Bilingual: Marketing Your Most Valuable Skill - Hispanic Today
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Bilingual: Marketing Your Most Valuable Skill

By on July 8, 2020

Marketing your bilingual skills can be just the ticket to get that position you REALLY want.

                                         “One language sets you in a corridor for life. 

                                           Two languages open every door along the way.” Frank Smith

Mastering two languages is a skill called bilingualism. This relatively uncommon skill can play a significant role in adding value to your career. As a result, it allows you to market yourself from a unique perspective. You can market your bilingual skills in such a way that an employer will be forced to think out of the box to hire you. 

Whether or not the position you’re applying for requires your language skills, you can still convey the creative ways in which your skills can benefit the company’s business goals.

Create the necessity for your bilingual skill

The first step you’ll be able to desire to market your bilingual skills is to create a demand for your bilingual skill. After that, convince the employers to hire you based on that. Your skills can help a prospective company communicate and potentially do business with non-native English speakers. 

But beyond that, your language skills and your multicultural approach can provide benefits that far exceed a conversation. Here are some ways to assist you in marketing your talent for an employment interview.

Reach a placement market

Reach a brand-new market and an audience that would be using your prospective company’s products or services but don’t engage yet. Your skills can help bridge the gap. And, that can build connections that translation alone cannot.

Provide cultural insights

If you’re not native to the US, you bring an entirely new level of awareness to the workplace that the company may not have had access to otherwise. You’ll offer insights on cultural etiquette and customs. This could be valuable for reaching a target audience.

You see things from a special perspective because you’ve not had the identical American experience as your colleagues. As a result, your feedback and insights can help the corporate to think differently when tackling difficult problems.

Encourage innovation

On a personal level, the power to  speak more than one language helps you to be a stronger employee.

You can convince your clients by highlighting your qualities as follows:

  • Multitasking
  • Processing information
  • Understanding non-verbal cues
  • Analytical thinking
  • Attention to detail
  • Adapting to vary

Highlight your bilingual skills on your resume

Your resume is that the first impression you give to a prospective employer. And, an excellent resume is one that highlights your skills in an exceedingly strong way. One which will translate into a sound business investment. So, here are some tips to be sure that your bilingual skills stand out. On your resume add a language section that indicates how fluent you’re within the languages that you just can speak, read, and write in. 

If the position you’re applying for is trying to find a bilingual candidate, confirm the language section is found towards the top of your resume.

Where to promote your bilingual skills

The common industries trying to find bilingual talent include:

  • Healthcare
  • Banking
  • Sales and marketing
  • Accounting
  • Technology
  • Customer service
  • Retail
  • Education
  • Law services
  • Human Resources
  • State and federal government agencies
  • Court advocacy services
  • Hospitality
  • Nonprofit

Also, check our career search engine.

About Josh Fields