Knowing A Second Language Can Open Up New Career Opportunities
Foreign language skills can be particularly beneficial if youre interested in changing careers to a new and growing field.
Jobs as translators and interpreters are in the top 15 fastest-growing occupations in the United States, with nearly 25,000 translation and interpretation jobs expected to become available by 2020. This estimate does not even include jobs in the military, which actively recruits people with a variety of language skills.
Other fast-growing fields like travel and tourism, healthcare and national security need employees with bilingual language skills and the ability to work across cultures. Fields such as journalism, education and international development are always in search of bilingual employees. And knowing a second language can give you an an edge if you want to apply for the Peace Corps or become a Foreign Service Officer.
Work Experience In Your Bilingual Resume
The section work experience is an essential part of your bilingual resume. Its the one thing the recruiter really cares about and pays the most attention to.This section, however, is not just a list of your previous bilingual responsibilities. Its meant to present you as a wholesome candidate by showcasing your relevant accomplishments and should be tailored specifically to the particular bilingual position youre applying to.The work experience section should be the detailed summary of your latest 3 or 4 positions.
Representative Bilingual resume experience can include:
- Excellent oral and written communication skills to communicate effectively with attorneys and clients
- Excellent customer service focus good interpersonal, communication and problem solving skills interaction, both in words and actions
- Communication Demonstrates strong verbal, written and listening skills
- Excellent organizational, prioritization and time management skills to successfully support high volumes in a rapidly changing work environment
- Advanced skills in MS Office Word, Excel, PowerPoint skills with the ability to create reports, graphs, pivot tables etc
- Excellent interpersonal skills and relationship building, including the ability to communicate with people at all levels, both in writing and orally
First Determine If You Have Language Skills That Are Relevant To The Position Being Applied For
The first step to listing language skills on your resume is to determine if listing your language skills is actually relevant to the job you are applying for. If the position you are interested in does not ask for or require language skills, including your language skills on your resume is often unnecessary. However, if the job does specify the need for proficiency in a certain language, indicating that you are experienced or fluent in the language can help you land an interview.
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Language Skills On The Resume
How best to include your linguistic abilities.
Language skills are always impressive and for some jobs they are a requirement. How to include language skills on your resume will depend on whether they are relevant to the job, how many you speak, and to what level.
Your language skills are only a small part of your resume, so its vital that also you understand how to write a resume by each section.
Jobs That Require Foreign Language Skills
There is a wide range of employers who list foreign language qualifications for consideration on their job listings. For some positions, candidates are expected to provide a standardized measure of their level of proficiency in a foreign language on their resume.
Depending upon your industry, you may be asked to use a specific proficiency framework/test to self-assess and quantify your command of a foreign language.
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How Do You Say You Are Bilingual In A Cover Letter
How to Promote your BilingismoResume: Add a languages section indicating the proficiency level of every language you speak. Cover Letter: When applying to a position that does not require bilingualism, you may consider mentioning how your language skills could be an additional asset to the company in your cover letter.
Where To Put Language Skills On A Resume
A well-written resume should be tailored for each job application. The skills should match the job description, and each skill should be given prominence according to how important it is for the position. Resume language skills are no different.
With this in mind, you need to choose a place for putting languages on a resume. The most common choice is to feature them in your skills section. If you only speak one or two languages, and it isnt directly important to the job, this is the most logical choice.
Unless you are applying for a job in IT, you can also put your computer skills in the same section under a general core competencies heading.
Another option, if you have a language qualification, is to list it under your education section.
If youre applying for a job for which language skills are highly important, such as a translator or hospitality worker, you should choose a resume format which highlights them.
You should have a specific languages section which gives more detailed information on your ability. It could be a subsection of your skills, or a separate section, whichever fits better.
You can also mention it in your personal details section if you have one, and if its a must-have skill for the vacancy, you can plug it in your resume objective.
You should also include a separate languages section if you speak enough languages to warrant doing so.
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Your Language Skills Won’t Help You Do Your Job
If your language skills aren’t going to help you do your specific job, it may not be worth wasting space on your resume talking about them. If you work in IT or accounting, for examples, your French language skills probably won’t matter. Unless your team is based in France or you have a lot of French colleagues, the chances that you’ll actually need to use your French are slim to none.
Approximate Your Language Skill Level With An Adjective
In most cases, the following scale is an acceptable method for describing your general language skill level, and will be understood by any employer.
Scale for Resume Language Skills
Basic: suggests that you understand basic words and phrases, but are unable to hold a conversation.
Intermediate: suggests you can hold a basic conversation in the language, but have limited vocabulary, a low understanding of grammar rules, and may not be able to read.
Conversational: suggests that you can hold full conversations in this language but not at a fluent level. You may struggle to find the right words and keep up with native speakers. Additionally, you may not be fully literate.
Proficient: suggests you have a high level of comfort with the language, but not to the same level that fluent or native speakers would. Proficient speakers have a larger vocabulary and more developed skills than conversational speakers.
Fluent: suggests youre highly comfortable speaking, writing, or reading in this language and that you can hold conversations to the same level as a native speaker.
Native: indicates that this is your mother tongue, and that youre fully comfortable speaking, reading, and writing in this language.how to list language skills on resume
The only time you shouldnt use this scale is if youre applying for a role where a high level of detail about your language skills is required. In this situation, you should use a more specific, official scale.
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How To Recruit Bilingual Employees
When recruiting bilingual candidates, you need to specialize your outreach. You might need to use specific platforms to find bilingual candidates. And, you must get them to apply for the job by creating an individualized email template.
So, how do you work around the language barrier when recruiting bilingual candidates? If you dont know the other language or languages in the job order, you can still recruit. One option is to partner with a recruiter who does know the language and make a split placement. Or, you can do the footwork necessary to recruit talent and have someone who is fluent in the language present during the screenings and interviews.
Whether you are multilingual or not, take a look at some recruiting strategies for bilingual candidates.
Language Skills Section Example
Another good way to showcase your language skills is to set them off in a dedicated Language Skills section or table. This should be placed either directly after your summary of qualifications or at the end of the resume following the description of your education and training.
Foreign Language Competencies
- English: Native
- German: Professional Working Proficiency
- Dutch: Professional Working Proficiency
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Describe How You Achieved Your Bilingualism
You must provide a brief paragraph that briefly describes your way to becoming a bilingual speaker.
This is quite a significant feature for the employer who might afterward have a better understanding of your goals and interest in another language, and that can add you some scores.
For example, you can mention that your one of your parent is Spanish speaking, so you have learned both English and Spanish at the same time since childhood.
Or you can say that you had spent several years studying at the University of France. However, dont get into details.
What Are The Benefits For Being Bilingual
Here are 10 benefits of being bilingual:Increase brain power. It can give children an academic advantage. Increase awareness of other cultures. Make travel easier and more enjoyable. Improve competitiveness in the job market. Find it easier to learn a third language. You can better raise your kids bilingual.
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How To List Language Skills On Your Resume
One of the most valuable skills that job candidates can offer potential employers is strong fluency in a foreign language. If you have strong foreign language skills, including this fact on your resume will likely give you an advantage over most of your competition whenever the ability to speak another language is a prerequisite for the job.
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AnnaMarie Houlis is a feminist, a freelance journalist and an adventure aficionado with an affinity for impulsive solo travel. She spends her days writing about womens empowerment from around the world. You can follow her work on her blog, HerReport.org, and follow her journeys on Instagram @her_report, Twitter @herreportand .
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The Benefits Of Being Bilingual
Amy Bergen
Bilingualism, or the ability to speak two or more languages fluently, can be a huge asset for job seekers. As a 2017 report by New American Economy discovered, the need for bilingual workers in the United States more than doubled in the previous five years. This trend is projected to increase, especially for Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, and Arabic speakers.
But even if you dont speak one of these languagesor dont use a second language on the job at allbilingualism makes you a more adaptable thinker, according to a report by the Language Institute. Quick and flexible thinkers with broad perspectives will benefit any employer.
Here are some of the benefits of being bilingual, from the job hunt to personal and professional development.
The Benefits Of Being Bilingual In Social
The New American Economy report also reveals bilingual jobs are common in fields with a high degree of person-to-person interaction. Employers in fields like education, health care, and social work actively seek bilingual workers. Dozens of languages may be represented among students at a school, clients at a housing or health facility, and residents of a neighborhoodespecially in urban areas. A staff member who can serve as an interpreter or translator is invaluable. Language skills are also applicable in many advocacy jobs immigration lawyers, for instance, often need to communicate with clients who may not speak English.
So where can your language skills be best put to use? The most in-demand bilingual skill depends on where you live. In a place where many people speak a certain languagebe it Spanish in Miami, French in Louisiana, or Vietnamese in the Bay Area of Californiamany jobs strongly encourage bilingual candidates.
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Skills For Temporary Bilingual Customer Service Representative Resume
- Successfully gather and analyze information to effectively diagnose the customers problem
- Additional sales rep training: Average Handle Time, Selling Skills, Selling Computers, Ingram Micro, Fraud Awareness
- Prior call center experience, 1+ years of customer service background
- Bilingual skills, both written and verbal
- Exceptional French and English communication skills
- Training: Equivalent combination of education and experience
The Language Is Extremely Difficult To Learn
If the language you know is extremely difficult to learn and, therefore, few people in your area know it, you may want to include it on your resume. Whether or not it’s relevant to your industry, job or the company at all, it shows that you’re a hard worker and have dedicated your time to learning a skill that’s not easy.
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Skills For Bilingual Client Services Representative Resume
- Significant experience implementing ELL effective instructional practices, designing engaging lessons, using data and formative assessment in the classroom
- 6+ months of previous experience working within a Skilled Nursing Facility or working with the Geriatric population
- Strong focus on delivering results while managing and prioritizing multiple projects & candidates
- Effectively manage incoming communication via phone and email using a CRM tool
- Experience building strong working relationships with others inside and/or outside the organization
- Experience adjusting to shifting priorities and continuous changes in a work environment
- Strong marketing, public relations, corporate governance, and grant writing experience, with the ability to engage a wide range of stakeholders
- Possess verbal, reading and writing skills
- Well-developed interpersonal, organizational, analytical, decision-making, negotiation, problem- solving and verbal and written communication skills
Experience For Bilingual Human Resources Assistant Resume
- Ensuring reasons for return are valid and in accordance with Dispute Regulations
- Banking Product/Service experience
- Internet experience including job boards, social media, job posting and networking
- Strong understanding with various recruiting tools sourcing
- Effective routines in place and actively practiced, including: ensuring all guidelines are followed, including Privacy and Escalation guidelines
- Lead in developing and circulating your proven best practices which are the foundation of this growing team
- Experience independently gathering appropriate information and diagnosing the cause of a problem before taking action
- Experience working in a team environment with the ability to earn trust and credibility completing own share of team’s work and supporting team decisions
- Experience in managing a high volume of activities while developing and managing internal customer relationships
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How To List Resume Language Skills
Once you establish your language comprehension levels, you are ready to list your skills on your resume. Besides a section for language skills, you may also highlight them at the top of your resume in your summary.
If the language skills are critical for the job you are applying for, such as a Certified Nursing Assistant, you might begin your summary with Bilingual CNA with 7 years of experience in a hospital setting. This will draw immediate attention to your language skills, then the employer can review your languages or skills section for further details.
Here are three steps to follow to add language skills to your resume:
Should You Mention Your Bilingual Skills In A Resume
You should mention your bilingual skills either once or throughout your resume. The place you list your bilingual skills on a resume depends on the position you’re applying for. If the job posting doesn’t include bilingual skills in preferred qualifications, you can include it in a lower section of your resume.
If you notice the job description mentions a preference for a bilingual candidate or if the posting describes the regular use of a certain language to complete workplace tasks, you can feature your language skills at the top of your resume. This makes your bilingual skills easier for the hiring manager to locate and immediately tells them you have the language skills they’re searching for.
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Determine The Relevance Of Your Bilingual Skills To The Position
Review the job posting to learn if the position requires bilingual skills. If it mentions that the company prefers candidates proficient in a language you speak, you can list this skill near the top of your resume. If you don’t see any preference or job description mentioning the need for candidates with bilingual skills, you can list it near the bottom of your resume in your skills section or in a section of its own. You can also list your bilingual skills in multiple sections throughout your resume, if desired.
Most Wanted Languages In Demand From Employers
According to a 2018 report from the CBI, a lobbying organisation that represents many British businesses, the languages most often sought by employers are:
- French
- Chinese
- Arabic.
The CBI/Pearson Education and Skills report, published jointly with education company Pearson, commented that the growing demand for Spanish reflected its use both in Europe and Latin America.
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How To List Languages On Resume
Writing a compelling resume that can emphasize and highlight all your skills, abilities, experience, and achievements is not easy. Many people prefer to use professional resume writing services like CraftResumes.com. This is because it takes an expert writer to know exactly how to put the right word in the right place with great attention to detail. Although adding CV language skills might seem simple, it takes a bit of consideration in advance if you want to do it right.