How to List Language Skill Levels on Your Resume

Language abilities are difficult to put into concrete terms that employers can understand, especially if it’s a language that you’re not fully fluent in.

Luckily, you can describe your language proficiency on your resume in a few generally accepted ways.

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How to list languages on your resume

One common resume mistake job seekers make is to exaggerate their language abilities on their resumes. If an employer hires you assuming you’ll be able to communicate with foreign clients and business partners in their native language, you risk getting in trouble if it turns out you’re not as fluent as you claimed to be.

Here’s how to properly list languages on your resume:

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Our Expert:

Eva Chan

Approximate your language skill level with an adjective

The following scale is a straightforward approach to measuring skill levels on your resume that any employer can follow:

If you’re applying for a role where a high level of detail about your language skills is required you should use an official, internationally recognized scale.

Use a language proficiency scale or test score

Here are some of the most common scales used to measure language proficiency that you can follow when writing your resume:

ILR

The Interagency Language Roundtable is the grading scale used by the U.S. government.

It rates ability from 0 (‘no proficiency’) to 6 (‘native or bilingual proficiency’).

If you want to work for the U.S. government, this is the system that you should use to list language levels. Most federal agencies hold their own ILR tests, and a few private companies also offer exams that can give you an ILR rating. There’s also the option of taking the ILR’s online self-assessment.

CEFR

The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages is an international scale for rating language ability, and is the rating system that you’ll most often see used in Europe.

It also has a 6-point scale, but this one runs from A1 (beginner) to C2 (native level). Depending on the language, you can get formal certifications via in-person and online exams. You can also assess your own abilities online.

ACTFL

The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages is an American organization that aims to improve and increase language teaching at all levels.

Its proficiency scale, which is recognized worldwide, has 4 basic levels (‘Novice’, ‘Intermediate’, ‘Advanced’, ‘Superior’), which are divided into 3 sublevels (‘Low’, ‘Mid’, ‘High’). You can take an ACTFL test with Language Testing International, ACTFL’s official testing partner.

Proficiency exams

Different languages sometimes have their own standardized (usually government-issued) proficiency tests for students, which you can list on your resume.

For example, if you’re a Mandarin Chinese learner, including your HSK or TOCFL score on your resume is an acceptable way to demonstrate your skill level with the language.

Determine your level of proficiency

There are a few ways to determine your language proficiency level at home:

• Take an online test – If you search for “X language level test” on Google, you’ll likely find several websites offering free tests that can help you figure out what language level to put on your resume
• Consider how much experience you have – If you’ve been studying a language consistently for ten years and use it on a daily basis, you can safely say that you’re at an advanced level. If you’ve only been studying on and off for 6 months, you should state that you’re a beginner.
• Watch movies – How much are you able to understand? While listening comprehension is only one part of language proficiency, it can help you determine what level you’re at.
• Use AI – Ask an AI tool like Gemini or ChatGPT to give you a writing or reading task and evaluate your level of fluency.

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Should you list language skills on your resume?

Yes, you should list language skills on your resume in the following situations:

• They’re relevant to the job you’re applying for
• You’re applying to a position that requires interacting with customers or clients (such as retail)
• You’re an inexperienced job seeker and need some qualifications to add to your resume

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Even if language skills aren’t required for the job, knowing a second or third language could help you make a sale or build rapport with new clients.

However, if you’re applying for jobs that require little social interaction and don’t require you to speak a foreign language, then you don’t need to include language skills when writing your resume.

Where to put levels of language proficiency on your resume

Regardless of which resume format you choose, you can add your language skills in three places on your resume.

Skills section

The first option is to add them to your resume’s skills section as bullet points.

This is most suitable for job seekers who only speak one or two additional languages, and don’t want to dedicate too much space on their resume to their language skills.

Dedicated language section

The second option is to include you language skills in a separate section. Most resume templates don’t have a language skills section, so you might have to add it yourself. However, you should only do this if you speak three or more different languages and want to demonstrate your impressive linguistic talents.

Include a dedicated languages section on your resume if you’re applying to roles where your language skills are a primary selling point, such as international marketing or translation.

Resume introduction

If you’ll be using your language skills on a daily basis, mention them among your top skills at the start of your resume in addition to including them in one of the sections listed above.

Highlighting these skills early quickly lets the hiring manager know that you fulfill one of the basic requirements of the job.

Examples of language skills on a resume

Here are some samples demonstrating how to list language proficiency levels on a resume:

Example #1 (general scale)

Example #2 (CEFR scale)

Example #3 (HSK proficiency test)

Example #4 (CEFR scale)

Example #5 (general scale)

Example #6 (casual description)

Additional skills for your resume

Here are other highly sought-after skills to highlight on your resume to strengthen your job application.

• Analytical skills
• Computer skills
• Customer service skills
• Communication skills
• Organizational skills
• Transferable skills