European Exchange ñ making the most of Europes emerging markets

In May 2004 it suddenly became possible for a national of any member state of the European Union to work anywhere across almost the entire continent. An international job market stretching from the Atlantic Coast in Ireland up to the Balkans and down to the Mediterranean has opened up. The legal barriers have gone, but the concern for many employers is that the language barrier still remains.

The enlargement of the EU has not only increased the number of countries involved, but the number of languages that need to be negotiated. And while western European languages like Spanish, French and German are regularly taught at school level, the latest additions from Eastern Europe tend to be a far more specialist area. Which is fine for translation posts, or jobs that are designed around bi-lingual skills, but less helpful for jobs at other levels.

Of course, English is generally recognised as the international language of business, and it is rare to find a senior manager in an international company who does not have a comprehensive and impressive ability to speak it fluently. But thatís senior management. At secretarial or administrative level, or within the accounting team, it may not necessarily be the case.

Yet these people can also be potential skilled employees with the possibility of adding great value to a new company, and who can take advantage of the expanded European employment regulations. In addition, there are a number of companies who now need to employ ënative speakersí in less senior positions. The issue for both of these types of organisation is to ensure that their potential recruits can carry out the tasks effectively, without discriminating against those without fluent language skills.

Letís take an English construction company that has advertised for builders and electricians as an example. Three of the applicants are Polish, and come with excellent references ñ and a good reputation. Their language skills arenít important, but their knowledge of building regulations ñ including health and safety ñ are.

As another example a pan-European company, with an international customer help and support provision needs to ensure that the levels of service are consistent across Europe ñ whether callers come from Latvia or Luton. What it needs from its employees are excellent customer service skills and the ability to meet the standards set. Naturally the call handlers need to be able to speak the language of the caller, but rather than expensive bi-lingual skills, by far the best option is to employ a Latvian with call centre experience.

For both these companies, pre-employment assessment is an ideal solution. They can ensure that all employees meet the required standard and thus provide a constant level of service across all operations, regardless of where they come from or the geography they serve.

Since European legislation requires that workers have guaranteed employment before they enter the country, these tests can be administered before the candidate jumps on a plane ñ making the whole hiring process much more efficient for both parties, not to mention legal. And to ensure ëstickabilityí of candidates, the tests can help assess whether an individual is able to adapt to the cultural differences of a foreign working environment.

Furthermore, tests that can be taken and administered on-line will increase those efficiencies ñ no need to send out CDs in the post and wait weeks for the results. On-line tests also provide organisations with the ability to simulate, as closely as possible, real world situations through audio and visual components. Thatís in addition to the benefits of cost effectively tailoring the tests to the organisationís own circumstances.

That ability to tailor is, in fact, absolutely vital when it comes to pre-employment assessment in this situation. Because the problem is that, no matter how sophisticated, efficient and easy to administer the tests are, standard assessments mean that an organisation could be discriminating against the best candidates by requiring them to think and respond in a foreign language.

Being tested in their non-native tongue in this way, means that candidates arenít being assessed on whether they have strong listening skills, accurate data entry and the ability to handle an unreasonable caller. Nor are organisations checking whether they understand how a site is run, or the nature of an electricianís specific responsibilities. Instead they will be testing a non-core skill - language ability.

Using a standard test, but ensuring that it is properly translated ñ including idioms, colloquialisms and relevant place names ñ opens up Europe to employers, and employees of every type. It ceases to be an option that is purely for senior management. And of course itís not just about bringing migrant workers to the UK. Making tests available in many languages can also work in reverse.

As Europeís internal boundaries become more open, new economic and demographic trends emerge. Weíve seen a number of companies off-shore their call centre operations to India in recent years. But a number of European companies are looking a bit closer to home ñ to Eastern Europe ñ largely because of the language issues. Call centres are therefore a growing market in Eastern Europe ñ and getting call centre aptitude tests available in a range of languages can ensure the highest standards and provide competitive advantage.

Of course there are circumstances in which language is essential ñ and there are numerous methods of assessment for those, including on-line testing suites. But what many employers now need are aptitude and specific skills tests that are available in the native language of the countries they operate in that will ensure consistency of testing throughout their operation ñ and enable them to take full advantage of the opportunities that an expanded Europe offers them.