Bilingualism: Speaking a Foreign Language Can Improve Your Career Prospects

One thing is for sure, the job market can be extremely competitive. You need every possible asset you can have to set yourself apart from other candidates and show your future employer that you are the best person for the job.

Many people are aware that speaking a foreign language is a beneficial skill to have on your resumé, but just what exactly are the workplace advantages that you might have if you are bilingual?

More Job Prospects

Some people think that foreign languages are only beneficial if you are working in fields that require you to speak another language, such as translation or interpretation. However, you can have more job opportunities in several different domains if you speak a foreign language. As more and more businesses move online and open their markets to the rest of the globe, being bilingual, or even multilingual, means that your skills can be a great asset in sectors such as marketing or sales, for example. Between two candidates with roughly the same skill set and amount of experience, the recruiter is likely to choose the person who is proficient in a foreign language if the other candidate is not.

Higher Potential Earnings

It is also important to note that an employee who speaks a foreign language is likely to have a higher salary than their monolingual counterpart. In fact, bilingual or multilingual candidates oftentimes earn between five and twenty percent more than the base salary rate for monolingual candidates. There is an extra advantage if you speak a language that is less common, as proficient speakers of these languages don’t come around every day. Besides English, some of the best languages to learn are Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, and Arabic which have 879, 436, and 422 million native speakers, respectively.

Career Evolution Opportunities

Not only does being proficient in a foreign language open more job opportunities for candidates, but it can also give you a chance to evolve in your career. If you speak a foreign language, you may have the chance to take your company abroad and represent them in another country. You may also be able to climb the corporate ladder a little faster and earn promotions more quickly than a monolingual candidate.

The advantages to being bilingual or multilingual are endless, and it’s never too late to start learning a foreign language. With time and dedication, anyone can become proficient in a new language, and the benefits will be well worth the effort you put in.