Jobseekers Benefit From A Second Language

Many of us have found ourselves sitting in an office reception with three or four other people waiting for the nod to go in for an important job interview. However, how many us of have sat there and realised that although all the people in the room are probably similarly qualified as you are but that one of them has gone the extra mile and learned a new language to give them an edge.

According to a recent report from a translation company, young people in particular are in danger of losing out on job openings as a result of having just one language on their CVs.

As well as overseas students and graduates heading to the UK in a bid to gain industry experience, UK job-seekers are also facing competition from their peers who have made the effort to brush up on their secondary school French, with night classes or even holiday courses increasingly seen as a major plus.

A press and marketing coordinator at CILT, the National Centre for Languages, explained that having another language is not only good for landing jobs in translating and interpreting, but also in a whole range of business sectors.

She explained: "If you can get people to enthuse about languages at a younger age they are more enthusiastic about it at secondary school and are more likely to choose languages in their options and go on to use them in the future."

She added, however: "A gap year abroad is an excellent way to pick up a language if those languages aren't necessarily taught at your school and is a great way to develop your understanding of those cultures as well."

What's more, just like actors and actresses, having an extra language can often serve as a dormant skill, going unused for years before the ideal opportunity crops up to put it into use and rise above the crowd guaranteeing some praise from the boss and maybe even a promotion.

If you would like to know more about job interviews why not ask AnswerBank Jobs and Education.