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5 Tips To Include Language Skills On CV For Best Results

Are you wondering how to include language skills on your CV? Do you want to make the most of your language knowledge levels? Then read this informative blog on how to describe language skills on a CV.

The ability to commute in multiple languages can create a range of job opportunities for you. While presenting your resume, it’s important to include your language skills on CV UK. It will help you to stand out amongst the other candidates.

Why Proficient Language Skills Are Important?

Good communication is a crucial requirement of any job. Depending on your work profile, you must communicate with colleagues, seniors, and clients.

Hiring managers always look for language levels of fluency. It shows you can communicate with a diverse range of people. It also shows you’re dedicated and curious to learn something challenging.

Fluency levels in other languages show you have cultural knowledge of the other part of the world. Which is the prime requirement in the era of globalization. You not only communicate with your international business partners, but you have a strong sense of their cultural customs. That makes you interact with them in an appropriate cultural manner.

Levels of language fluency help you advance in your career in several ways. You can directly build smooth communication with international employers without translators’ help.

It doesn’t matter in which language you have proficiency or what is your professional industry. Language fluency levels help you grow your professional network. Read on to learn about hard and soft skills for CV.

What Should I Write In Language Skills section On A Resume?

What to write in language skills section on CV

When you prepare a fresh resume for UK employers, consider how additional languages you know apply to your job profile and business. In case employers demand to highlight your language level of proficiency, then highlight it in your resume.

If it is not given in the job description, then you can list them in the skills section of your resume. You can also research the company’s location to explore where they do business internationally. For example, companies that work with Chinese agencies might benefit from Mandarin and Chinese cultural customs.

For expert help, you can connect with the best CV Writing Services.

What Are 5 Levels Of Language Proficiency?

What to write in the language skill section

Before listing your language skills on your CV, review your speaking, reading, and listening comprehension of the language. The language levels below can help you determine whether you are a beginner, intermediate or fluent speaker.

You can also take the self-assessment from the “Interagency Language Roundtable.” It establishes language proficiency standards on a scale of 0.5 with “+” designations for individuals between language levels.

Here are 5 levels of language proficiency:

· Beginner:
All those who have just started to learn a new language come under this category. They understand some basic words and phrases. But unable to create a grammatically correct sentence. They even won’t carry on a conversation with someone from that language. 

· Intermediate:
An intermediate language speaker can hold a basic conversation in the language. However, the pace will be slow in comparison to the native speaker. They also require some repetition to understand the conversation. Intermediate speakers hold limited vocabulary knowledge. However, they understand grammatical rules and got adequate reading abilities.  

· Proficient:
Proficient language skills mean you can speak, read, and write the language with minimal difficulty. Proficient speakers can easily hold a conversation with native speakers. However, they might need some repeated things or an explanation of the colloquialisms. A proficient skill level means they can converse in the language. 

· Fluent:
A fluent speaker can comfortably speak, write, and understand the language without any difficulty. They have complete knowledge of the language that, includes colloquialisms. However, they are not native speakers of the language. 

· Native:
A native language ability refers to a language you grew up speaking and mastered all aspects of the language. That includes grammar, complex concepts, and extensive vocabulary.

Contact cover letter writing service to impress recruiters with engaging resumes.

Where To Include Language Skills On CV

Now you know how to present language proficiency to employers. The next step is to know how to report language skills on a CV.

It depends upon your abilities and the position you are applying for. Here are some details:

· Bilingual:
If you are bilingual, then it’s a perfect soft skill that you must include in the personal summary of your resume. It doesn’t matter for which position you are applying. 

· If language skills are required for the job:
If the job requires a specific language skill, then you might have the dedicated language skills section close to the top of your CV. It might also be a good move to include details in the personal summary section.

· If language skills are relevant for the role:
If language skills are relevant to the job but not a requirement, you will have a dedicated languages header in the skills section of your resume.

· Other situations:
When your language skills are not relevant to the job role, then it’s best to list them in your skills list. It’s still worth mentioning your language skills as it shows your cultural awareness and may be helpful in ways that your potential employer hasn’t articulated in the job position.

Also, explore CV references example to understand whether to include them in a resume or not.

How To Describe Language Proficiency In The Resume?

How To Describe Language Proficiency In The Resume?

It’s time now to understand how to list language skills on a CV. You can also highlight them at the top of your resume, besides the section for language skills.

In case language skills are crucial for the job like a “Certified Nursing Assistant.” You can start your summary like – “Bilingual CNA with 5 years of experience in the hospital setting.”

This will immediately draw attention to your language skills. Employer will review your languages or skills section for more details.

Here are the steps you can utilize to learn how to put language skills on your CV:

1. Determine Language Rating System

The first step towards including language skills on your CV is to determine the language rating system you are going to use. It depends upon the job requirements, and a basic note after each language using the beginner to native scale given above can be sufficient.

If you have taken the ILR assessment, include the ILR rating after the language. 

You can review the company’s requirements and business prospects internationally to determine whether the basic or ILR scale is better for your resume.

If a designated proficiency level is listed in the job description, ensure to list your language rating following the scale they have used while posting.

A resume for a post that doesn’t interact with international clients regularly might not require a formal rating scale.  

In case your comprehension levels vary during speaking, reading, and listening, then list each rating separately. But, if you have similar ratings across all categories, you can choose an average and list this on your resume to save space.

Always prepare to speak to your abilities during the interview and present proof of your comprehension level.

2. Select Where To Include Languages On Your Resume

You can list your language abilities under your skills CV education section or in the specific language section. It depends upon the position and the number of languages you speak.

In case you speak many languages, or knowledge of the particular language is crucial for the role, then create a separate section of your resume and highlight your language abilities.

If you speak one additional language or languages that are not important for the job, then add them to your skills section. It will also help you save resume space.

Alternatively, you can also list them under your education section if you list relevant courses and have gone through language classes.

3. Format Your Language Section

The format of your language section depends upon the format of your entire resume and your industry. The language section needs to be cohesive with other sections on your CV.

If you want, you can highlight or bold it in various ways. That makes it stand out if language abilities are critical for the role.

If you present your language abilities in the skills section, then use another bullet or line in that section.

If you need to include multiple languages, start with the language in which you are most proficient and list them in descending order of proficiency.

You can also format your language skills into an infographic or as a separate box section in case it is cohesive with your resume format.

Conclusion

Many employers request that candidates list language skills on their CV if they are crucial for the role. However, most of the time, they don’t. We hope you know and understand how to present the language skills on your CV. If you need more information or help regarding your CV, contact our expert CV writers.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What are the 4 common language skills?

We can review a person’s language skills or expertise in the four main categories. It includes – speaking, reading, writing, and listening. If a person is fluent in any language, it means they have a high level of all four skills.

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Elise Griffin
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