Leverage Being Bilingual
Hey guys,
Does being bilingual help you get into certain international groups? Banks?
I speak English and Spanish and was recently recommended to apply at banks in Miami as it is a valuable asset to know Spanish. How much truth does this hold?
too many are foreign descents, so use it a skill set to show the diversity of your experiences, but not an advantage as much
I guess a client facing role in an area where it matters would offer you a leg up, but are you expecting to be in an IB analyst class with some random spanish-only speakers in the US?
I don't know about getting into international banks as a bilingual individual, but I can tell you that it can help. I know a guy at Citi who got staffed on a deal in Spain mainly because he could speak Spanish fluently.
Worth putting on your resume, but it's not a big deal and don't expect it to give you a big leverage.
If you want to get into LatAm groups, or work with companies focused in LatAm/Latam Client (Private banking, PWM, etc) then for the most part its a requirement. That means everyone else applying is also bilingual so its not much of an advantage; except that the applicant pool is smaller and statistically gives you a better chance at being hired.
This is the most correct statement. My background is in management consulting (a lot of work in LatAm countries) and I live in Miami (so I understand the culture), so take it for what it is worth.
Banking is a relationship game as much as consulting, and having more "home-base" staffing helps. I am specifically Brazilian, and not only speaking the language -- but knowing and understanding the culture -- has helped me tremendously over the years. This comes not only in engaging with the client but providing input to my teams regarding cultural issues as well.
This skill specifically has gotten me staffed on assignments where I would not necessarily have been as strong of a candidate had it been a domestic engagement, and allowed me a pathway to prove myself to Directors/VP's above me -- exposure I would not necessarily have had before.
It is not specifically a game-changer, but conyak is right in mentioning that it diminishes the applicant pool and specifically plays to your strengths -- it helps your odds.
It also helps if you're not only a Spanish-speaker but also from that country -- again, it's not a game-changer, but Latin people seem to gravitate to Latin people. Cabbie told me once "Miami isn't the south of North America, it's the North of South America". Dude was on-point.
Bilingual is worthless at the Analyst/Associate level, and really only useful if you have true professional fluency.
OP, you will be able to sort out some of the Seamless delivery confusion that occurs in every banks lobby. Immediate value add.
It is very useful if you are applying in the UK. PWP had separate applications for German and French speakers this year.
same applies to Rothschild
Bilingual Private Equity Recruiting (Originally Posted: 01/26/2018)
Hello Monkeys -
I was hoping if anyone had any insight on private equity recruiting looking at bilingual opportunities. Positions can be on or off cycle, but I'm interested in seeing if people knew how people break into these kinds of positions. Understand its sort of a unique circumstance but any insight would be appreciated!
I currently work as an analyst at a BB bank if that helps with some background.
Specifically, if anyone has any insights in to Japanese private equity positions (bilingual positions, and no preference on location) that would be amazing!
Thank you!
Yuzu, shame nobody has responded. Maybe one of these topics will help:
Private Equity ... text-left">
No promises, but maybe one of our professional members will share their wisdom: Matt-Miszewski threatlevelmidnight @firebi234"
Hope that helps.
Bumping this up! Any insight would be appreciated!
Gonna try bumping one more time hoping someone has some insight!
Hi Yuzu,
I am not entirely sure to understand your question as you say you are an analyst but at the same time would consider an off-cycle internship. Also to clarify, are you based in the US or in Europe?
Let me know so I can answer your question.
Hi Camondo,
Thanks for your response. I should have clarified in my original post, but I'm looking for full time positions. The on-cycle/off-cycle was referring to the recruiting timeline.
I would be based in the US!
Basically I'm trying to see what the best way would be for me to break into Private Equity for positions that require/cater towards bilingual candidates (Japanese/English) in my case.
Hope that clarifies a bit!
Yuzu
Saw some on gobuyside.com last week for a large PE firm, but I believe it was Chinese based.
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