Hello,
I have been selected for an interview for the June-December Citi Latin American division. The internship will be based in Miami, Florida. I was wondering whether being proficient in Spanish or Portuguese is an absolute requirement for positions in the Latm divisions. I reached out to HR regarding this, and was told that different hiring managers have different preferences, and being fluent in Spanish/Portuguese isn't a must for all positions. I would appreciate any input on the matter.
Thanks
I would imagine at least some spanish/portuguese language ability is desired. I don't have knowledge of this particular group, but I interviewed for one or two positions in Miami-based LATAM groups and spanish was definitely required. A BB PB group I interviewed with was looking for native speakers (I studied/worked in Spain - all spanish-language- for a year), so take that for what its worth
Thanks a lot ai215. Would you say such they don't consider non-Spanish speakers at all then?
Let me start off by saying that I already have an immense dislike for you because I am a bitter and depressed Man City fan lol
That being said, I am from Miami, and I still live here. Although I am still a student, I have done several internships and I think I can adequately speak to how hiring managers think.
In my opinion, your non-fluency will be an impediment. That being said, you won't be fully disqualified. You have experience in Spanish speaking country, and I assume you performed well while you were there. There are probably one or two managers who might automatically ding you, but I believe most will give you a fair chance. Obviously if there is a candidate of similar quality to you, and he's bilingual, he will probably get the job over you.
Also, good luck on your interviews. I am planning on interviewing for the internship for the January-June cycle, so I'd love to hear how your interviews go.
PM me if you have any other questions. Best of luck!
I can't imagine they would completely dismiss candidates right off the bat, but from what I gathered, it seemed like many of these roles went to Native Spanish speakers who either lived in the states or went to college here.
I think you would be suprised. From what it sounds like this is for a wealth managment or private banking role and those require more language skills than the more "prestigious" jobs on this site (IB, ST, ER). The reason is simple, you are going to be interacting 100% with clients for the most case and although you might be "fluent" a native speaker will obviously trump you and come of more confident. Also, native speaker, all things being equal, will have a bigger network for which he can gain clients and the employer knows this. For IB you arent really going to be interacting with clients and you will only need to understand the language to the point where you can understand investment calls that are mostly in a foreign language.
Agree 100%. Isn't very clear what the group is, but that was basically what I was told at a PB role. I interviewed 50/50 spanish/english and almost every group that was hiring wanted native spanish speakers whom would be comfortable immediately contacting clients in Latin America
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