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How Languages Can Make Your Resume Stand Out From The Crowd

There’s steep competition when it comes to the job hunt these days. Every year, thousands of students get their degrees and are then thrust into the job market. How do you stand out from all the other hopefuls?

If you have command of two or more languages, you should absolutely capitalize on this and highlight it on your resume. Here are a few tips on how to do that:

1. Know your goals.

It’s very helpful if you know where you want to go with your language degree or skills.

There’s lots of options for you, so if you haven’t thought about your career yet, now’s the time to do so. What do you want out of a career? Where do you want to be in five years? How do your language skills correlate to these goals?

2. Remember–you don’t need to be a native speaker.

As you’re writing your resume, remember that you don’t need to be a native level speaker in order to get the jobs you want.

If you have a decent level of proficiency, you can get be taken on by a company and have your skills nurtured as you progress.

Don’t be tempted to exaggerate your skills though. If you do, it’s easy to be found out or end up in way over your head.

Related: 4 Ways To Improve Your Foreign Language Skills

3. Aim for internationally-minded companies.

In your job search, you’ll get more luck if you aim applications towards companies that have expanded abroad. They’ll need employees who can communicate with their staff and customers in other countries, so they’ll snap you up if you’re right for the job.

Related: What You Should Know About Applying For Jobs Abroad After Graduation

4. Emphasize your experience abroad.

It’s not unusual for students to spend time abroad these days, but it’s what you do with that time away that counts.

Show off what you did while you were away. What skills did you pick up? What problems did you solve? Having these skills and experience is a real asset.

Related: 6 Ways To Decide Where You Want To Study Abroad

5. Include specific examples.

If you have another language under your belt, then you’ll need to show just how you can use it.

Include specific and detailed examples where you used your language experience and how it solved a problem.

For example, perhaps you used your grasp of French to help out some tourists in your Saturday job, or have done some translation for online videos. Make sure employers can see that you’ve put that knowledge to use.

Emphasizing your language experience well worth doing. Employers are always looking for talent with extra languages, so if you can show them you have the experience, then you can be a real asset to them.


By Brenda Berg

Brenda is a professional with over 15 years experience in business management, marketing and entrepreneurship. Consultant and tutor for college students at cv service. She is self-motivated results driven individual who is encouraged to travel and share gained experience in career, business and self-development.