WHAT NOT TO LIE ABOUT ON YOUR CV, IF I HAPPEN TO READ IT?!

Long time no complaints. Well, here are some (or should I say one) I've been bottling up for years now.

I work in a small hotel in a small town in Estonia. I do basically every job there. I am officially the chef, but when needed I still do a bit of serving or a shift as a receptionist. When the manager is away, I look after her post as well and manage the rest of the gang. I even peel potatoes for the other chef, if need be. I mowed the lawn last summer for heavens sake! Basically, I am willing to do whatever needs doing.

And now, the summer season is fast approaching, it is time to read all the CVs again. And here's my problem with them:

Young people in Estonia have no idea what the language codes mean or they just try to make themselves look smarter and lie. 

If You are stranger to these categories, let me explain a little.

A1 and A2 are reserved for people who speak or understand a language on the minimal capacity. Basically You know how to say a few phrases and understand some sentences when spoken slowly. A1 is the weaker of the punch. I would categorise my Latin and Spanish at that level. A2, a bit stronger, is where I put my Russian, if we're speaking about writing and reading, as I'm rusty as hell with them.

B1 and B2 are middle level language users. Officially, people in Estonia get B1 once they finish 9th grade and B2 when they finish 12th. You do not get a higher category officially, even if you think You are better than that. My French is at a B1 level grammatically. Maybe if I get to spend some time there, verbally I could put myself at B2, but that's a stretch and I finished 12th grade using a B2 textbook. 

C1 and C2 are advanced and expert (I repeat myself: C2 means EXPERT) language users. I was fortunate enough to use a C1 level textbook in 11th and 12th grade. But that still didn't mean I got that level. I took my National English Exam and got a B2, OFFICIALLY! I did go off to university where I studied English as a subject, so I could say that I am at C1 now. There's a test You can take, I'll link to it here: TEST YOUR LEVEL! 

C2 level is reserved for people who are experts. I could say with confidence that I am a level C2 Estonian speaker, it's my mother tongue and I am fluent. You need to understand idioms, colloquial language, grammar etc. Your vocabulary has to be basically ideal. You have to be born into the language to be a master at it. 

And this finally brings me to the reason for this educational ride I've typed up for you. I cannot stand youngsters who send us their CVs and put English as a C2 level language for themselves. Even I'm not that cocky when it comes to my language skills, and I often say, I'm more comfortable writing and reading in English than in Estonian. Whenever I read that blatant C2 lie, I want to interview them in English. We have hired people who claim to be at C2 or even C1 levels and more often than not, they fall short. They maybe B2 level, if they have graduated from secondary school. Other than that, don't lie to me. Especially if You went to a vocational school after 9th grade. Not to bash these people, but I know how they gloss over regular school subjects. I do have ears and eyes.

Lastly, I need to kind of defend these people as well. In school, no one explains what that B2 or C1 level bullshit means. It may even not be marked on the textbook You use. At least that's the case in Estonia. No one explains to the student, that this exam or that is at this or that level. That when You pass with how many points, You officially have this level. No one. Unless You're interested in language studies and textbooks. I researched the explanations of the levels in 11th grade, once I wrote my big ass research paper about different 9th grade English textbooks and how they prepared students for the National Exam and the official level they needed to achieve by the end of that year. I dove even deeper into it the next year, when I researched 12th grade textbooks, trying to find out if they were the official level for a B2 National English Exam all the students had to take and pass. 

I got some little information in university about it, but basically, no one talks about it. Why is that? We want youngsters (I do include myself in this category, although I feel older than most people around me, most of the time) to create these professional CVs and get good jobs, but we don't teach them how to make themselves seem presentable on paper.

There is a website in Estonia, that most job seekers use, myself included, where they give some guidelines as to what which level means, but no real explanation given. No in depth introduction on how to check Your level or how to describe Your skills. And I freaking hate it! When I see a CV with English marked at the C2 or even C1 level, without any indication they have gotten more than secondary school classes on the subject, without living in an English speaking country for years, I just want to tell that person, that lying does not help them in this situation. It only makes them seem stupid in my eyes. 

Alright. I think I got that out of my system now. Phew! 

All I want to add, is that if You want to seem professional, please make sure You understand what You put on Your CV. I hate to be the one who makes fun of You, because it seems impossible to have a C2 level English, if You have barely finished secondary school. Please, check Your level on that link I added in this post and stop making this stupid mistake, that You can avoid so easily. It's easy as pie. 

All my love,

Regina.

PS! Here's another test for Your levels: Cambridge English test It's a bit harder maybe.