Tips and Tricks for Writing a Great Bilingual Resume

First of all, if you speak one or two languages outside of English or your primary spoken language, then it’s probably best to include your language skills in your skills section. These are, after all, skills, and they’re commonly used as customer service skills and communication skills. In your job search, you should typically include language skills in your skills section.

However, if you speak three or more languages, then you may want to consider creating a separate “Languages” section on your resume. This is a resume writing tactic that draws a potential employer’s attention to the fact that you have these skills, which can be helpful to many employers in your job search.

Next, it’s important to show off the experience and achievements that you’ve acquired from demonstrating these bilingual skills. Bilingual candidates often have stories of doing better in jobs with these skills. On your resume, use those stories to explain why being bilingual is such an important part of getting a new job title. You can include those stories in your experience section, as part of your job descriptions, and in your cover letter.

It’s also a good idea to remember that while speaking more than one language is always a great skill, extra languages will be more beneficial in some fields than in others. A bilingual customer service representative will typically be in higher demand than a bilingual software developer. Someone who works in a call center can use these skills more than someone who does data entry all day.

Lastly, mention the fact that you’re bilingual as early as possible in your resume. One of the best ways to do this is to start your resume summary with your bilingual nature. “Spanish-speaking customer service representative” immediately showcases your language skills, which allows you to ensure they’re always front and center.