Best Companies for Hispanic Americans
There are many lists of “Best Companies” for employees, but the evaluations—often based on financial standings—rarely take into account a company’s attitude toward minorities, specifically Hispanic American workers. One notable exception is LATINA Style 50 (http://latina50.latinastyle.com), which has been analyzing corporate America’s commitment to Latina professionals since its founding in 1998, by LATINA Style magazine’s founder, Anna Maria Arias. With the help of the U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and national Hispanic organizations, the organization annually sends out a comprehensive survey to Fortune 1000 companies to assess each company’s leadership programs, employee benefits and Latina representation in senior program, among other criteria.
Although the 2010 list is still in development at this writing, the 2009 list saw several healthcare-related companies in the Top 50, a good sign for those of you who are in the healthcare profession. In fact, Kaiser Permanente was awarded 2009 Company of the Year, based on its “overall performance, highest calculated points, and exceptional career opportunities presented to Hispanic Women in the company.” The other highest ranked companies were AT&T Inc., Marriott International, Inc., Verizon Communications, Inc., Southern California Edison, Prudential Financial, Inc., Macy's, Inc., Johnson & Johnson, WellPoint, Inc., Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., IBM Corporation, and McDonald's Corporation. You will find a downloadable PDF chart of the 2009 ranked companies on the site.
Another resource for Hispanic job hunters looking for diversity-friendly employers is Latinos for Hire (http://www.latinosforhire.com/bestemployers2010.htm), which lists organizations with a “commitment to diversity & the Latino/Hispanic community.” Though it’s unclear by what criteria the companies are selected, and the companies are not ranked, the site categorizes companies alphabetically by region and industry, and gives brief descriptions of each. For instance, there are five companies in the Banks and Credit Unions that made their listing: Citigroup, City National Bank, JPMorgan Chase, MB Financial Bank, and TCF Bank.
HispanicBusiness.com is another site for Hispanic job seekers. It lists Hispanic-owned companies by state and by industry. The Top 100 Fastest Growing (Hispanic-owned) Companies (2008) include many technology, construction and service companies. MicroTech, a Virginia-based IT company tops the list, with $39.1 million in revenue in 2008. Number two on the list is Los Angeles-based Sensis, “an interactive advertising company that focuses on placing ads in both digital and print media formats” that has grown from $347,000 in 2004 to $7.4 million in 2008. The site also has live chat rooms, a career section, an events calendar, and news stories. The 2008 list can be found here.
Of course, knowing what you are looking for in a company is as important as this company’s commitment to diversity. Do you want training? Is a supportive management most important to you? Fair compensation should be a given, but maybe benchmarks for advancement and bonuses is equally important. What about flex-time? Do you work best with oversight or do you like autonomy? These questions will help you determine the best match for your skills, experience, and personality.
The job market is constantly changing. With the economic downturn, many companies that were previously committed to a diverse workforce have eliminated many initiatives and reduced programs. The more you research and network, the more likely you’ll find a company that not only welcomes Hispanics, but also actively assists in their advancement.