4 Job 'Skills' to Leave Off a Resume

Leave off my French skills? Those skills mean more than just the ability to be entertained by the mistakes of subtitlers at the movies. It shows I'm a different kind of person, one who has navigated cultural difference and has put ones self in the place of a language learner. This has been important to my career, from working retail to teaching high school. I am offended and shocked that this article would reduce the importance of second language skills to a veritable parlor trick. This is a varied world. French isn't just for going to a pastry store; there are many French African immigrants in the US. If you work in say, health care, you may encounter them. Yes, Spanish and Chinese are more common, but you never know if a prospective employer might be benefitted by your esoteric language skills. At my last seasonal job, guess what was useful: my long-ignored Portuguese skills. PORTUGUESE. I haven't used Portuguese in ten years since my grandmother died, but guess what? The Brazilians who came in the store bought twice as much stuff because I didn't ignore them or inundate them with Spanish. The company knew this when they hired me. So. THERE.

Don't listen to these ignoramuses.

Anne-Marie of CA 6:01PM February 24, 2013

Spanish is not the only second language that's important. German and even French could be very useful for a company doing business in or with Europe. John Carter is correct; companies aren't going global they already are global. Find out where the company you are interviewing with does business before you decide not to include that second language. It could make all the difference. But, don't include it if all you've had are 2 years in high school. If you're going to put a second laguage on your resume you should be able to write in that language as well as speak it fluently.

Ann of GA 1:43PM February 15, 2013

Honestly it all comes down to being the right type of person the employer wants. Life is a popularity contest. Its more who you know than what you know and whether or not they like you enough to give you the job.

If you're good looking, tall, glib, young, thin the "right" color and sex with no criminal record and perfect credit and the basic skills to do the job -you'll probably get that job. Oh, and it helps if you already have a job, too.

There's a reason so many overweight, older, female and people of color don't have jobs.

lifeisnotfairdeal of NV 3:05PM January 04, 2013

Re: Microsoft Office Suite, that's often listed in a job requirements section of a job posting. It's a keyword in the automated search, 1 more match might get the better fit statistic ? Only manager that you'll get compalining about that is someone trying to get out of being proficient with MS Office Suite beyond Word and Outlook.

Jimbo99 of FL 9:56AM June 26, 2012