Survey: Hispanics Say Work Attitude Defines a “Professional” More Than Education

September, 2005, [North Miami, FL] — According to a poll just completed by the National Society for Hispanic Professionals (www.NSHP.org), "work attitude" was cited as most important in defining a professional. In the poll, which surveyed 556 Hispanic professionals, 37% of the votes selected “work attitude” while "experience" ranked second by only one percent (36% of the votes). "Studies" finished third, but far below the first two options, with just 17% of the total votes.

These results may surprise some, but they make sense not only in the Hispanic community but in the general Job market, according to Eric Shannon CEO of LatPro.com, the No. 1 job board for Hispanic professionals.

"Even though 73 percent of the candidates in our database have a Bachelor Degree or higher, studies don't create a professional for various reasons,” he explained. “Some specific jobs do not have a school where to study, like sales management or customer support specialists whose "professionalism" can be measured only by their experience and achievements. The same happens with relatively new career paths, like the ones related to the internet. And companies also understand the value of experience — that is why we see daily basis requirements stating 'Bachelor Degree or the equivalent of X years of experience'."

In a follow up to the poll, one respondent with an MBA explained her reasoning: "Any Latino with a degree values the title and is proud of the achievement, because in most cases we have to overcome more difficulties to go through school — but after some years of working we all realize that a degree is a better starting point for a professional career but it’s not enough. You have excellent professionals without a degree, and poor performers with the highest degrees".

She’s not the only one to see it from this point of view. Follow-up comments from a smaller group revealed that studies are highly esteemed as a useful foundation for a successful career, but not enough to define anyone as a "professional."

The complete results of the poll or the results of older polls can be see at: http://www.nshp.org/?q=poll

About NSHP
The mission of the National Society for Hispanic Professionals is to empower Hispanic professionals with information and connections. NSHP's purpose is to provide Hispanic professionals with networking and leadership opportunities and information on education, careers and entrepreneurship. NSHP seeks to ensure the inclusion of Hispanics in corporate America at a level congruent with the economic contributions of the Hispanic American community. NSHP is a non profit organization with more than 9000 registered members.
For more information contact Sandra Roffo at sroffo@nshp.org

About LatPro
Established in 1997, LatPro is the leading job board for bilingual (Spanish/Portuguese – English) professionals in the Americas. LatPro’s commitment to the Hispanic professional community has made it both the largest Hispanic employment Web site and the largest diversity Web site in the United States. For additional information, contact Martin Ruiz by email at mruiz@latpro.com