Double-Whammy

By: Patricia Rivera -CTW Features | Tuesday, November 13, 2007 9:33 AM PST ∞

Joyce Chen never struggled to find a job after college.

She studied hard and earned good grades as a human services major, but she had one distinct advantage over many of her fellow graduates: the ability to fluently speak and write Chinese.

Today’s global marketplace has created a huge demand for people who speak more than one language – and that demand only is expected to continue to grow. A survey conducted by the executive recruiting firm Korn/Ferry International found that the ability to speak at least two languages was seen as more advantageous than an advanced degree by as many as 58 percent of recruiters worldwide. North American recruiters cited Spanish as the language most in-demand by employers, followed by French and Mandarin Chinese.

Finding professionals who are truly bilingual is difficult, however. Chen discovered that first hand five years ago when she started a recruiting company in Redmond, Wash., called Bilingual Career. She began the company because she saw there was a real need for a platform that could help businesses and professionals meet. Her company also helps hiring managers assess the fluency of candidates.

Chen says she has seen the greatest demand in health care, retail and finance.

“Health care in particular has a real shortage,” she notes.

She cautions job seekers not to market themselves as bilingual if they have only a limited knowledge of one of the languages in greatest demand.

“It’s not enough to have studied a language for four years in college,” Chen says. “You need to know a lot of industry-specific terms and continuously educate yourself.”

People with basic skills who are looking for opportunities to practice so they can increase their fluency could get by in some customer-service positions, she says. However, anyone dealing with foreign speakers on a regular basis should be fluent, so to represent the company fairly.

This is particularly true in health care, Chen says.

Doris Aguirre, president of DCA Professional Search in Dallas, finds herself challenged daily as she searches for bilingual professionals who also are creative thinkers. Her recruiting company specializes in marketing and advertising positions.

Organizations are caught in a Catch-22 for positions like copywriting. They may be looking for a bilingual writer with two to three years’ experience at a salary range of $40,000 to $60,000.

Because there are few candidates in the United States, they are forced to look in places like Mexico and Argentina. However, since U.S. policy requires that certain working-visa applicants have at least five years’ experience, companies find they are being forced to bring in more experienced copywriters at a much higher salary range.

“The shortage is costing companies a lot money,” Aguirre says.

Speaking a second language may help land you a job faster, and it may boost your pay in some cases, but to take full advantage of your skills you must aggressively market them.

That can be difficult for people brought up in cultures that teach them to be modest, experts say.

To better market yourself as a bilingual or multilingual candidate, experts say you should draft a clear statement that tells potential employers why they should hire you for your language skills rather than simply noting that on your résumé. That statement should include at least one sentence that explains why speaking a second language increases your value to the organization, so take the time to research the company and its target market.

If you do not know a second language but want to learn, it is never too late. The world is filled with brick-and-mortar language institutes, as well as virtual ones. The diversity of many communities also allows people to practice second languages without leaving the country.

Studies have shown that older language learners have better study strategies and skills. Their pronunciation may not be as clear as those learning at a younger age, but their messages will come through effectively.

Chen says it’s worth the effort to learn another language, especially for those who are contemplating a career change.

“We expect demand to continue increasing,” she says.

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