How to Include Language Skills on a CV

How to write a great CV that showcases your language skills effectively depends on several factors, including your language proficiency level and the job you’re applying for.

You should include language skills on a CV if:

• they’re required by the job advert
• they’re relevant to the industry or role (e.g. hospitality, customer service, international sales)
• you’re applying to a multilingual company or global organisation

If any of these are the case, put your language skills on your CV. We show you how below:

Where to put language skills on your CV

There are several CV sections where you can put your language skills, depending on your personal situation:

CV summary

Include a language in your CV summary only if it’s essential to the role and you speak the language fluently enough for business purposes.

For example, if you want to be a personal assistant to a Chinese CEO and you speak fluent Mandarin and English, you should add this to your CV summary since it’s the first place an employer will look on your CV.

Here’s an example of language skills incorporated into a CV summary:

Marketing Executive with 4+ years of experience running multi-channel campaigns. Fluent in English and Spanish, with conversational French, supporting cross-border collaboration and content localisation. Skilled in brand strategy, content creation, and adapting messaging for global audiences.

Skills section

If you only have one or two languages to feature, add them to your skills section as you would any other CV skill.

Here’s a sample CV skills section that includes foreign language skills:

Adding a language to your skills section is advisable when the language isn’t essential to the position or is a secondary requirement.

Working your language skills into your skills section is a great way to highlight them to employers without adding an additional section that takes up a lot of space on your CV.

Dedicated languages section

To emphasise your foreign language skills if they’re a key requirement for the job, list them in a separate languages section.

Here’s how a languages section looks when properly formatted:

Creating a separate language section is useful if you speak multiple foreign languages. By giving your language skills their own space on your CV, you make them stand out to the employer.

If foreign language skills are essential to the job advert, place your languages section somewhere prominent — like at the top of your CV so that employers can quickly find it.

Hobbies and interests section

Add your language skills to your hobbies and interests section if they aren’t directly relevant to the job you are applying for.

Your hobbies and interests section is the last part of your CV that employers look at, but it’s still impactful. Employers look at your hobbies and interests to understand what kind of person you are beyond your professional skills and experience.

Speaking a foreign language indicates that you possess cultural sensitivity, strong communication skills, and other qualities that make you a great team player.

How to describe your language skills on your CV

When adding language skills to your CV, add your proficiency level so employers know what level you can communicate at in each language.

For example, an employer for a Ukrainian Medical Translator role will only be interested in applicants who have impeccable Ukrainian skills.

If you’ve just put ‘Ukrainian’ in your skills section, the employer won’t know if you’re a capable Ukrainian translator or a beginner in the language — and they might move on to the next applicant as a result.

There are three ways you can clarify your language proficiency level and avoid your CV being overlooked by employers:

1. Use a language proficiency scale

A language proficiency scale is a standardised framework for measuring and describing language ability.

The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) is the UK and Europe’s most widely recognised proficiency scale. The system weighs language ability on a six-point scale, with proficiency levels ranging from A1 (beginner) to C2 (proficient).

Here’s an overview of the CEFR levels and what they mean:

Adding your CEFR level to your CV is a quick, clear way to describe your language ability to employers, as it gives them an immediate point of reference for understanding your linguistic ability.

If you’ve verified your language level by taking a recognised exam, include that fact on your CV for further proof of your language skills.

Here are some well-known language exams that use the CEFR framework:

• The European Language Certificates (TELC)
• DAF German Diplomas
• DELE Spanish Diplomas
• DELF French Studies Diplomas

And here’s how to format a language certificate on your CV:

• French: DELF C2 (Proficient)
• German: DAF B2 (Upper Intermediate)
• Spanish: DELE B1 (Intermediate)

2. Use UK-based qualifications

In some cases, you might have studied a language in the UK without taking a CEFR framework-based exam.

In that case, it’s fine to describe your abilities based on UK qualifications — these still prove you speak the language to a certain level.

For example, you could include this section in your CV’s education section:

Royal Harborough Academy (20XX–20XX)
A-Levels: German (A), English Language (A), Philosophy & Ethics (B)
GCSEs: 10 Grades 9–4, including German (9), English (9), Maths (8), and ICT (8)

3. Describe your language skills in your own words

If you’re applying for a job outside of the UK and Europe (or in an industry where employers are unlikely to be familiar with CEFR), describe your language proficiency using specific terms.

These are some of the most common terms used to describe language proficiency:

• Native-level, fluent: You can communicate fluently and accurately in any situation, express complex ideas, and use technical language
• Advanced: You can have natural conversations and express complex opinions without help, but you may have limited vocabulary when talking about certain technical topics
• Intermediate/limited working proficiency: You can express opinions, talk about familiar subjects, send emails and communicate with coworkers, though with limited grammar and vocabulary
• Beginner: You can talk about familiar topics and express simple ideas

An online CV maker can help you quickly and easily present your language skills on your CV. Simply enter the language name and your ability level, and the details will be added to your full CV, formatted properly:

Language skills on CVs — Examples

Here are three examples of language skills on CVs for different situations:

1. Personal assistant CV

This personal assistant role requires bilingual skills, so the candidate highlights their language abilities directly in their CV summary and mentions them throughout their other sections.

2. Interpreter CV

A strong command of languages is essential for a interpreter, so this candidate includes a dedicated language skills section to make their proficiency clear at a glance:

3. Waiting staff CV

Many waiters are multilingual, which comes in handy for serving people from non-English speaking backgrounds. This waiter uses tables to showcase their language proficiency on their waiting staff CV because they’re stronger at speaking and listening than reading and writing in Mandarin Chinese:

Frequently asked questions

Here are answers to three of the most common questions asked about language skills on CVs:

1. What language skills are most important?

What language skills are most important for your application depends on the job you’re applying for.

You should review the job description to check whether knowing a language is a key requirement. If knowledge of a language that you speak is a requirement, then prominently highlight that language in your CV.

2. What is my language proficiency?

The best way to determine your level of language proficiency is to take a language proficiency exam that uses a recognised framework.

In the UK and Europe, the most widely recognised language framework is the CEFR, which measures language ability along a six-point scale:

• A1: Beginner
• A2: Elementary
• B1: Intermediate
• B2: Upper intermediate
• C1: Advanced
• C2: Proficient

You can determine your CEFR level on your own using a self-assessment grid or certify it by taking an official language exam that uses the CEFR framework. Language certifications lend credibility to your language skills and make a valuable addition to most CVs.

3. How can I effectively showcase my language skills on my CV?

You can effectively showcase your language skills on your CV by providing a second-language copy of your CV.

For example, if you were applying for a bilingual English–French personal assistant job, provide your English CV and your French CV.

You can also include an optional CV section called ‘Other Relevant Details’ and provide context about your language skills that isn’t covered by your summary, skills, or work experience sections.

For example:

Other Relevant Details

• Spent gap year abroad in Chile learning Spanish through immersion and volunteering
• Spent three months in rural Taiwan living with a host family, improving conversational Mandarin through daily life
• Translate fan fiction from Japanese to English as a hobby, improving written comprehension

A good online CV maker also includes many ways for you to showcase your language skills while creating a full CV in just minutes.

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