Assessing language skills in recruiting fairly and reliably

Checking language skills in applications: why the CV is not enough

“Business fluent English”, “fluent German”, “good French”: statements like these appear on almost every CV, but what they mean in practice stays open. For one person, “business fluent” (in German CVs often verhandlungssicher) means years of negotiating contracts with British customers; for another, it means being able to complain about a hotel room on holiday. Recruiters have to interpret these claims, and that only works with a structured assessment.

On top of that, many people understand a foreign language considerably better than they speak it. We see this again and again in our lessons: someone who reads technical texts in English with ease often still searches for words in free conversation. If you only ask in German during the interview whether someone speaks English, you will almost always get a “yes”, without knowing whether the person would cope with a customer meeting in English.

This guide shows how to assess language skills in recruiting fairly, on a sound legal footing and in a meaningful way. It complements the language audit for companies, which records the language level of existing teams.

Wording language requirements in job ads to comply with the AGG

You word language requirements in line with the AGG when you describe the skill needed and the reason for it, not the person’s origin: for example English at C1 because you negotiate daily with customers in the UK and the US, instead of native speaker or German as a mother tongue. A CEFR level plus a concrete situation is more precise and legally more robust.

Assessment starts with the job advertisement. Imprecise or discriminatory wording not only attracts unsuitable applications but also risks compensation claims under the General Equal Treatment Act (Allgemeines Gleichbehandlungsgesetz, AGG).

A well-known example is the phrase “German as a mother tongue” (Deutsch als Muttersprache). On 29 June 2017 (8 AZR 402/15), the Federal Labour Court (Bundesarbeitsgericht) ruled that such a requirement can indirectly discriminate against applicants on grounds of ethnic origin if it is not objectively justified. In that case, compensation was awarded. The employer was also held liable for an advert placed by a third party it had commissioned.

The underlying idea: describe the skill required and the reason for it, not the person’s origin. A CEFR level plus a situation is more precise and legally more robust. The article on language requirements in job profiles covers this in detail. Please note: these notes do not replace legal advice in individual cases.

Methods for assessing language skills in recruiting

You can assess language skills in recruiting with six methods of differing value: CV statements, certificates, a short phone call in the target language, a language section in the interview, a written work sample and a standardised online test. Tests and conversations complement each other: the test shows the level, the conversation shows how someone communicates under realistic conditions.

Which method fits depends on how central the language is to the job. For a position in international sales, a more thorough assessment is worthwhile than for a role where English is only needed occasionally.

Standardised tests are explicitly offered for recruitment too. Cambridge English, for example, describes Linguaskill Business and the Skills Test Business as formats for employers that cover all four skills (Cambridge English). A test does not replace the conversation, though: it shows the level, while the conversation shows how someone communicates under realistic conditions.

Incidentally, how much employers value certified English differs greatly between countries. In the study by Cambridge English and the QS Institute, according to Personalwirtschaft, around 19% of German companies said they offer better positions to applicants with certified Business English; in France and Spain, the figure was over 50%.

Testing English in the job interview: process and questions

The language section of an interview does not have to be long, but it should be planned. A block of 10 to 15 minutes has proved effective, following a clear structure and led by someone who speaks the language confidently themselves. It runs in four phases: announcement, warm-up, a job-related core task and a spontaneous follow-up question. How HR teams can strengthen their own English for such conversations is shown in the article on English for HR.

The process in four phases

1. Announcement: “We’d now like to continue in English for about ten minutes.” This takes the pressure off and comes across as fair.
2. Warm-up: two easy questions about the candidate’s current job, so they get into speaking.
3. Core task: a job-related situation, such as explaining a problem or justifying a decision.
4. Interaction: a follow-up question or objection that the candidate has to respond to spontaneously.

Sample questions by target level

Applicants who want to prepare themselves will find useful phrases in our article on the job interview in English.

Scoring sheet for language skills in the interview

Without consistent criteria, the assessment depends on the interviewer’s gut feeling. That leads to inconsistent decisions and is also problematic with regard to the AGG. A simple scoring sheet solves this. The following template uses five criteria that are also common in language assessment: fluency, vocabulary, accuracy, interaction and intelligibility, each rated on a four-point scale.

Decide in advance which minimum score the role requires, for example “no criterion below 3” for a sales position. Score immediately after the interview and, if possible, with two assessors.

Written work sample in English or German

For many roles, writing is at least as important as speaking. A short work sample of 20 to 30 minutes shows how someone phrases things in everyday work. Importantly, the task should be realistic and the same for all applicants, and it should be completed under comparable conditions, ideally during the interview itself rather than at home.

Sample tasks

• Sales: reply to a customer enquiry asking for a 15% discount. You can offer a maximum of 5%.
• Purchasing: inform a supplier about a complaint and ask for a response by Friday.
• Assistant: arrange a meeting by email with three participants in different time zones.
• Engineering: summarise in five to eight sentences which fault has occurred on a machine and what happens next.

A note on fairness: in times of AI writing tools, a work sample produced at home says little. Have the task completed during the interview or under comparable conditions.

Interpreting language certificates on a CV

A certificate is a good indication, but not a free pass. Assess it with three questions: how old is it, given that unused skills decline? Which skills were tested, given that a pure reading and listening test says nothing about speaking? And is it general or job-related? Here are the three questions in detail:

1. How old is the certificate? Language skills that are not used decline. A C1 certificate from ten years ago says little about someone’s current level.
2. Which skills were tested? Some tests cover all four skills, others only some. A pure reading and listening test says nothing about speaking ability.
3. General or job-related? A general certificate shows the level, but not necessarily confidence in business situations.

Our comparison of English certificates gives an overview of common qualifications. How CEFR levels and finer scales relate to each other is explained in the article on the Global Scale of English. choices® supports employees who want to obtain a certificate with exam preparation. They take the exams themselves with the official exam providers, because choices® does not run exams or issue certificates.

Assessing the German skills of international applicants

Assess the German skills of international applicants using the same principles as for English, with four special features: set realistic requirements instead of C1 for every role, act out a typical work situation, start at normal speaking speed and then adjust, and ask for a self-assessment. In Germany, Austria and Switzerland, this question often comes up more frequently than the one about English.

• Realistic requirements: ask yourself honestly which level is needed to start and which can be built up in the first few months. Requiring C1 for every role shrinks your applicant pool unnecessarily.
• Spoken language at the workplace: people at a plant in Ansbach or a warehouse near Augsburg speak differently from a textbook. Act out a short, typical work situation during the interview.
• Speaking slowly and clearly is not a favour but a method: start at normal speed and then adjust. That way you can see at what speed comprehension breaks down.
• Ask for a self-assessment: asking how the person rates their own level says a lot about their self-image and willingness to learn. Why it is not enough on its own is shown in the article on self-assessing your language level.

Which levels make sense for typical jobs is described in the article Which German level do you need for your job? Many companies deliberately decide to hire skilled workers at B1 and develop their German alongside the job. This works if learning time and goals are agreed from the outset.

After hiring: from recruiting to language training

Language assessment in recruiting delivers more than a yes-or-no decision. It is the first data point for staff development. If an otherwise ideal candidate is just below the target level in English, targeted training in the first few months can be a better solution than continuing the search. Record the results, set language goals in the onboarding plan and re-test after three months.

How to make further use of the results

• Transfer the scoring sheet and test result to the personnel file for training planning, as far as data protection law allows
• Set concrete language goals in the onboarding plan, such as B2 in speaking after six months
• Repeat a placement test after three months to document progress
• For international professionals, consider German from the start; see onboarding international employees

The situations that matter in each role are best clarified with a language needs analysis. For implementation, choices® offers Business English courses from A1, online German courses and other languages, as one-to-one training or in small groups. Find out more about our approach on the page about our language audit for teams and in the section on language courses for companies.

Sources

1. ef.de: germany
2. bundesarbeitsgericht.de: ?p=1153664
3. cambridgeenglish.org: english at work
4. personalwirtschaft.de: im job fehlt es oft an sprach know how

Frequently asked questions