Top 5 Languages for Great Job Opportunities in 2020
English, Spanish, Mandarin? The best languages to have on your resume. | Photo via Unsplash
When you take a look at the global economy, you will find that not only are foreign language skills an asset, but they can be downright necessary for some fields. That’s why it’s always a great idea to find a bit of information on learning foreign languages, and resources like Live Lingua can help you get started.
Now, which languages are most valuable is something that’s dictated by a few different situations. For example, you could have a language that’s extremely valuable because it’s difficult to learn, and there’s a scarcity of fluent secondary speakers. There are others that have a strong connection to a booming industry, which makes them valuable.
For digital nomads or even entrepreneurs looking to expand and travel around the world, having a few languages up your sleeve isn’t bad either.
Regardless of why a language is valuable, there are five that will certainly be helpful when it comes to getting hired. Let’s take a look at what they are, and why you should know them.
English
If you’re reading this, then you already know the undisputed most useful language in the world when it comes to getting hired – English. When it comes to native speakers, English holds third place, and it’s not even close to Chinese, which is second. However, when it comes to the overall number of speakers, English is strongly in the lead with over 1,500 million speakers.
English has also been classified as one of the twelve super-central languages, something that’s calculated according to how widely the language is spoken, and how effective it is when it should serve as a link to other languages. English is also the only “hypercentral” language, because it’s the one that bonds all the super-central languages.
Now, we do have to say one thing. Even though it’s at the top of our list, just being a monolingual English speaker won’t cut it when it comes to getting hired. Why not look into widening your own skillset and looking at other languages?
German
If you take a look at statistics, Germany actually makes up the largest economy in Europe. It’s also the official language of two other economic powerhouses in Europe, and it’s a great choice when it comes to a language that will get you hired.
Even though it’s not an official U.N. language, it comes with the highest median U.S. salary for jobs that require you to know German. Even though it’s difficult to learn at first, especially if you don’t have the right method of learning, adding it to your resume is a great way of getting an edge over everyone else.
Chinese Mandarin
Even though there are five major Chinese dialects, Mandarin is the official language of both Taiwan and China. It also has the second-highest number of total speakers around the world. And with China being the second-largest economy of the world, Chinese is one of the most important languages when it comes to business.
What’s interesting is that knowing the language won’t only open doors in Asia, but it’s also required for quite a lot of jobs, more than any other foreign language other than Spanish. The downside is that for native English speakers, Chinese is one of the most difficult languages to learn. But if you’re prepared to spend the time to learn it, you’ll add an impressive skill to your portfolio.
Spanish
Being the fourth most spoken language in the world, Spanish is the leading language of any and all Latin American economies. And many digital nomads are flocking to cities like Madrid and Barcelona.
For both international and domestic jobs on various continents, it’s a great choice. If you’re looking to find a job in the U.S., it’s especially beneficial as a second language. It is currently the language most studied by undergraduate students, and the one that’s most in-demand by U.S. employers.
The problem with Spanish is exactly the fact that it’s very useful and pretty easy to learn. This means that a lot of people actually know it, which makes it a perk, instead of a wow factor for potential employers. However, many fields will require that you know it just to qualify, so if you’re going to be pursuing a job in one of these fields, by all means, go for it.
French
With a long and very influential history, French was previously the world-dominating language, right up until the point at which English bypassed it. It’s the official language of the U.N., NATO, as well as the Olympic Committee, and is spoken in over 40 countries. It’s definitely not going anywhere and is especially useful in positions such as sales, service, and education.
French is considered to be similar to English, which means that if you’re good with English, you’ll be able to pick it up pretty easily. And it’s very much worth it.
Whichever language you choose to pursue, expanding your linguistic knowledge is a great skill and is always a plus on any resume or if you’re just looking to work remotely and travel the globe.
Guest writer Ray Blakney is the CEO and cofounder of Live Lingua - an online language school. In addition to that, he has a podcast for teachers, owns a chocolate factory in the Philippines and is a semi-professional swordfighter. Here is his Linkedin profile, if you would like to know more about him.