In an increasingly globalised world, how necessary is being proficient in multiple languages, and how might this affect your career prospects in today’s job market? It is a commonly agreed upon belief that speaking a second or third language is a helpful quality for employability. The question is: why and what do you gain from it?
What do employers say when it comes to hiring people proficient in multiple languages? A Forbes article on the subject states that, of individuals surveyed who had hiring responsibilities, 35% confirmed that they had given an interview, job offer, promotion or pay raise to an employee as a result of them being skilled in another language. The same article also details the attraction of hiring multilingual workers for their capacity to help increase companies’ opportunities for expansion into international markets. Here, multilingual employees are key to translation processes as well as helping companies better understand the culture and attitudes of foreign target audiences. Knowing a country’s language can give insight into its culture. For example, specific turns of phrase, unique vocabulary, regional differences in language and local use of contemporary slang can all be invaluable to a company trying to break into the international stage. A similar article published by the UEI College in the US, states that speaking another language, if required to act as an unofficial interpreter on the job on top of standard duties, can contribute to being paid on average 5-20% more per hour. Higher pay, increased chance of interviews and promotions, and opportunities to work abroad in an international setting – being able to use another language in your professional life clearly has its rewards.
As well as giving your resume an extra kick, being multilingual comes with the development of additional, often unrelated, transferable skills that can contribute to vocational progress. I grew up bilingual and studied my third language all the way through secondary school and into further education and I have regularly found that the skills this helped me develop are the ones I find myself mentioning most in personal statements and applications; things like pattern spotting, problem-solving, multitasking and adaptability. The UEI College article also describes how learning a language increases creative thinking in employees. Thinking uniquely and being able to bring new and innovative ideas is sure to be an attractive skill to recruiters and employers.
It is clear that being able to speak multiple languages can increase career prospects both directly as an attractive feature on a resume, and indirectly in its development of ideal transferable skills. So, looking to diversify your CV and increase your employability? Swap that doom scrolling for Duolingo!