The world is changing. Today's global job market requires some form of cross-cultural competency, and job candidates no longer can get by with the basics. Now they must know how to see the business world through another's eyes.

Bradley Shaw, associate professor of Spanish and director of international and area studies, said studying a foreign language is necessary to be prepared for the job market.

"Language is a tie breaker when it comes to a job," he said. "The job candidate who knows a foreign language is more likely to get the job than the candidate who does not when both candidates are equally qualified."

Shaw said knowledge of a foreign language is important because it allows people to keep up with an increasingly diverse society.

"People who are comfortable in a more diverse working environment are likely to succeed, while those who feel threatened by the changing workplace are likely to fall behind, especially in the business world," he said.

Shaw said knowing foreign languages gives insight into other cultures.

"If you are a person who is fluent in a foreign language, you are culturally sensitive to that culture and are better able to understand the people of that culture," he said. "Today's world is increasingly multilingual, multiethnic, multiracial and religiously diverse."

Kerri Day Keller, director of Career and Employment Services, said there are many professional fields that require knowledge of a foreign language or some form of cross-cultural competency, including marketing, health care, teaching and sales.

"Knowing a second or even third language is a major criterion in these fields," said Keller. "The United States is also doing a lot of business with China these days, so I think it would clearly be advantageous for a student to know Chinese in today's growing business world."

Keller said knowledge of a foreign language is beneficial, though it is not required in most entry-level positions.

"Language skills, for the most part, seem to have no bearing on whether or not a student gets an entry-level job," she said. "The distribution of students in entry-level positions that know a foreign language is about the same as those who do not."

There are exceptions to the rule however, like health care, Keller said.

"Even in entry-level jobs, they strongly prefer one who is fluent in both English and Spanish," she said.

Several students at K?State are learning languages and combining them with their respective majors in order to have an advantage while job searching.

Mackenzie Goodwin, sophomore in theater, said she is fluent in Spanish and French and wants to learn Russian soon.

She said she hopes to combine her knowledge of languages with her theater major to give her an edge on other job applicants.

"In today's world, one is expected to know Spanish and English in this country or at least one foreign language," Goodwin said. "It's hard to get by in the business world if you don't.

"Even though there are certain jobs that don't require fluency in a foreign language, I think all students should take at least one semester of a foreign language. If a student knows only a little bit of a second language, I think it'll help them in today's job world, regardless."

Natascha Henderson, senior in park management and conservation, said she has studied foreign languages to prepare her for future work in another country.

She said she would like to learn Swahili someday because she plans to do conservation work in West Africa.

"I think that everyone needs to learn a foreign language," she said. "It gives someone more opportunities for jobs and gives off a good impression."

Besides speaking Russian, Ross Terry, junior in accounting and finance, would like to combine his language skills with a certification in international business.

"Basically, I want to take some businesses from the United States and move them to Russia for an outsourcing type deal," Ross said. "Russia doesn't have a lot of businesses over there right now, and I think they need some."

Shaw said students who do not see value in cultural, racial and linguistic differences are not going to thrive in tomorrow's world, as a company or as an individual.

"Let's say you're talking about a marketing job, for instance," he said. "The more diverse the consultants are at the marketing firm, the more likely it is they will succeed in identifying the needs and interests of different target groups."

Shaw suggested when consumers notice sales representatives speaking their dominant language, it is psychologically and emotionally inviting to the consumer.

He said it conveys a message to the consumer that says, "Hey, you understand me, you understand my culture; I can trust you." The buyer is then more likely to give full attention to the sales pitch.

Shaw said the "Got Milk?" advertising campaign by the dairy industry was a prime example of how marketing should take cultural differences into consideration.

Marketing specialists found that milk had the lowest sales among Hispanic consumers, Shaw said. And when reviewing the campaign, it was found that in Spanish, "Got Milk?" was understood to mean, "Are you lactating?"

Shaw said he thinks one cannot separate language from culture because both are interwoven into the complex ethnic, linguistic and social identity of a person or group of people.