English in Job Recruiting. A Hard or a Soft Skill?

Sociolinguistic research on language and work (Park & Wee, 2012) has analysed knowledge of English by workers as a soft skill that an individual must possess in order to gain access to jobs in the current globalized economy... [ view full abstract ]

Sociolinguistic research on language and work (Park & Wee, 2012) has analysed knowledge of English by workers as a soft skill that an individual must possess in order to gain access to jobs in the current globalized economy (Urciuoli, 2008). However, in non-English speaking States such as Spain knowledge of English is an essential requirement in order for individuals and businesses to participate in the global labour market. Recruiting agencies for both top and middle management jobs in Spain take English as a technical or a hard skill  that a job candidate must possess along with their educational and professional training (Heller & Duchene 2010). The present paper analyses the role of English both from the perspective of the individual job candidate and of the recruiters who are acting on behalf of their clients who are businesses that have offloaded their hiring  tasks to these agencies. The data obtained from over eight months of ethnographic fieldwork at two recruitment agencies in Barcelona, Spain  and with 20 job candidates who are investing personal resources to learn English present a paradoxical situation regarding the knowledge of English as a soft skill or a hard skill. The contradiction between discourses and requirements for English in order to obtain a job and actual practices in the recruiting process and in the work-place reflect a changing labor market that is attempting to participate in a world economy. For individuals the requirement to know English even though it is not actually used in the workplace represents a gate-keeping mechanism that serves to select a profile of an ideal candidate with the “right” education and  social background.