Understanding how to determine language proficiency during the hiring process is essential. Language proficiency testing provides accurate results employers can rely on. Administering a language proficiency test for employment purposes ensures businesses and corporations hire the best candidates for open positions.
Test Prospective Employee Language Skills
The Benefits of Hiring Bilingual Employees
There is a growing demand for bilingual employees in the United States, and hiring bilingual talent can significantly enhance your business. Having bilingual employees offers companies the following benefits:
1. Improved Team Dynamics
Employees who are proficient in more than one language can improve team dynamics. Hiring bilingual employees can increase workplace diversity and help organizations create well-rounded teams.
2. Increased Business Globalization Efforts
Bilingual employees can also increase a company’s business globalization efforts and provide a competitive advantage. Employees who speak more than one language can support localization processes and help companies reach more international customers.
Bilingual employees can offer translation services and proofread documents for linguistic accuracy. They can also identify and correct linguistic errors to maintain a positive image and trust in global consumers. This can help companies improve their communication with other organizations.
3. Enhanced Customer Relations
Employers can also enhance customer relations when they hire bilingual individuals. For example, medical facilities often need to treat patients who speak various languages. Speaking more than one language allows staff members to communicate effectively with more patients and bridge the language gap to ensure individuals receive the best care possible.
4. Ability to Reach Different Cultural Demographics
Employees with more than one language proficiency can help organizations reach different cultural demographics. This is especially helpful when companies want to expand their products or services into new markets. Bilingual employees can support marketing efforts to capture the interest of a wider target audience.
Why It’s Important to Test for Language Proficiency
Testing for language proficiency is crucial in any organization requiring language skills. Bilingual testing for employment is important for the following reasons:
1. Language Assessments Determine How Well Employees Can Use Languages
Testing for language proficiency allows employers to evaluate how well potential employees can use languages. While some candidates may be able to understand or speak a language, it’s crucial to ensure they can use it effectively in everyday situations. Language tests evaluate how proficient individuals are in speaking, listening, reading, and writing in a particular language.
Employers can more accurately determine a candidate’s language abilities with a language proficiency test than by relying on the individual’s resume. Some individuals’ language proficiency perception may be based on their opinion and not accurately reflect their true abilities. Language tests allow employers to receive honest and precise test results.
Language tests can also assess current employees to determine what level of proficiency is necessary for various roles within an organization.
2. Testing for Language Proficiency Increases Employers’ Confidence in Their Employees
Hiring employees that companies can trust to complete their tasks effectively and efficiently is important. When employers have a measurable method of determining an individual’s proficiency, they can accurately determine which candidate is best for a position.
Language testing increases employers’ confidence in their employees because it assesses their abilities in all language skills, allowing employers to evaluate whether candidates can handle a position’s requirements. It also eliminates subjectivity and bias: By using standardized testing methods, you ensure a fair recruitment process as all candidates are measured against the same criteria.
3. Language Testing Attracts Potential Employees
Language assessments increase hiring transparency. Job applicants appreciate when employers are honest and clear about their expectations, and a language test effectively conveys expectations. Applicants are selective about their employment offers. Offering a language test upfront directly communicates your needs and builds trust in potential employees so they believe they can confidently meet those needs.
4. Confidence in hiring the most qualified candidates
Reliable language proficiency assessments eliminate the guesswork on whether candidates truly possess the language skills required for the job and ensure you select candidates who are best suited for the roles.
5. Efficiency of the recruitment process
Requiring your job candidates to take language tests early in the recruitment process allows you to quickly filter out those who do not possess the required level of proficiency. Once you identify those who do demonstrate a sufficient proficiency level, you can then focus on other skills and talents required for the job.
6. Education assistance programs and college credit
If your company offers an employer-sponsored education assistance program, consider allowing employees to certify their language skills for college credit. Five ACTFL assessments are approved and recommended by the American Council on Education (ACE) for earning college credit. Your bilingual employees can get closer to their goal of earning a college degree by certifying their language skills.
7. Avoid risks to your business
Hiring bilingual talent without verifying their language proficiency leads to miscommunication and carries a risk of legal ramifications and loss of credibility. Reliable language assessments help mitigate risks, such as complying with laws and regulations, lackluster revenue growth due to the inability to adequately expand into diverse markets, and unsatisfactory non-English speaking customer experience.
Language Proficiency Testing
ACTFL language proficiency tests measure proficiency to place job candidates at various levels. Candidates at the Superior proficiency level can handle unfamiliar linguistic situations, discuss different topics extensively, hypothesize, and support opinions in a target language. At the Advanced level, individuals can effectively handle unanticipated challenges and describe and narrate the past, present, and future.
Potential employees who test at the Intermediate level can ask and respond to basic questions. They can use this skill to initiate, maintain, and end simple conversations. Individuals at the Novice level can use formulaic phrases, utterances, and lists to communicate minimally in a target language. Language Testing International® delivers the following ACTFL tests employers can use to assess potential employees:
Oral Proficiency Interview
The ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) is a telephonic interview between a candidate and an ACTFL-certified Tester. The interview is adapted to the candidate’s experience, interests, and level, and it takes approximately 15 to 30 minutes to complete. It resembles a conversation but follows a standard protocol and structure.
The Oral Proficiency Interview – Computer (OPIc) is similar to the OPI, but it is delivered online with an avatar and takes 20 to 40 minutes to complete.
Writing Proficiency Test
Candidates can take the ACTFL Writing Proficiency Test (WPT) online. It consists of writing prompts addressing social, professional, and practical topics. The topics are customized to each candidate’s interests. This test takes approximately 20 to 80 minutes to complete.
Listening Proficiency Test
The ACTFL Listening Proficiency Test (LPT) assesses each individual’s ability to understand all forms of a spoken language. During this online test, a candidate listens to passages on real-life topics. They then answer multiple choice questions based on the passages. This test takes approximately 50 to 125 minutes to complete.
Reading Proficiency Test
Employers can also test their employees using the ACTFL Reading Proficiency Test (RPT). During this assessment, employees read a series of passages and answer multiple choice questions based on the passages. Individuals can complete this proficiency test in approximately 50 to 125 minutes.
How to Integrate Language Proficiency Testing in the Recruitment Process
Implementing language proficiency tests during recruitment can help employers choose the best candidates for open positions. To implement these tests smoothly, employers should inform candidates about the tests, explain the testing process, and give each candidate time to prepare for their tests.
Integrate Language Proficiency Testing Into Your Hiring Process With Language Testing International
A language proficiency test for employment can help your company choose the best candidate for each position within your organization. Language proficiency tests accurately assess individuals’ abilities to listen, speak, read, and write effectively in a target language. This helps you determine which candidates can handle realistic scenarios and work tasks involving different languages.
LTI® delivers ACTFL language proficiency tests to help businesses and organizations accurately evaluate potential candidates’ language skills and abilities. Contact us to learn more about how we can help you test potential employees.
