How To Say You Speak Spanish On A Resume

How To List Language Skill Levels On Your Resume

November 23, 2020 | By Conrad Benz| Reviewed by Howard Davies

Highlighting your resume language skills is a great way to give your job prospects a boost. But properly listing your abilities as a polyglot isnt as simple as it seems. Read on to find out how to list language skills on your resume with our guide and examples.

Language Fluency Levels For Job Applications

When putting your foreign language experience on your resume or on your application, it is important to not overstate your skill. A key point is that it is better to be more conservative rather than less conservative. Some users even feel that you should only put your language skills on your resume if you are business proficient or higher.

How To List Languages On Your Resume Resumeio

Employresume.io

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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.

Do Not Lie On Your Resume About Your Language Ability

Dont include language skills in a resume if you dont have them! If the required language is important for the job youre applying for, the interview or at least part of it is likely to be in that language. It could be incredibly awkward and embarrassing!

Even if you were to get away with it at the interview stage, you would be expected to be able to speak the language when you start the job. Once they discover that you cant and that you lied on your resume, you could be sacked.

Secondly, if it is not an important element for the job, it wont help your resume to stand out so it wouldnt be of any help to you. Dont lie on your resume!

If you have limited experience it can be tempting to lie. Dont. Knowing how to write an entry-level resume will help you to highlight your strengths and get to the interview stage.

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What Are Language Levels For Resumes

Language levels refer to your level of proficiency with a language. There are different aspects of languages, including reading, writing, listening and speaking, and it’s important to distinguish your level of proficiency for employers, so they know how effectively you will be able to meet the needs of a position.

Language Skills Cv: What Businesses Want

Its great that you know a second language. It will definitely increase your career options. You may also consider adding language skills or beefing up level 1 or 2 knowledge you have of several languages. Your time is valuable so choose wisely. Which languages are in high demand by businesses?

A resume.io survey of multiple language learning and business sites found these languages were common to all lists of best languages to learn for business:

• Mandarin

Other commonly mentioned languages are:

• French
• Portuguese
• Hindi

From 2010-2015 the number of jobs requiring Mandarin speakers tripled, according to New American Economy. In the same period, Spanish and Arabic as desired language skills rose 1.5 times in job listings.

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Should You Include Spoken Languages On Resume

You can list your language abilities under your skills, education, or as a separate section of your job, depending on the position and the number of languages you speak. Adding languages or languages that are not relevant for the position can save you a lot of space on your resume if you speak one additional language or one language that is not relevant.

Which Level Of Language Proficiency Am I

If you are not sure how skilled you are at a language, one user shared a site that can help you test your proficiency in a respective foreign language you can use this to determine your level of proficiency for the purposes of your resume.

You can also use the Interagency Language Roundtable scale to figure out your proficiency. The ILR scale gives a complete description of language proficiency levels which is more transferable to resumes. We’ve listed the common equivalent next to the ILR ranking. Examine the rankings carefully. An exaggeration of language skills could put you in a bad situation. Do not list “Full Professional Proficiency” or “Fluent” next to any language, unless you can proceed in an interview in said language.

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Remember: Youre An English Speaker Not A Learner

When you use more specific explanations to describe your English skills or your language goals, you sound more like an English speaker, not a learner.

The word learner is often used in academic language or school environments. Thats why youll hear teachers use the term discussing language skills amongst themselves.

But if youre speaking English in the workplace, in social situations, or when traveling, youre not a learner, youre an English speaker. Youre just a non-native English speaker!

Personally, I try to avoid the term English learner when talking about non-native English speakers because it makes me feel like were back in the classroom.

Most of the time were interacting in English in real life!

In order to feel more confident about the language skills you actually have, I encourage you to use the language weve discussed in the videos in order to describe what specifically youre able to do with your English ability.

Most people dont need to achieve near-native proficiency! This is really challenging for most people.

Instead, think about what you can specifically do and what you want to achieve and name it.

Of course, you may have certain situations where people ask you to rank your language skills according to a certain evaluation system or a language proficiency framework.

In this case, follow the instructions.

Do you speak English conversationally? Do you have full professional proficiency in English? Do you have a working knowledge of English?

How To Discuss Professional Proficiency And Language Skills

The next step above conversational English or conversational Portuguese is to talk about your professional skills in the language.

Many people have to speak English in professional environments, but they may not feel like they speak fluently. This is completely normal!

If you speak English in professional situations and you can handle negotiations, discussions, presentations, and general business-related interactions in English, you can talk about your professional proficiency in the language.

You dont have to be fluent in order to say you have professional proficiency.

This just means that you have a certain degree of mastery in the language used to interact in professional situations, to communicate effectively, to discuss important ideas, to present your ideas to your English speaking colleagues.

Does this sound like you? If so, you may describe your English skills as working professional proficiency or full professional proficiency.

Once again, this is a self-evaluation, which means youre the one deciding what kind of language skills you have.

Remember, you want to be honest with yourself and make sure you choose what seems most appropriate.

Someone may test you in order to prove your professional proficiency

If you have working professional proficiency, which is a little bit lower than full professional proficiency, then state that.

But if you feel confident communicating in a variety of professional situations, you can say, I have full professional proficiency.

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Why Is It Important To Learn Spanish

• There are over 400 million Spanish speakers world-wide.
• With more than 33 million speakers, Spanish is the second largest language in the United States.
• Hispanics are the largest minority in the United States, with the majority of them being Spanish speakers.
• Latin American countries are our most important trading partners.
• Being able to speak Spanish greatly enhances your resume. If you are bilingual you are more competitive in the workplace.
• Whether as a Spanish teacher or that of any discipline, you can make a difference in the field of education. Your language skills will enable you to interact with English Language Learners.
• You can travel to a Spanish-speaking country and really get to know the culture.
• Your ability to understand Spanish enables you to gain important insights which monolinguals cannot.
• As we grow older, our memory begins to fade. Learning a foreign language actually helps keep your memory sharp.

Should I Put Languages On My Resume

The number one consideration on whether to include a resume language skills section is relevancy. Is the language a job requirement? Is the ability to speak the language of value to the company?

If the language is relevant to the position youre applying for it should definitely be included, and highlighted. If not, it should be included though it shouldnt be given too much prominence.

When writing a resume, space is precious, every part should help to sell yourself to the company. If you doubt whether something is relevant, the chances are it isnt.

English is the most important international language to speak. Most recruiters and employers expect their employees to be able to hold a conversation in English.

However, the fact that your resume is in English will highlight this. In the US, it can also be highly valuable to speak Spanish. If youre writing a student resume, extra languages look good, and will help you to fill the space.

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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:

What To Include In A Spanish Resume

Other than the language, there are additional factors that must be considered when writing a resume in Spanish. These elements encompass what sections should appear on a Spanish CV in order to catch the hiring managers attention.

If the curriculum is not well-formatted and laid out in the corresponding order, you could easily find your Spanish resume being rejected from the very beginning. To ensure this doesnt happen, follow these guidelines of what to write in your resume in Spanish:

Unlike the 88% of US recruiters who reject resumes with photos, recruiters in other countries expect a Spanish curriculum to include a professional profile picture. This passport-sized photo is included on the front page of the resume. It should show only the head and shoulders and should not be taken from another photo but be professionally shot for this purpose.

If you are uncomfortable including a , it is not compulsory and the anonymous CV is becoming more and more accepted in Spanish companies so it should not cause a problem. However, candidates should be aware that traditionally Spanish-speaking recruiters are accustomed to seeing this photo as part of the professional profile of an applicant.

Personal Information

Datos personales

This area should include the candidates details as follows:

Education/Training

The information that should be included in this section includes the following:

Professional Experience

Skills

Languages

• Beginner Inicial/Principiante

IT Skills

Hobbies

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Writing A Resume In Spanish

If you need to write a resume in Spanish for a job application, it is advisable to go beyond simply translating the information and instead, you should try to write the Spanish CV from scratch taking into consideration the differences in layout and relevant details.

The principal elements that need to be taken into account are:

• Formatting
• Order and importance of sections
• Cultural terms
• Equivalents for grades, courses, etc.

Below you will find more information on these factors to help you structure and complete your resume in Spanish. Firstly, however, are a few general tips regarding creating a resume in Spanish:

A resume in Spanish example will help candidates understand what is important to include and what is not for their job application in Spain or to another Spanish-speaking country.

Should I Include Communication Skills On My Resume

Yes! However, you can’t just list “communication skills” in your skills section and call it a day. You should be including communication skills on your resume with more context.

Simply using phrases like “excellent written and verbal communication skills” serves little to no value on a resume. Anyone can make these claims, and it’s difficult to prove.

Here is a list of common communication skills phrases used on resumes that WON’T help you stand out:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

• Excellent communication skills

• Confident, articulate, and professional speaking abilities

• Empathic listener and persuasive speaker

• Public Speaking

• Speaking in public, to groups, or via electronic media

• Excellent presentation and negotiation skills

While these statements may be true, none of them add a whole lot of value to your resume. Use them sparingly, knowing that most other people are using the exact same phrases on their own resumes.

Instead, your skills section should consist of mostly hard skills.

What’s the difference between soft skills like communication and hard skills?

The big difference is that âhardâ skills are objective and âsoftâ skills are subjective. This chart offers some more comparisons:

So how do you include communication skills on a resume correctly?

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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.

How To List Languages On Your Resume

So how do you list languages in your CV? There are several ways to include your language skills. Some of them depend on which of the three formatsof resumes you choose.

1. Language Sidebar. Information on a resume sidebar catches the eye, making the reader feel like its in a special spot for a reason. If the position specifically calls for language proficiencyand you meet the mentioned proficiency levelconsider listing your languages in the sidebar.

In many of our resume templates, you can listskills and languages above the level of proficiency through the use of icons or bars. Either choose to create a full list of languagesif you speak multiple onesor meld skills and language list into one sidebar display.

In this case, it may look something like this:

• Spanish
• French
• German

2. Within work experience. As you detail your skills and responsibilities underneath each job title, include a bullet point about your language use throughout the position. As always, stay honestif a past employer ends up as a reference, language use could come up.

If language is a large part of the job requirements, place it toward the top of your responsibility list. Hiring managers may be looking for keywords as they make their initial pass over your resume, and including these phrases prove you understand the level of language proficiency theyre looking for.

For example:

Product Manager, Super Solutions January 2014-January 2018

For example:

For example:

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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.