Bilingualism is a huge asset in the workplace. In fact, it’s one of the main criteria that a lot of customer service-based and government jobs require from candidates. Of course, fluency in speaking and understanding certain languages is in higher demand than others, but there’s always a big market for people who can speak multiple languages, regardless of what they are.
Bilingual professionals in the current ultra-competitive job market are far more likely to land interviews and even contracts for coveted positions over their monolingual counterparts simply because they have the ability to communicate with a broader range of individuals. International customers and business associates will appreciate your multilingual speaking and/or writing skills.
Key Reasons Why Being Bilingual Improves Your Job Prospects
Employers are always looking for special skills, experience, and accomplishments that set certain candidates apart from the fold. The ability to fluently speak or write in a common language such as French, Mandarin, Spanish, etc. is an important feat that should definitely be highlighted in your resume. Here are a few reasons why being bilingual is a major asset in a competitive job market.
Employers Give Greater Preference to Bilingual Workers
English is recognized as an official language in 67 different countries and 27 non-sovereign states. It’s inarguably the most commonly spoken language in the world, albeit there are numerous different regional dialects. Of course, countries can have more than one official national language. French is Canada’s second official national language and is spoken by about 21% of the population, according to Canada.ca
Fluency in an official language in any country increases your chances of landing a government job. Moreover, since the e-commerce market is booming and will continue to grow in the future, countless companies are expanding their business into international markets. Customer service and call center jobs in particular are blowing up as they allow people to work remotely in an effort to minimize the spread of COVID-19. As a result, employers are more likely to choose bilingual and multilingual candidates over monolingual candidates when comparing their skill sets.
Expand Your Professional Relationship Building and Networking Skills
Bilingualism and multilingualism help to improve your personal and professional communication skills. The more practice you have speaking a different language, the more terms and phrases you can learn and retain in your collective memory. These terms and phrases will make it easier for you to communicate with international clients and business associates. Strengthening your language speaking skills can also help you learn new dialects and build upon your existing knowledge even further. It might even be enough to impress your employer and boost your upward mobility in your professional field.
You Can Target Your Locations During Your Job Search
If you’re open to relocating for work, then speaking two or more languages is a major asset. It allows you to target more locations of interest during your job search. Even better, it opens you up to job opportunities in different countries and cities that would otherwise elude you. Basically, being bilingual can literally open up a whole world of opportunities for you.
Bilingual Workers Are Always in High Demand
Bilingual employees are always good for business, no matter what industry they work in. Whether it’s retail, food and beverage, office work, warehousing, financial, customer service, or any other type of job, being bilingual allows you to communicate with a vast majority of customers, clients, coworkers, and business associates around the globe. Speaking with prospective and existing customers in their native language isn’t just extremely impressive—especially if you’re not of the same nationality—it also proves that you have enough drive and motivation to cement strong working relationships with clients.
Your employer will recognize just how big of a company asset you are, and your efforts may even result in a lucrative promotion. On top of that, other companies may also start to take notice of your unique and incomparable bilingual or multilingual skills and offer you better positions.
Personal Benefits of Being Bilingual
It Helps with Personal Growth
As great as being bilingual is for your professional career trajectory, it’s also an excellent character trait when it comes to your personal growth. Bilingualism helps you communicate more effectively and connect with a wide range of people from different cultural and language backgrounds. Speaking multiple languages fluently is a special skill that can help you develop a strong and deeper understanding and appreciation for other cultures as well as foreign language films, music, and even literature.
Bilingual People Are Generally More Tolerant and Intelligent
Bilingualism and multilingualism allows you to connect more closely to other cultures and learn about their customs and traditions. Learning a new language at any age is an excellent avenue for expanding your worldview and knowledge. It opens you up to a broad spectrum of new and exciting experiences and opportunities to learn that you probably wouldn’t have otherwise.
Bilingualism Enhances Your Creative Thinking Skills
Having strong creative thinking skills is important for both your personal and professional life. Creative thinking skills can help you get yourself out of a tight jam, force you to always consider situations from different perspectives, and to always think outside the box.
Bilingualism Sharpens Your Problem-Solving and Decision-Making Skills
Studies have shown that children who learn one or more secondary languages from an early age generally have stronger executive brain function than monolingual children. That’s not to say that you can’t or shouldn’t learn a new language later in life, but the more practice you have speaking a second language, the better. Furthermore, multilingual people are also better at multitasking, problem-solving, and decision-making than their monolingual counterparts.
Contact Resolve Recruit Inc. for Bilingual Jobs in Toronto
If you’re looking for excellent multilingual job opportunities in Toronto, then you’ve come to the right place. For over 20 years, Resolve Recruit Inc. has been expertly matching highly qualified job candidates to their ideal jobs for top-notch employers. Whether you’re looking for temporary or permanent placement with a well-known company, we can help you find the right bilingual jobs that match your skill set and preferences. Contact us today to learn more.
