Language skills can be the key that opens new markets - Hays Viewpoint Viewpoint careers advice blog

Language skills can be the key that opens new markets - Hays Viewpoint Language skills can be the key that opens new markets For SMEs moving out of their region, communicating effectively with new customers is crucial to success. For years, Spanish foods supplier Premium Ingredients drew on the skills of a few multilingual staff for language translations. But as the business looked overseas for new customers, the candidates available within its home region of Murcia simply didn’t have the skills needed. The business needed English speakers to communicate with international customers, but there wasn’t the time to teach Premium’s staff the language. In response, its recruitment strategy went international, and fluency in English became the most important skill candidates applying to join the company had to offer. At global rental company Enterprise Rent-A-Car, language was identified as a significant barrier to expanding into Germany. Enterprise now offers a wide range of language training to its employees, which helps reach new customers around the world. Language skills also enable Enterprise’s staff to speak to their international colleagues in their native language. Even at a basic level, this leads to better working relationships and a more unified business. Hays has seen how a number of multinational companies have chosen Budapest, as their regional hub in central Europe. The value of candidates with multiple language skills is on the rise in the Hungarian capital as these businesses seek the talent needed to connect their people and their customers across Europe. Elsewhere around the world, from China to Brazil, the story is similar: for companies with international ambitions, language skills help unlock new markets. View the full article from issue 6 of our bi-annual publication the Hays Journal, providing global insights into the world of work. You can view the article in the Hays Journal online, via the Hays Journal iPad app or request a printed copy from haysjournal@hays.com