Be careful touting foreign language skills on resume

In today's global economy, being multilingual can give you an advantage as a job candidate. Companies in nearly every industry rely on geographically dispersed teams to serve customers and clients around the world, which means foreign language skills have never been more valuable - or marketable. But you should note your multilingual abilities on your resume only if you are fluent.

"FOREIGN LANGUAGE SKILLS: Some very rusty Spanish."

Not the professional polish we were hoping for.

"FOREIGN LANGUAGE SKILLS: Conversational German. Like, 'Could I have something to drink?' and 'Where are the restrooms?'"

A loose interpretation of conversational.

"FOREIGN LANGUAGE SKILLS: Plan to learn Italian one day."

Let us know when that day comes.

"FOREIGN LANGUAGE SKILLS: Barely enough French to keep myself fed in a French village for a week."

He survived on nothing but fries and toast.

"FOREIGN LANGUAGE SKILLS: None. But I have a passport, and I am ready and willing to travel!"

We're not sure that counts.

As this next example shows, it's extremely important to carefully proofread your resume for mistakes that your computer's spell-check feature won't catch. For instance, be on the lookout for homonyms, or words with the same pronunciation but different spellings or meanings.

"LANGUAGES: Read, speak and right English."

He just doesn't have the "write" stuff.

Here are two more equally egregious errors:

COVER LETTER: "I'm fairly unsofisticated."

No argument here.

CONTACT INFORMATION: "Same as avove."

A candidate who is not "above" making a mistake.

For more Resumania, and to submit samples you've come across, visit www.resumania.com. Keep the Resumania coming. Examples can be sent to Resumania, c/o Robert Half International, 2884 Sand Hill Road, Suite 200, Menlo Park, Calif., 94025, or faxed to 650-234-6998.

Max Messmer is chairman and CEO of Robert Half International, a specialized staffing firm, and author of Managing Your Career For Dummies(r) and Job Hunting For Dummies(r), 2nd Edition. His most recent book is Human Resources Kit For Dummies(r), 2nd Edition.

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