What are the 5 most important benefits of assessing language in the recruitment process?
It’s no secret that today’s businesses are working in an increasingly international and competitive environment where multilingualism is the new reality. Consequently, the search for multilingual candidates has long begun.
Many companies have the right attitude about the importance of language proficiency and acknowledge the fact that if language proficiency isn’t evaluated during the recruitment process, the impact of language barriers and miscommunication may be significant, leading to inefficiency, difficult collaboration, low productivity and lack of motivation.
But, how can you evaluate language skills efficiently? Let’s focus on the solution!
What is language assessment?
Language assessment is a practice that has been used more and more often lately by companies when hiring new employees, but also when offering advanced positions to current employees.
The aim of a language assessment in the recruitment process is to test in a standardized way the candidate’s ability to communicate in the language they’ll use to converse with colleagues or clients. Doing business well always requires effective communication. For that reason, the primary importance of language assessment is that it helps you hire people who communicate effectively.
What are the other benefits?
Be time efficient
One of the main benefits of assessing language is that it reduces the time you invest in the recruitment process as you can filter candidates from the get-go. Consequently, you no longer spend time and other resources on applicants with insufficient language proficiency.
Narrow the field of candidates
Finding the right people for your business isn’t always an easy task. You probably receive hundreds of CVs even for the most specialized positions. A brief look at the candidate’s CV can narrow down the list but how about their language skills? Taking a resume at its word in terms of language proficiency is a bad idea, since “fluent” means different things to different people and one of the abilities that people often overestimate, and sometimes underestimate, is knowing a foreign language. A language assessment will eliminate the unsuitable candidates and find the best fit for your company.
Reduce number of “mistake hires”
We all know that a bad employee will cost your business a huge chunk of your resources and money. Thus, a reduced number of “mistake hires,” also means reducing customer complaint and saving resources. By selecting language-proficient candidates you will avoid delays in task completion caused by miscommunication or any other uncomfortable situation. The employees feel at ease with what they are doing, are more motivated, and feel happier.
Ensure job success & motivation
As important as hiring the right candidate, it’s crucial for companies to retain talent. Employees that aren’t the right fit for a job will eventually lose motivation, underperform and, thus, are more likely to leave. Finding the employee that has the proper language skills for that position will ensure the success of your company, as he/she will be more likely to feel motivated to perform at his/her best.
Recent studies show that that foreign language skills will be even more vital in the future and that language abilities can help employees advance their careers, boost corporate success, and speed overseas expansion. The language assessment service can empower you to find the right employees for your company, while offering you countless benefits.
