Bilingual Fidelity customer service jobs: a launchpad for Spanish speakers into a financial services career

Working at Fidelity as a Spanish speaker isn’t just a career—it’s a calling.

Understanding economic and financial literacy gaps in the Latino community and how Fidelity’s bilingual customer service jobs close them

American Latinos make significant contributions to the economy, yet many face unique cultural, experiential, and structural barriers accessing the financial system. Here’s what Latinos might experience, according to numerous studies:

• Hold fewer assets than white households
• A rating of their knowledge of personal finance at four or below on a scale from zero to 10, for 19% of the population
• A lack of trust in the financial system
• A struggle to understand a new and complex financial system due to language and cultural barriers
• The need to save money physically in cash rather than in an account

Fidelity wants to break down systemic gaps and help Latinos overcome hurdles by educating and empowering them to achieve their financial goals—just like we do with all our clients. We understand that money is a tool, which is why we’re focused on helping underserved communities like Latinos and women learn how to wield it

You are changing lives with every conversation you have.

My parents came here to this country to give us a better opportunity. We do the same for our clients.

Every call is a chance to be the positive change you want to see in the world. “I make a difference in someone’s day and in their life when they call in,” said Rodrigo. “It comes down to what I’m going to give versus what I’m able to get,” said Jesus. “When a person gets off the line and is more informed about their financial choices, that’s the most rewarding part.”

Sometimes those calls involve helping someone save for a house. Other times you get to be the messenger bearing very, very good news. “A woman called about a 401k letter because she didn’t understand it. She didn’t realize she had a 401k,” said Rodrigo. “She had no idea she had so much money in her account. When I told her the amount, she cried. She had worked at a hotel since she was 16 and just retired. I told her she can enjoy her retirement, and she said, ‘You’re an angel from heaven.’”

• You’ll feel the good vibes working in a bilingual customer service job.
  You feel your community’s gratitude every day. “You’re going to leave at the end of the day, blessed like you would not believe,” said Jesus. “In the Hispanic community, we always have our moms and dads giving us a blessing before we step out the door. It kind of feels that way right before clients hang up that call. They’re giving us a blessing because of how grateful they are for our help.”
• You’re part of an inclusive and diverse culture in a Spanish-speaking job role.
  “Fidelity really does embody the importance and implementations of diversity and inclusion,” said Estephanie. We want every associate to feel seen and understood and have a sense of belonging. “Everybody is kind and humble,” said Jesus. “Even managers with big titles still have human connections with others,” said Rodrigo.Spanish speakers from every corner of the Latin world make up our team and call in as clients. You’ll primarily work with customers in the U.S. but may also have a global reach with the work you do.Employee resource groups (ERGs) help you feel included and connected to associates across the nation, with networking, learning, and philanthropic activities.
• You’ll have more than “just” a bilingual job and will be part of a close-knit, Spanish-speaking customer service team.
  When you work on the Spanish-speaking team in a bilingual financial customer service job, you’ll be part of a community within a community. Here’s what our associates say:

   

  • Rodrigo: “We’re a united team.”
  • Estephanie: “We thrive on connection.”
  • Jesus: “It’s like having a second community.”

  The team supports each other at and outside of work, sometimes even helping each other with advice and becoming friends. “I recently got married and bought a house,” said Jesus. “The team came together to make a gift basket to help us get the house ready.”

  And you might even be well-fed. “Our team potlucks offer an amazing opportunity to learn about other Latin cultures through their foods, which is a common way to connect in our cultures,” said Estephanie.

  Even when you go to another role, the camaraderie of the Spanish team goes with you. “There’s a Spanish word, hermandad, it’s like brotherhood,” said Estephanie. “It’s that connection that follows you, that is your network. The Spanish department connections last.”

• You’ll work in a beautiful environment with amazing amenities with our Spanish-speaking customer service jobs.
  Our facilities promote employee well-being, collaboration, and focus time. “Everything is upgraded, and it’s really nice,” said Rodrigo. Many locations offer on-site fitness and medical clinics, game rooms, lounge areas, private workspaces, and more. Some locations, like Westlake in Texas, are located near nature preserves. “Sometimes I see deer walking by. There’s a lake and people go fishing,” said Rodrigo. “I’m always like, ‘Wow, this is the place I work.’” Rodrigo loves coming to the office for the social connections and being able to find a phone pod or booth if he wants more privacy.

I’m always like, ‘Wow, this is the place I work.’

• You don’t need prior financial knowledge—we’ll pay you to learn on the job to be a bilingual customer service associate.
  “You learn what it takes to be successful,” said Rodrigo. “It’s intense, but it’s worth it.” Fidelity’s fully paid training program gives you the resources you need to work as a financial customer associate regardless of your financial knowledge. You can come from retail, hospitality, healthcare, social work, education, or another field. As long as you have a passion for helping people and the ability to learn, we give you the tools you need to work in financial services.Our self-paced training program means you have the flexibility to learn in a way that’s best for you, with a ton of support. Our training program is in English because our Spanish team also handles English calls in addition to Spanish. We want you to be comfortable with financial ideas in English before transitioning to Spanish. “You have to know the concept of the product before taking on the responsibility of translating it,” said Estephanie. Once you complete the English training, you’ll have a second, specialized training for financial terminology in Spanish as well as for Puerto Rico, since it has a different tax code for retirement plans.
• You’ll have plenty of chances for career growth, promotion, and mobility in our bilingual customer service jobs.
  “The opportunities here are endless,” said Jesus. With Fidelity by your side, you’ll become more marketable as an employee. “Fidelity has a culture of pushing you forward. I want to build my career here,” said Rodrigo. “You start adding skills under your belt. You can move up. I’ve been here for close to 2 years, and I’ve made major steps in my career. Everybody here is willing to help and put aside time to teach you a new skill or be your mentor.”Working in a Spanish-speaking financial customer service job gives you a stepping stone for your career. “Fidelity is the best place I’ve worked for because it’s allowed me to grow as a person, financially, and in my career. I see that with my coworkers too,” said Jesus. “As the company grows, so do our opportunities, and we do as well.”
• You’ll expand your Spanish fluency in a bilingual Fidelity customer service job.
  Because you’ll talk to Spanish speakers from all over the world—the U.S., Spain, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico—you’ll learn new dialects and cultural idioms, and you’ll train your ear to understand even the fastest Spanish speakers. “Mexican Spanish is fast, but Puerto Rican Spanish is on 1.5 speed,” said Estephanie. “It was a beautiful opportunity to learn and was rewarding. My biggest compliment is when a Colombian asks if I’m from Colombia, because that Spanish is very formal and eloquent. I picked up my Colombian colleague’s accent, which is fun.”

What it takes to work in a financial services job at Fidelity as a Spanish-speaking customer service associate

The most important factor in landing a career as a Spanish speaker at Fidelity is your bilingual proficiency. You need to train in and work in English and be able to shift to Spanish to listen, speak, do light reading, and translate on a moment’s notice. Switching from one language to another and back again is no easy task, but it’s an essential one for our Spanish team. “We’re a bilingual department,” said Jesus. “We’re not just a Spanish department, so we also handle calls in English.”

You don’t need a formal degree to prove your bilingual job skills; life experience counts. “Having to translate for your family or a stranger on the street helps prepare you for this role,” said Estephanie. “If you’ve translated some sort of communication in your past jobs, that helps you here.”

If you’re a great communicator and educator, Fidelity’s bilingual customer service role is an ideal job for you. When you can explain information and concepts to people in ways they can understand, you’ll help them make better financial decisions for the long run and help them create better outcomes for themselves.

Next is emotional intelligence. Regulating your own emotions while expressing patience and empathy for others is critical for bilingual customer service jobs. Sometimes you’ll deal with difficult situations or with clients in emotionally challenging moments in their lives. On the flip side, you’ll see people in moments of joy. “You have to put on these different hats for different situations,” said Rodrigo.

Staying resilient and taking each call as a clean slate is key in a bilingual customer services jobs. “It’s about your perspective and your mindset,” said Estephanie. You’ll want to balance compassion with a healthy amount of distance. “Clients may have difficult situations they’re dealing with,” said Estephanie. “It’s important to do everything you can to help them while also realizing there are only so many things within your control. Handling it with grace is key.”

Coming from a service background also helps set you up for success in a bilingual customer service job. That mentality of serving others helps you in a customer service role. “I never went to finance school, but all my transferrable skills from working in hotels for so many years apply here,” said Rodrigo.

Last, having an open mind and a can-do attitude will help you challenge yourself and get more out of your bilingual customer service job. “Just like with anything in life, it’s really what you make of it,” said Jesus. “If you really make the best of the opportunities presented to you, then you know it’s going to be good. Approach the work with a positive mindset.”

I never studied finance in school, but all my transferrable skills from working in hotels for so many years apply here.

Find your Fidelity—and your career in financial services—in a Spanish-speaking financial customer service job.

We’re looking for people like you with the drive to help your community while growing your career. Search open positions here, and sign up for our talent network to stay updated on new career opportunities.