Speaking more than one language is becoming an increasingly valuable asset in a world where more and more businesses operate internationally. For this reason, many companies are looking to recruit bilingual candidates. There are many benefits to hiring a bilingual employee. After all, multilingual employees can help your company communicate with customers or clients in different countries. They can act as interpreters or translators as well as help companies do business in foreign markets.
However, it can be difficult to determine if potential candidates are truly bilingual. There are many factors that come into play, such as language proficiency and cultural awareness. In this blog post, we discuss the benefits of hiring a bilingual employee and different ways to determine if a job applicant is really fluent in two languages.
What is a bilingual candidate?
A bilingual candidate is someone who speaks two languages fluently. This could mean a native speaker of both languages or a person who is able to communicate in both languages at a proficient level.
Being bilingual can open up more job opportunities and isincreasingly sought after in the workplace. For this reason, it is sometimes hard to determine if a potential candidate has real communication skills in both languages just on the basis of an interview during the hiring process. In order to recruit bilingual employees and assess their language skills, companies generally resort to language proficiency assessments or other tests.
How to decide between two candidates
Why recruiting bilingual candidates is popular
Today, bilingualism has proven to be iinvaluable for companies operating in multiple countries. Being able to speak two languages or more increases a company’s ability to reach out to customers and potential clients.
In addition, many studies have shown that bilingual people tend to be more creative and flexible thinkers. This makes them great assets for businesses. Many companies find that having employees who can converse in multiple languages gives them an edge over competitors, as this allows them to expand into new markets and reach new clients. Additionally, being bilingual facilitates communication within the company and enables staff members to easily collaborate with colleagues from other countries or backgrounds.
Why do employers use personality tests?
Benefits of hiring bilingual employees
They can reach a broader audience
If you are trying to expand into new markets, recruiting employees that are bilingual is a wonderful way to communicate with a larger number of people in new regions. They are able to communicate with prospective customers or clients who speak another language, which enables you to provide better service and optimize customer satisfaction.
They help organizations learn more about their clientele
Another advantage of hiring people who are bilingual is that they can help you better understand your customers. It is extremely beneficial to have someone on staff who is able to communicate with consumers in their mother tongue. Thanks to their communication skills, bilingual workers can provide insights into what customers like and dislike. This can be beneficial to improve your products or services to better meet their needs.
They help prevent misunderstandings
When interacting with people who speak a different language, it is easy for misunderstandings to arise. However, if you hire an employee who is multilingual, you may reduce the likelihood of this happening. They have the ability to act as a translator between you and your consumers, which helps ensure that everyone is on the same page and that there are no misunderstandings.
They help companies reduce expenses
Hiring bilingual employees can help you save money on things like translation services or interpreters. If you have employees who are proficient in another language, then you won’t necessarily have to outsource such services.
They increase diversity in the workplace
It is essential in today’s increasingly globalized world to have a labour force that is diverse. You can add more diversity to your workplace and make it feel like a welcoming environment for employees of different backgrounds by hiring people that speak more than one language.
6 ways to determine if a job applicant is really bilingual
There are many advantages to recruiting bilingual candidates. However, it can be tough to identify which applicants really have the required language skills. Below are a few tools and tips to help you determine if a job candidate is proficient in multiple languages.
1. Use language assessment tools
The best ways to find out if a job candidate is bilingual is to use language assessment tools. These tests are designed to measure a candidate’s proficiency in a specific language. They usually go much further than normal language assessments, and can help you quickly filter bilingual job applicants. Of course, not all language assessment tools are efficient. If you want to get the best results, use HRID’s language specialized tests. We have both oral and written tests.
Take advantage of ID-Written Bilingual
2. Ask them to describe their language experience
Another excellent way to see if a job candidate is bilingual is to ask them specific questions about their language experience. Questions such as How long have you been studying this language? or Can you tell me about any achievements or successes you’ve had with your second language? can give you a better understanding of the applicant’s level and flag any potential issues.
3. Organize an interview in the desired language
This is one of the best ways to gauge a job candidate’s fluency and proficiency in another language. If possible, have the applicant take part in an interview process that is conducted in a language other than their mother tongue. This will provide you more insight into how they interact and communicate in their second language, as well as provide them with an opportunity to demonstrate their skills and abilities.
4. Ask for references of people who speak the target language
It can also be useful to ask job candidates for references from people who speak the target language, as this can help you get a more detailed understanding of their proficiency. You can also speak to previous employers.
5. Request results from language tests they have taken previously
You can ask applicants for evidence of any language tests they may have taken in the past. This includes certificates or diplomas if they graduated from a language course, or scores and reports from a standardized assessment test. This can be helpful in determining their level of proficiency. It also gives you a good indication of how committed they have been to learning the language.