Leaving higher education and entering the world of work can be a daunting prospect. But, until you reach this point, everything you do is a building block toward your future career – and then suddenly, it’s time to take the leap.

If you’re feeling a little over-faced by the prospect, you’re not alone. Nor are you the only student who’ll second guess what they want to do once their academic career is over. What you can and should do, though, is think about ways to make yourself more employable – no matter what field you end up going into.

This is where learning a second language can come in useful. According to research, it’s a guaranteed way to make yourself more attractive to employers. In the article below, we look at how it can come in handy.  

It widens the parameters of your future job searches

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Many people dream of traveling, but this can be difficult if you’re not able to work to fund it. However, this is much less of a problem if you take French lessons before taking that trip to Paris. It’s now easier than ever, too, thanks to online resources like Preply. These websites are dedicated to matching tutors with teachers and will bring your language skills up to scratch in no time.

Once you can speak a second language, there’s very little to hold you back from working abroad. That means you can travel anywhere in the world without having to sacrifice your employability and will be an attractive prospect­ to overseas companies because of your bilingualism.  

You’ll be seen as an asset by businesses looking to expand

You won’t only be attractive to overseas employers; you’ll also be in demand among those closer to home. In 2022, lots of businesses are looking to expand into foreign markets, and the online world and global eCommerce have made this easier than ever. One of the few things holding many back is the language barrier, which can stop companies from effectively communicating with overseas customers and suppliers.

Say there’s a clothing company looking to expand into the European market, with a particular focus on making it big in Spain. An employee who can speak Spanish naturally seems like an asset, in that they’ll be able to bridge the gap between the company and its new customers. If it comes down to two candidates, one of whom is fluent in Spanish and the other who only speaks English, there’s no doubt about which one they’re going to choose.

Employers will be willing to pay you more

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Because speaking a second language makes you a hot commodity, you’re also likely to be paid more. Let’s say you take French as one of your minors. Did you know that becoming fluent in this could increase your salary by between 11 and 35 percent?

This is especially true for those who master more widely spoken – and therefore more in-demand – languages, such as Spanish, Mandarin, French, and Hindi.

With this in mind, isn’t it time you added a second language to your resume to make it really stand out?