Multilingual advantage
HAVING the skill of speaking an additional language has always been a great asset in terms of employability.
Due to a rich multicultural heritage, most Malaysians are bilingual or polylingual as they not only speak the national language and English, but also converse in their mother tongue or another additional language.
There is a trend where many MBA (Master of Business Administration) holders are looking to pursue career opportunities overseas. MBA graduates who wish to work overseas must deal with issues pertaining visa restrictions and local competition with other MBA graduates and even degree holders as well.
Proficiency in another language can boost your employability chances and broaden horizons for an international career.
The results from the QS World University Rankings 2015 survey of MBA employers showed that skills including international awareness and language skills are among the most sought-after attributes among those who are looking to hire MBA graduates.
Another study of UK (United Kingdom)-based business leaders in summation to a survey of US (United States)-based hiring CURTIN University Sarawak Campus, Malaysia’s (Curtin Sarawak) business, engineering and science, and humanities faculties offer a range of postgraduate studies by coursework and research.
Curtin University’s largest international campus, Curtin Sarawak, offers the same degree qualifications, an undifferentiated study experience, learning resources and student support mechanisms as its Australian parent in Perth.
The Higher Degree Research (HDR) programmes at Curtin Sarawak award Master of Philosophy (MPhil) or Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) qualifications.
The completion of both qualifications requires original contribution to the knowledge or understanding of a field of study and the demonstration of the candidate’s capacity to conceive, design and complete their thesis.
Upon programme completion, MPhil graduates are expected to gain cognitive and technical skills to critically analyse complex information, problems and concepts. They are also expected to interpret and transmit knowledge and skills to specialist and non-specialist audiences through publications or research outcomes.
Meanwhile, PhD graduates are expected to be able to independently and systematically engage in critical reflection, synthesis and evaluation – develop, adapt and implement research methodologies to extend and managers have expressed that many companies are struggling to operate on a global scale due to the inability to find potential staff who can speak other languages. Many employers these days seek employees who are multilingual.
As the world continues to become smaller, along with the internationalisation of commerce across the world, conversing in a single language is no longer ideal. This is especially for a global-scale enterprise.
Language also opens the opportunity for potential employees to be more immersed in culture.
There are now avenues for students to pursue their MBA experience while expanding their language skills. This will aid MBA graduates to gain an edge when applying for jobs and when working in emerging markets and building a global career.
Breaking the barrier
Expanding language skills is a long-term process and not everyone may have the opportunity to pursue such training during their MBA. One option MBA graduates can opt for is the two-step process.
The strategy is to leverage on their MBA by securing a position in a multinational company locally and consider moving to a new destination within the company’s many international branches that matches their language skills.
This way, MBA graduates will be able to learn more about the company and further improve their language skills.
Stating a second or third language proficiency in your resume will aid in securing a local position in the company.