Can studying a new language help you get the job you want? In a competitive job market adding additional skills to you CV can help you stand out from the crowd. Even if youre a beginner, demonstrating a willingness to learn new skills and set yourself challenges can impress prospective employers. ihlondon/other-languages/ Recent university graduates dont need to be told about how tough finding a job is right now. According to figures released by the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR) there are 83 applications for every graduate role advertised. With this kind of competition, more and more graduate job hunters are looking for ways to stand out from other job applicants. Graduate courses to side step the recession A popular route graduating students are taking is via postgraduate courses. A growing number of students finishing undergraduate courses are moving directly on to Masters and Doctorate degrees. This may seem surprising when the economy and jobs market are depressed, but many students continue to study to improve their employment prospects by adding further academic qualifications to their resumes. And increasingly, students are choosing to sit out the worst of the recession by staying on at university. Learn a language to increase job prospects As attractive as studying for post graduate qualifications may be it is not necessarily the right option for everyone. Post graduate courses can be expensive for those who don’t qualify for bursaries or funding, and not all graduates want to continue with academic study after 3 or 4 years of undergraduate study. Learning a second language can be an affordable and manageable way to improve your CV and impress prospective employers. Even if a company or organisation has no apparent need for speakers of a language other than English, adding a language to your CV can really add value. Learning a new language shows prospective employers that you have the ability, determination and dedication to acquire new skills. Learning a second language improves your first language Along with the ability to speak and understand a new language, learning a language can also help you develop communication skills in your native language. Language learning gives you a better understanding of language structure, the rules of grammar and can improve the clarity of your communications. A good recruiter will understand the advantages a candidate with a second language can bring to a role, but don’t be shy about telling them this on your CV and in interviews. Once you’ve decided that learning a second language is the way to go for you, all that’s left to do is to decide which language you should learn!
Posted on: Wed, 19 Mar 2014 18:35:00 +0000