Canadians Flaunt Your Fluency
Are you bilingual or multilingual? Whether English is your first or second language, your linguistic skills make you valuable in the workforce. In fact, companies that recognize and reward such abilities with extra pay tend to have better retention and satisfaction rates among workers than companies that remain neutral. If your employer falls into the latter group, don’t be shy about demonstrating the benefits of your multicultural background. So what can bilingual or multilingual skills do for you and your employer? Plenty. This expertise can boost your profile as a team player. “From time to time, you may be asked to facilitate communications with a customer due to your language skills,” says Joyce Moy, a fluent Chinese speaker and director of the Center for Workforce Strategies. “If someone asks me to translate something, I look at the request as a favour that isn’t much different than if I were good in computers and someone asked me to fix a glitch, even if it were not part of my job.”How can you convince employers your language skills are an asset? First, you must convince yourself your skills are valuable. David Tulin of Tulin DiversiTeam Associates suggests writing out the following statements:
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:
How Do You Describe Bilingual In A Resume
How do you describe bilingual in a resume? Add Your Native Proficiency to the Skills SectionYou can use the skills section to simply list the foreign languages you know along with your native proficiency. Other terms similar to native that can be used to describe a bilingual status of a foreign language would be fluent or mother tongue.
How do you list bilingual in a job description? 1. Use both languages in the job description. To attract bilingual candidates, you need to showcase the languages your client needs in the job description. Half of the description might be written in one language and the other half written in the other language.
How would you describe bilingual? Bilingual is most commonly used to describe someone who can speak or understand two languages, especially with some level of fluency. It can also be used to describe things that involve or that are written or spoken in two languages, as in These instructions are bilingualtheyre written in English and Spanish.
How do you say you speak two languages on a resume? When listing multiple languages, start with the language you are most proficient in and list them in descending order of proficiency. You can format your language skills into an infographic or as a separate box-section if it will be cohesive with your resume format.
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Languages On Your Resume As A Career Tool
How valuable are language skills on your resume?
As our world connects more and more every day, communicating with one another is becoming a higher priority. If youre already ahead of the game with fluency in a second or third language and it’s relevant to the position, this is a competitive advantage and you should consider including languages on your resume in the most effective way possible.
Consider this: Since February 2020, when the global pandemic began, FlexJob listings for remote jobs requiring bilingual workers have jumped 30%, according to TechRepublic.
Being able to call attention to your language skills on your resume may just get you the opportunity youve been looking for.
Determine Your Levels Of Language Fluency
Being able to carry on a conversation with a French waiter in Paris is wildly different from having professional working proficiency in French. To be able to add your language skills to your CV, you must judge your abilities with full honesty regarding speaking, writing, and reading. First, make a list of languages you know.
Depending on the type of job you seek, your future employer might be more interested in your writing skills so you can maintain communication with foreign business partners. Another employer might be interested in your speaking skills because they want you to participate in a meeting with foreign partners.
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Adjust Your Work Experience To Show Bilingual Skills
Describe your work experiences, highlighting your key achievements within each bullet. To emphasize your proficiency with a second language, you may want to add the word “bilingual” to the beginning of your job title, if appropriate. You could also mention specific opportunities that you had to use your language skills within each position.
Choose How To Describe Your Skills
The next step is to determine how you should describe your skills to potential employers. For example, are you fluent in another language or are you proficient? If you would describe your proficiency level with a second language as basic, it’s not recommended that you include it on your resume.
If you can engage in basic conversations, you should include it in your resume as either intermediate or upper-intermediate. If you are skilled with the language, you may want to describe your skills as advanced proficient, fluent or native. If you aren’t sure what your current skill level is, you may want to take a language proficiency test.
Read more:How to Include Language Skills on Your Resume
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What Are Resume Language Skills
Language skills are the additional languages you are proficient in besides the language your resume is written in. If you are applying for a job in the U.S., your resume will most likely be in English, which will show your comprehension of American English. The language skills on your resume could include any other languages in which you have intermediate, advanced, proficient or native comprehension abilities.
Exactly How Bilingual Are You
Director of Marketing & Business Development at Cowen Rodriguez Peacock & Trial Lawyer Nation award-winning podcast
NEVER embellish on a resume. Ever. If you can do something then list it. If you can’t then don’t. It isn’t rocket science. And when it comes to being bilingual the same rules apply, BUT it can be a little tricky.
When you think of being bilingual what do you think of? Speaking a language? Holding a conversation with someone? How about reading it? Writing it? And what if I asked you if you can read, write and speak the language with someone who is a native speaker of this language and it is in a professional setting?
**Now should be the time when you are having what Oprah calls an “aha moment.”**
This is exactly why listing you are bilingual on a resume can be tricky! Which is why I have listed some tips below to assist you in this decision.
1.) Can you read, write and speak the language? – If the answer is yes you should list you are bilingual. You can also go the extra step to show this by adding a note. For example, “Bilingual in Spanish ” can help someone understand your capacity to use this language. The same applies to the inability to do one of the three. There is no shame in listing “read and speak” because you are not comfortable writing in this language. Be honest.
So did you have your second “aha moment” now?
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Do An Administered Or Self
Depending on your level of skill and what the job requirements are, you should have some kind of objective gauge of your skill level.
The American Council on the Teaching for Foreign Languages offers proctored exams resulting in a recognized certification. This test is used by Fortune 500 companies and government agencies, so whatever certification you get will be widely recognized. This test and certification doesnt come cheap, however.
If resources are an issue, you can do a self-assessment through the Interagency Language Roundtable , a service set up among U.S. federal government agencies to keep abreast of the progress and implementation of techniques and technology for language learning, language use, language testing and other language related activities.
The site hosts three test forms, one for spoken proficiency, reading proficiency and listening/comprehension proficiency:
This will let you list your language skill level with a precision many other candidates probably wont bother to the tests generate standardized designations 0-5 with a + added if youre in between skill level tiers.
Why Employers Want To See Language Skills On Your Resume
Employers and recruiters most often want to see language skills on a resume when the position being applied for specifically calls for fluency in another language. For example, companies that are located in an area where multiple languages are spoken or that work on a global scale will often look for employees with fluency in a certain language in addition to their native language.
Possessing the ability to speak another language provides you with an important skill and often sets you apart from candidates who cannot speak another language. Its important to note that knowing only a few words or phrases in another language is typically not enough to include the language on your resume as a skill.
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What Is It Called When You Speak 4 Languages
1. The definition of quadrilingual means you can use four languages, or refers to something in four languages. An example of quadrilingual is a translator who speaks French, English, German and Japanese. An example of something quadrilingual is an instructional manual in Spanish, English, French and Chinese.
Responsibilities For Bilingual Human Resources Assistant Resume
- Prior experience with CCP
- Strong experience in Database Administration in SQL Server 2005 / 2008
- Manage time effectively, with minimal supervision to manage service delivery expectations and get work completed
- Experience, preferably in the mutual funds industry
- Effectively work independently in a fast-paced environment
- Well-polished communication and verbal skills
- Using quick wit and good judgment
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Should You List Your Heritage Language On A Resume
Many bilinguals have one language that is CLEARLY stronger than the other.
We went to school in English, made friends in English, and watched TV in English so our home language is a lot weaker.
So should you put this weaker heritage language on your bilingual resume?
I cant answer this for you, but my feeling is that it depends on your level and the position required.
Personally, I work in marketing. I couldnt work in my field with my Polish, so even though I consider it my native language I dont list it on my resume. Its just not an asset in my job, even though my city has a huge Polish community.
I could work in French, however, because as an adult Ive studied professional vocabulary and grammar in that language. So because that could be an asset, I might list that on a resume even if I dont think a local job will need French speakers as much as they need Polish speakers.
But heres the catch.
When I was a teenager working in the mall? I totally listed Polish! We have a big Polish community here, and to help them I just had to be polite and explain basic things. In that context, I could totally use my language. Plus, we have no French population here–so it wouldnt have been important for me to add my French.
Thats why you really have to think about this question for yourself.
My suggestion is to ignore your feelings of guilt or inadequacy . Just ask yourself how practical your skills would be in the required position.
How Do I Describe My English Skills On My Cv
There are alternatives as far as the proficiency phrasing goes, as well:Advanced: native, fluent, proficient, advanced, mother tongue, upper-intermediate.Mid-range: intermediate, conversational, competent, professional.Beginner: elementary, beginner, basic, pre-intermediate, limited working proficiency.
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How Do You Say You Are Bilingual On A Resume
Add Your Native Proficiency to the Skills Section You can use the skills section to simply list the foreign languages you know along with your native proficiency. Other terms similar to native that can be used to describe a bilingual status of a foreign language would be fluent or mother tongue.
Is Language A Skill Or Knowledge
On the other hand, speaking and writing are considered active skills because they imply a production that others can receive. Most people tend to have more difficulty producing than recognizing but, surprisingly, some language learners can speak or write better than they can understand spoken language.
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How To Feature Your Bilingual Skills On A Resume
When you look for a job, it’s important that you present your skills and qualifications in a way that makes you stand out among other candidates. If you are bilingual, listing your language skills on your resume is an effective way to showcase your dedication to learning a second language and improving your skill set. There are different ways you can feature your bilingual skills on your resume to grab the attention of hiring managers.
In this article, we explain why it’s important to include your bilingual skills on a resume and how to feature these language skills with examples.
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 Can I Learn A Foreign Language On My Own
7 Strategies To Learn A Language At HomeMake Your Own Program. Work On Tasks That Match Your Skill Level. Learn The Language As Its Really Spoken. Dont Overload Your Brain. Actually Review What Youve Learned. Get Immersed And Make It A Habit. Incorporate Resources And Social Media Into Your Learning.
Experience For Bilingual Client Services Representative Resume
- Experience using computerized inventory systems such as a Warehouse Management System and a working knowledge of MS Excel
- Full cycle recruitment experience in a high volume environment.
- Receive incoming mail and interoffice correspondences review, evaluate, and distribute correspondence requiring priority attention
- Strong knowledge of residential mortgage business, including approval, title and funding stages as well as mortgage terms, fees and rates
- 55+ WPM excellent grammar, punctuation, spelling and understanding of deadlines with minimal supervision
- The Inside Sales Representative is responsible for developing and maintaining excellent customer relationships through sales
- Experience in evaluating and treating Developmentally Disabled children
- Intermediate proficiency in written and verbal communications
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Education On A Bilingual Resume
Make sure to make education a priority on your bilingual resume.If youve been working for a few years and have a few solid positions to show, put your education after your bilingual experience.For example, if you have a Ph.D in Neuroscience and a Master’s in the same sphere, just list your Ph.D. Besides the doctorate, Masters degrees go next, followed by Bachelors and finally, Associates degree.
Additional details to include:
- Year of graduation
- Location of school
These are the four additional pieces of information you should mention when listing your education on your resume.