What Is a #LatinoJob? HP Continues Diversity Push with Powerful Message for Latino Recruits
The latest in a series of ‘Reinvent Mindsets’ video spots to bust stereotypes for minorities in tech.
What happens when we confront stereotypes head-on? Sometimes, it makes for uncomfortable—but important—conversations.
You can feel this tension in HP’s latest video spot, #LatinoJobs, which aims to attract Latino workers into high tech jobs. Part of HP’s Reinvent Mindsets recruiting campaign, which focuses on cultivating top talent from underrepresented groups in tech, this latest installment debunks stereotypes about Latinos at work.
In man-on-the-street interviews amidst the midday city bustle, HP asks, “What is a ‘Latino job’?”
The answers are off-the-cuff and raw: Construction worker. Janitor. Landscaper. Some of the interviewees avert their eyes, fully aware that they are parroting a harmful stereotype. Others visibly cringe when offering their reply, bristling as they say the words out loud. One young woman breaks—surprised by her own initial response — and is moved to tears.
“That’s a really powerful point in the film,” says Ali Alvarez, an independent documentary filmmaker who directed the #LatinoJobs spot for HP. “It was amazing. She surprised herself with her own thoughts. That’s a pretty powerful thing to capture.”
We’re then introduced to a remarkable, diverse group of Latinos professionals, including a thermal engineer and a software consultant. Dispelling the stereotype, these highly educated workers reinforce the main point of the video: That there’s no such thing as a ‘Latino job.’”
HP is looking to add to its ranks of Latino employees with the simple message: “HP is hiring and talent is our only criteria.”
At the end of last year, about 8 percent of HP’s U.S. workforce identified as Hispanic or Latino—so the company has a long way to go. HP prides itself on having the most diverse board of directors in the industry, in addition to having prominent Latino representation among its executive leadership team.
HP is looking to add to its ranks of Latino employees with the simple message: “HP is hiring and talent is our only criteria.”
At the end of last year, about 8 percent of HP’s U.S. workforce identified as Hispanic or Latino—so the company has a long way to go. HP prides itself on having the most diverse board of directors in the industry, in addition to having prominent Latino representation among its executive leadership team.
For Alvarez, who was born in Mexico, grew up in Southern California but now lives in London, the #LatinoJobs project had special significance.
“Having lived in London for 15 years, I have a perspective about the U.S. that I probably wouldn’t have had living there,” she explains. “I got excited—with this idea of debunking what a Latino job is and what it can be—it was really personal for me as well.”
To develop the video, HP partnered with Alma, a Miami-based agency recognized for pioneering a shift in Hispanic advertising. Alvarez was chosen to direct the spot through Free the Bid, an initiative to give women directors greater opportunities in advertising.
HP is set to debut the video at a recruiting event during Hispanicize, a big gathering of Hispanic talent in journalism, marketing, communications and tech entrepreneurship which takes place April 17-19 in Miami.
Learn more about HP’s recruiting efforts and watch the other videos in the Reinvent Mindsets series. View Part 1, "Let's Get in Touch," Part 2, "Dads and Daughters," and Part 3, "Proud Portraits."
Learn more about Director Ali Alvarez, her film portfolio and watch the trailer for her feature documentary, “Muerte es Vida.”
