Language requirements in job profiles: getting the wording right

Language requirements in job profiles: why vague phrases are costly

Phrases such as “good English”, “fluent” or the German “verhandlungssicher” (business fluent) are everywhere in job ads but have no standard definition, and that is expensive: they lead to poor hires, deter suitable candidates, prevent clear development goals for language training and can be considered discriminatory. What a manager means by “fluent” can differ considerably from a candidate’s self-assessment.

• Poor hires: new employees struggle with tasks their language level is not sufficient for.
• Lost talent: suitable candidates do not apply because they overestimate the requirement.
• Unclear development goals: without a defined target level, meaningful language training cannot be planned.
• Legal risks: poorly worded language requirements can be judged discriminatory.

Precise language requirements are therefore not just a recruiting issue but the basis of people development. If you know what level a role really needs, you can hire and develop accordingly, for example with suitable language courses for companies.

State language skills using the CEFR instead of “fluent” or “business fluent”

The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR, in German GER) describes six levels from A1 to C2, grouped into basic, independent and proficient users. It is known internationally, used by language schools and exam providers, and can be checked with tests, which makes it far more reliable than adjectives such as “fluent”.

Sources: overview of the CEFR, original source: Council of Europe. What each level means in detail is explained in our article on CEFR levels A1 to C2.

Translation aid: common phrases and their approximate CEFR equivalent

The following mapping is practical guidance, not an official standard. That is exactly why we recommend stating the CEFR level directly in job profiles.

A common mistake is asking for too much: C1 is required even though the job can realistically be done at B2. That shrinks the pool of applicants for no reason.

How do you identify the language needs of a role?

You derive a role’s language needs from its tasks in four steps: list the language situations, such as meetings, calls or contracts; assess their frequency and impact; distinguish reading, writing, speaking and listening; and set a level per skill, for example reading B2, writing B2, speaking B1. Gut feeling is no basis.

1. List situations: in which situations does the person use the language? Meetings, phone calls, contracts, technical documentation, social media?
2. Assess frequency and impact: daily or occasionally? With consequences for revenue, safety or legal matters?
3. Distinguish skills: is the language mainly read, written, spoken or listened to? Requirements can differ greatly.
4. Set a level per skill: for example reading B2, writing B2, speaking B1.

Example: export administrator

For whole departments or companies, a systematic language audit is worthwhile: it defines target profiles for each role and compares them with current levels. A structured language needs analysis checklist helps you prepare.

How should you word language skills in a job advert?

Good wording combines the CEFR level with a short description of the situation, for example: English at B2 level (CEFR), as you will be in daily contact with international clients by phone and email. This tells candidates what is involved and lets them assess themselves realistically. Also separate essential from desirable requirements and mention any language training you offer.

Templates in English

• English at B2 level (CEFR), as you will be in daily contact with international clients by phone and email.
• German at B1 level or above (CEFR) for communicating with the team and with patients. We offer German lessons during working hours to support you.
• English at C1 level (CEFR) for contract negotiations and board-level presentations.
• French (A2 or above) is an advantage but not a requirement.

Templates in German

Many adverts in the DACH region are still published in German. These templates match the English ones above:

• “Englischkenntnisse auf Niveau B2 (GER), da Sie täglich mit internationalen Kunden per E-Mail und Telefon kommunizieren.”
• “Deutschkenntnisse mindestens auf Niveau B1 (GER) für die Kommunikation im Team und mit Patientinnen und Patienten. Wir unterstützen Sie mit berufsbegleitendem Deutschunterricht.”
• “Englisch auf Niveau C1 (GER) für Vertragsverhandlungen und Präsentationen vor Geschäftsleitungen.”

Mini exercise: improving the wording

How would you word these requirements more precisely? Suggested answers are below.

1. “Good spoken and written English”
2. “Business fluent German” for a warehouse operative
3. “English native speaker preferred”

Suggested answers: 1. “English at B1 to B2 level (CEFR) for correspondence with suppliers and occasional phone calls.” 2. “German at B1 level (CEFR) to understand work instructions and safety notices reliably.” 3. “English at C1 level or above (CEFR) for editing specialist texts in English.”

Separate essential and desirable requirements

Distinguish clearly between prerequisites and plus points. If you offer language training, say so in the advert. This widens the circle of suitable applicants and makes the role more attractive. International professionals in particular look at how a company supports language learning. More on this in our article on onboarding international employees.

Language requirements and German equal treatment law: avoid “native speaker” in job ads

You may require language skills if the job needs them. Requiring a mother tongue is risky: the Hessian Regional Labour Court ruled that “German as a native language” disadvantaged applicants on grounds of ethnic origin. Instead of “native speaker” or “accent-free”, state a CEFR level such as C1 or C2 and describe the situation.

Germany’s General Equal Treatment Act (Allgemeines Gleichbehandlungsgesetz, AGG) prohibits discrimination on grounds including ethnic origin. Under section 11 AGG, a job may not be advertised in breach of this prohibition (§ 11 AGG). Language requirements are a sensitive area here. Austria and Switzerland have their own rules, so check the law that applies to your advert.

Asking for language skills is generally permitted

The Federal Labour Court (Bundesarbeitsgericht) has ruled that an employer may require knowledge of written German if it is necessary for the job, for example so that employees can understand written work instructions. This is a legitimate aim with an objective justification (BAG, judgment of 28 January 2010, 2 AZR 764/08). The link to the job is therefore decisive. On indirect discrimination, see also § 3 AGG.

“Native language” is risky

The situation is different when an advert asks not for a language level but for where the language skills come from. The Hessian Regional Labour Court (LAG Hessen) judged the requirement “German as a native language” to be discrimination on grounds of ethnic origin and awarded compensation, because people with very good but non-native skills could also have done the job (LAG Hessen, 15 June 2015, 16 Sa 1619/14, summary on betriebsrat.de, in German).

Practical rules

Note: this section is not legal advice. If in doubt, have your template wording checked by an employment lawyer.

Assessing language skills during the application process

You can assess language skills during recruitment with part of the interview held in the target language, a short work sample such as an email to a fictitious customer, a standardised placement test or recent recognised certificates. Self-assessments in CVs are often inaccurate, and certificates may be years old. Assess all candidates for the same role in the same way.

Proven methods

• Interview section in the target language: ten minutes of the interview in English or German, with questions about real tasks. Suitable phrases for such conversations are in our article on English for HR.
• Work sample: a short email to a fictitious customer or a summary of a text.
• Standardised placement test: for roles with a clearly defined level, more objective than gut feeling in an interview. More on this in our article on language placement tests for companies.
• Recognised certificates: useful as evidence if they are recent and match the requirement. Background information is on our exam preparation page.

How to build language assessment systematically into your recruiting is shown in assessing language skills in recruiting.

Important: the same standards for everyone

Assess language skills in the same way for all candidates for the same role. That is fair and protects you against accusations of treating certain groups more strictly.

Sample language profiles for typical roles in mid-sized companies

Language profiles vary widely in mid-sized companies: an international key account manager needs English at C1 in all skills, a project engineer B2, and a field service technician B1 for speaking and A2 for writing. A nurse needs German at B2 for speaking and B1 for writing, while an executive assistant needs English at C1 for writing.

The following profiles (examples) are a starting point for your own job descriptions. They show how different the requirements within one company can be, even if old adverts all said “good English”.

How to adapt the profiles

Use the overview as a basis for discussion with the relevant department. For each skill, ask: what happens if the person does not reach this level? Is it a safety risk, a revenue risk or merely an inconvenience? The answer tells you whether the level is an essential requirement or can be reached through training after hiring. In roles with skills shortages, the second option is often the more realistic way to find suitable people at all.

From job profile to people development: closing language gaps

Job profiles with clear language levels are more than a recruiting tool. They also define development goals for existing employees. If a role requires B2 in speaking and the person in it is currently at B1, the training need is clearly described, and progress can be measured against the same scale used for hiring.

How to use language profiles for development

• Record target levels for each role in all job descriptions
• Assess current levels regularly, for example every one to two years
• Prioritise gaps by business impact
• Offer targeted training for the roles with the biggest gaps
• Document progress and discuss it in performance reviews

If English is to play a bigger role in your company, read our article on English as a corporate language. How language profiles become a training programme is described in planning corporate language training. Suitable options are our business English courses, which start from level A1, and our German courses online.

Checklist and common mistakes with language requirements in job ads

Before publishing a job advert, check that language situations were collected with the department, the CEFR level is set (per skill where needed), essential and desirable requirements are separated and the link to the job is stated. Common mistakes: copied requirements, blanket “business fluent”, no assessment and wording aimed at origin rather than level.

Checklist for HR

• Language situations of the role collected with the department
• CEFR level set, per skill where needed
• Essential and desirable requirements separated
• Wording linked to the actual tasks
• No terms such as “native language”, “native speaker” or “accent-free”
• Assessment method defined for the selection process
• Language support mentioned in the advert, if offered

Common mistakes

1. Copying from old adverts: requirements are carried over even though the role has changed.
2. Blanket “business fluent”: many roles never negotiate but need confident everyday communication.
3. Looking at only one language: for international professionals, German is often the real hurdle, not English.
4. No assessment: the requirement is in the advert but never tested.
5. Origin instead of level: wording that targets origin is legally risky and deters good applicants.

Background on linguistic and cultural differences in international teams is in our article on intercultural communication at work. If you want to develop language profiles for your company or support existing teams, find out about our corporate language courses or contact us.

Sources

1. de.wikipedia.org: Gemeinsamer Europ%C3%A4ischer Referenzrahmen f%C3%BCr Sprachen
2. coe.int: common european framework reference languages
3. gesetze-im-internet.de: 11
4. gesetze-im-internet.de
5. bundesarbeitsgericht.de: 2 azr 764 08
6. betriebsrat.de: arbeitgeber darf gute deutschkenntnisse von bewerber verlangen

Frequently asked questions