Whether or not you are migrating to the U.S. for work, learning English is crucial to your career advancement. With 1.75 billion people worldwide who speak English "at a useful level," English communication skills is essential to establishing and sustaining excellent business relationships.
Regardless of your chosen profession or occupation, you will be required to communicate in oral and written form with your colleagues and/or clients. Even applying for positions in fields such as engineering, science, accountancy, and medicine demands English fluency on top of technical and scientific expertise. Scientific research for publication, for instance, has to be written and presented at conferences in English.
There are unusual cases, however, where immigrants succeed despite poor proficiency in English. Take for example the success story of Felix Sanchez de la Vega Guzman, a successful Mexican immigrant entrepreneur who “turned selling tortillas on the street into a $19 million food business.” But before this success, Sanchez experienced decades of hardships, resorting to low-paying jobs in New York including washing dishes. His multi-million-dollar business was also aimed at fellow Mexicans, making it less important for him to master English.
But for people with entrepreneurial aspirations to reach different nationalities across the globe with different first languages, English is absolutely necessary for bridging the gap. The same goes for those who want to apply for a job at an international company within or outside of the US. They should be competent in English because it is a global language — the most widespread language in the world. Even online, English is the top language of internet users (948.6 million users) in 2016, followed by Chinese (751.9) and Spanish (277.1), according to the Internet World Stats.
From acing a job application interview to getting a promotion, a good command of English is a significant edge in the professional world. With excellent English writing skill, you will be able to compose a cogent application letter that effectively communicates how and why you are best fit for the job. A well-written application letter can be your ticket to a job interview. While you may impress an interviewer with how you dress, once you start responding to questions with halting phrases due to lack of English skills, your application can be at stake. Similarly, you can never be promoted to a position that requires effective communications skills, such as ones that require you to deal directly with clients of coordinate large teams. for dealing with English-speaking clients if you poorly express yourself in English.
To advance your career in today’s globalized digital market, excellent English communication skills will be key is making yourself globally competitive. You should speak the language that is spoken and understood by the rest of the professional community: English. You can start by enrolling in an ESL school that offers General English or TOEFL and IELTS.
About ESL Global Institute
ESL Global Institute (ESLGI) is an English Language Institute where classes are taught by professionals with diverse expertise from different fields such as business and the academe. ESLGI believes that communication is integral to the immigrant’s journey into the United States and offers English classes for beginners, intermediate, and advanced adult students. ESLGI helps its students gain more confidence in the English language so they can perform better at school or in the workplace.
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