Harpreet
Job title
Principal Consultant
Company and location
Pink Roccade Group UK, Farnborough
Industry sector
IT Services Management Consultancy
Background
Learned Panjabi at home, and took GCSE at age 14
BSc Business and French
ITIL (IT Service Management qualification)
What are your main responsibilities at work? How have languages come into everyday tasks?
I work with a number of global clients. We assess organisations against best practice standards in IT service management, and define and drive initiatives for improving service and reducing cost through process improvement. One example of how I have used languages is with the bank BNP Paribas, where we did assessments in French, and presentations to senior board in French.
Why are languages important in the IT Services industry?
IT is a global industry – and real improvements and cost savings in IT are more effective when applied globally, by creating economies of scale. The organisations I work with are also global, and they prefer that we speak their language.
The Help Desk function is also becoming more international – so more multi-lingual Help Desk analysts are needed. Key languages needed in my experience are French & Spanish. I can see a growing need for Asian languages, including Japanese and Chinese. For Help Desk roles the preference is to have more than one foreign language e.g. French, Spanish and English.
How has previous experience helped you get on?
My father supported me in going for a foreign language as he worked in the UN and could see the advantages given the momentum towards European Union. My previous job was working as a Business Operations Manager for GE Capital covering the EMEA region, based in Brussels, and this helped as I had exposure to international cultures which is now important when dealing with international clients. I also picked up use of French in ‘business’ as opposed to social use in this job.
Languages have differentiated me from others in my role. By speaking in French with my clients, you can build stronger relationships and network better.
Any tips?
Go for languages like French, Spanish. In these countries the use of English is not as prevalent as in, for example, Holland, Belgium, Germany or India.
Always promote the fact that you have a language, do not under-sell it. The fact that you have the intellect to converse in a different language is a selling point in its own right.
Source: Aston University