.

To reach Latino and other ethnic minority students once on college campuses, EY offers its new Launch Program educating freshmen, sophomores and transfer students about what it takes to be successful in college and building further awareness of industry opportunities.

As announced in January 2012, other campus-focused events aiming to increase the pipeline of diverse talent in the US — and their results this year — include: Discover Ernst & Young, reaching nearly 150 ethnically diverse students from more than 70 campuses; and the Campus Diversity and Inclusiveness Roundtable, gathering 35 faculty and university administrators from 15 schools.

Lastly, once Latinos and other ethnic minorities are working within EY, they can benefit from the following programs Ernst & Young LLP has recently launched or expanded:

Launch Internship – This multi-year program, previously called the Horizon Internship Program, focuses on Latinos and other underrepresented ethnic minority students who are accounting majors two or more years from graduation. Interns attend training sessions that introduce them to the firm’s business, culture and advanced technology and tools. This summer, Ernst & Young LLP increased the number of participants from 165 to more than 200, resulting in an estimated 100 Latino Launch Interns to date. Many students who receive Launch Internships also attended the Launch Program and Discover Ernst & Young.

EY Unplugged – In November 2011, the US firm piloted this two-day program in Dallas for all US entry-level Latino staff. Participants receive candid, “unplugged” advice from top Latino performers, partners and mentors about what it takes to be successful at the firm. A separate event was held in New York City for African-American entry-level staff.

About Ernst & Young
Ernst & Young is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. Worldwide, our 152,000 people are united by our shared values and an unwavering commitment to quality. We make a difference by helping our people, our clients and our wider communities achieve their potential.

For more information, please visit www.ey.com.

Ernst & Young refers to the global organization of member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients.

This news release has been issued by Ernst & Young LLP, a member firm of Ernst & Young Global Limited that provides professional services to clients in the US.

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Click here to read the first part of this article.

Original comment:
Good response Luke. I would like to reiterate and reinforce one of your points and add two others. First, as you mentioned, it’s important to establish an actual relationship with the institution. This means significantly more than just contacting the person in charge of scheduling corporate visits during career fairs. Schools that serve the underrepresented populations you seek are also deserving of the attention often lavished on larger so-called prestige institutions.

Offering corporate executives and other professional employees as visiting lecturers, providing real internships (vs. paper pushing ones), engaging in community outreach with the institution (e.g. supporting a program like Rutgers Future Scholars) is the type of relationship that will pay off with skilled and motivated employees from underrepresented groups who graduate from that institution. Second, an untapped resource is often a company’s employees – particularly if they are members of the target group – who are graduates of the institution being targeted in the recruitment process.

I once worked for a large firm in North Carolina that didn’t realize that many of its Black employees had graduated from HBCU’s in Virginia, North and South Carolina. As a result they went outside of the company, and the region, to recruit Black professionals. It wasn’t until they were made aware of their employee resource that they began to utilize it. Finally, companies need to realize that a sought after graduate (minority or otherwise) is a commodity in that they are able to demand a salary commensurate with their value in the corporate marketplace. I know of minority candidates with superior academic records in a particular specialty, for instance, who were inundated with offers from a number of companies at salaries significantly high than others might be offered simply because the company “needed” an Hispanic or Black or woman.

I not saying it’s the right approach or good business, but it is part of the minority recruiting environment in some areas.

Answer:
I completely agree with you.

Let me add to my original answer. It is also important to be a part of the community. I was recently at Ameren to conduce a benchmarking debrief. Ameren is a publicly traded utility in Missouri and Illinois. I like to do my homework on the people who are going to be in the meeting and I was intrigued to read about a guy named Steve Parks who was completely involved in the Latino community, a member of a few organizations. My first instructor in flight school was named Steve Parks—a white guy—so I was looking forward to meeting him, since odds were he wasn’t Latino.

Sure enough, Ameren’s Steve Parks is not Latino; he is an African-American guy who got started in one Latino organization, developed relationships, was invited to join a second organization and became a regular at many, many Latino community events. When Ameren has a recruiting event, he told me that entire Latino families show up in support. By the way, Steve is not unusual at Ameren; I’ve rarely seen such great community involvement, and it starts with their CEO, Thomas Voss—a progressive man with a big heart.

Any employee of a company with employee-resource groups can start there. Go to a few meetings (in a row) and you will find that you’ve made some friends. Ask them how to be involved in the community; there are many service organizations in every community. Contacts from the ERGs will help you not be alone when you go to meetings. You will find the hospitality to be unlike anything I find in organizations that are predominately white. As one reader suggested, take a language course. It helps if you have talent in that area. I am unfortunately terrible at picking up new languages. But I’m good at understanding culture. I’ve found if your heart is in it, people will help you with the rest.

Personally, I am an (Anglo) member of PRIMER, a leading pan-Latino organization for professionals and executives. I was elected Member of the Year in 2006—pretty cool for a Latino organization to elect an Anglo for that honor, but I don’t see that as unusual. I was also given an herMano award from MANA, a leading Latina organization. (I later joined as a life member.) I am a member of NSHMBA as well. These relationships have enabled me to build a strong network of friends and colleagues. One thing you need to keep in mind is that people like Raymond Arroyo, founding president of PRIMER; Alma Morales Riojas, CEO of MANA; and Carlos Orta, CEO of HACR, are friendly and outgoing—but very, very serious about social justice, equity and progress. Don’t dabble; be in it for the long haul.

You’ll find that business connections are not difficult to make and provide a way to serve the community while having quite a rewarding time. I’ve learned a great deal about Latino culture from the meetings I attend, and the credibility I receive from always having a friend one or two degrees of separation from most every Latino executive I meet helps me establish trust quickly. Finally, part of the joy in my life is having my professional friends cross over into becoming personal friends.

The post Ask the White Guy: Recruiting Latinos, Part II appeared first on DiversityInc.

Question:
First of all, the term “white” is subjective. You are obviously of Italian heritage and I really consider Italians to be “Latinos” or Hispanic except they don’t speak Spanish.

Who coins the ethnic lexicon of terms for the vast ethnicity description that eventually finds its way into our American lexicon description on race and ethnicity? The term “non-white Hispanic” for example is so racist in my opinion that it alludes to Hispanics as being considered white but not all-inclusive, hence the term “I’m a white non-Hispanic” so don’t include me in that group!

The term “non-white Hispanic” seems to communicate a message of inferiority to such adamant exclusion that states “Yes, I’m white but don’t include me in that ethnicity.”

Being Hispanic or Latino is not a race but an ethnic identification, like Italian American, Irish American, Greek American, German American. Now, Hispanics have been grouped into a new ethnic general category, “people of color,” that encompasses ethnic groups from Europe as being the sole white people from European heritage. What is your opinion?

Answer:
I agree with your assessment. Hispanics are not a racial group but are “lumped in” with people of color in common usage.

This will evolve with the increasing sophistication of our society. Just think about how things were 40 years ago.

By the way, I’ve become fairly well versed in Latino culture by being one of two Anglo members of PRIMER (Puerto Ricans In Management and Executive Roles)–so I would be quite pleased to be considered Latino! (I was also named an honorary black woman at Spelman College, but that’s another story.).

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