Can learning a foreign language enhance your employment prospects?
Yup! Being bilingual gives you a competitive edge that can grab a recruiter’s attention.
Besides strengthening your CV, being adept in more than one language enhances your other skills. This includes your creativity, attention span, and even your problem-solving skills. Of course, this is all a hit with employers!
So, if you’re interested in learning a foreign language, read on to see how it can increase your chances of getting hired.
Ways Learning A Foreign Language Makes You More Employable
Here are some ways learning a foreign language can help boost your career.
Foreign Languages Are In Demand
Statistics from the British Chamber of Commerce reveal that a whopping six in ten companies have not been able to do international business.
Guess why?
Their workforce isn't bilingual.
With the internet opening the world, more organisations are branching into other countries. As a result, they prefer hiring people who speak multiple languages.
Access to More Opportunities
If you can speak more than one language, the career world will be your oyster, literally!
As a matter of fact, more organisations are listing foreign languages as either an added advantage or as a requirement. So while your monolingual counterparts will be scrambling for a few jobs, you’ll be spoilt for choice.
Remember that remote working has become increasingly popular, and companies are hiring virtual workers more than ever. Now, just imagine what that can do for you.
You can work from one corner of the globe, while speaking to customers or colleagues from another, and in their native language, too.
Access To Higher Salaries
Employees who speak more than one language get higher salaries than their monolingual peers.
Research shows that speaking a foreign language can add up to 35% of the going rate. However, note that this depends on the country, since different countries have different language demands.
It Strengthens Your Other Skillsets
Research shows that learning a foreign language engages the brain, making it easier to learn soft skills that employers just love.
Some of these skills are:
Empathy
Tolerance
Problem-solving
Logical thinking
Creativity
Helps You Stand Out From the Crowd
The labour market competition is cutthroat. This means you need something a little extra to get a step ahead of the other job candidates.
A foreign language can help you do just that, because recruiters know that it comes with many benefits.
So now that you’ve decided to learn a foreign language, what factors should you consider when picking one?
We’ll explore that, next.
Factors to Consider when Choosing A Foreign Language
The Number of People Who Speak the Language
It’s best to niche down. The fewer who speak the language, the better.
Language Difficulty
Of course, the harder the language is to learn, the more marketable your skillset will be.
Study Material Accessibility
Is the language material available online, or in person? It’s crucial that you have access to all the help you need.
Where You’d Like to Travel to in Future
If you plan to travel to Spain, learning Spanish would be more practical than learning Mandarin.
Ready To Skyrocket Your Career?
Learning a foreign language has massive benefits employment-wise. It’s an in-demand skill that can help you earn higher salaries than your monolingual counterparts.
It also makes you stand out in the competitive labour world, opening more doors for you than you could ever imagine.
So, are you interested in getting started? Then feel free to reach out! We’d love to help you strengthen your skillsets and expand your hiring horizons.