The Impact of English Proficiency in Enhancing Employment Opportunities Among University Students

English language proficiency plays a fundamental role in shaping the employability of university graduates, particularly in multilingual contexts like Malaysia where English dominates professional and corporate communication. This paper examines how English language competency influences graduates’ performance in three critical areas of employability that include: job interviews, resume writing, and workplace communication. Drawing on a review of recent literature, the paper highlights that English language fluency enables candidates to articulate ideas confidently during interviews, thereby improving their chances of employment. In contrast, limited proficiency often results in vague responses, miscommunication, and negative perceptions of competence. Furthermore, resume writing demands clarity, precision, and professionalism—skills closely tied to English language mastery. Graduates with strong language abilities can present their achievements persuasively, while poorly written resumes risk being overlooked by employers. In workplace settings, effective English language communication is crucial for tasks such as report writing, meetings, and client engagement, where poor or inadequate proficiency can hinder career progression. Generally, findings underscore the importance of embedding practical English training in higher education to bridge existing skill gaps. Effort to Strengthen English language proficiency is not merely an academic requirement but a strategic asset that enhances graduates’ employability in an increasingly demanding and globalized labour market.

The Impact of English Proficiency in Enhancing Employment Opportunities Among University Students

1. Abbas, F., Rana, A. M. K., Bashir, I., & Bhatti, A. M. (2021). The English language proficiency as a global employment skill: The viewpoint of Pakistani academia. Humanities & Social Sciences Reviews, 9(3), 768–775. https://doi.org/10.18510/hssr.2021.93106 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Akther, F. (2022). English for personal and career development and its importance for better employment opportunities. Journal of Languages, Linguistics and Literary Studies (JLLLS), 2(3), 95–102. https://journals.jozacpublishers.com/jllls [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Ali, R. I., Nawaz, M. S., & Imran, M. (2022). Impact of English language on career opportunities in the private sector of Pakistan: A case study of Jazz Digital House Multan. Global Mass Communication Review, 7(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.31703/gmcr.2022(VII-I).01 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Al-Riyami, T. (2020). Omani graduates’ English communication skills: Employers’ perspectives. Studies in English Language and Education, 7(2), 418–432. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v7i2.16342 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Arkoudis, S., Hawthorne, L., Baik, C., Hawthorne, G., O’Loughlin, K., Leach, D., & Bexley, E. (2009). The impact of English language proficiency and workplace readiness on the employment outcomes of tertiary international students (Full report, 157 pp.). Centre for the Study of Higher Education, University of Melbourne. https://scholars.wlu.ca/imrc/6 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Aziz, M. A., & Tan, C. Y. (2020). Language proficiency and employability: The role of English in Malaysian job applications. Journal of Language and Communication Studies, 12(1), 45–53. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Çal, A., Mearns, T., & Admiraal, W. (2023). Two worlds apart? Engineering students’ perceptions of workplace English. Business and Professional Communication Quarterly. https://doi.org/10.1177/23294906231182613 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Daqiq, B., Akramy, S. A., & Barati, A. M. (2024). The impacts of English language proficiency on employment opportunities. American Journal of Scientific and Educational Research, AJSER-183. https://doi.org/10.47991/2835-6764/AJSER-183 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Deepa, M. M., Golda, T. L., Meeran, J. A., Sivalanka, V., & Priya, P. S. (2023). The role of English language proficiency in career advancement: A review of empirical studies. Journal of Harbin Engineering University, 44(8), 1293–1300. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. Fadhil, M. F., Septiana, E., Sawitri, O., Abdillah, R., Syahfutra, W., & Nurafrezah, N. (2025). The role of English proficiency in supporting academic achievement and career opportunities of university students. WIDYA ACCARYA: Jurnal Kajian Pendidikan FKIP Universitas Dwijendra, 16(1), 36–45. http://ejournal.undwi.ac.id/index.php/widyaaccarya/index [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. Hidayat, M. T. (2024). English language proficiency and career opportunities: Perceptions of Indonesian university graduates. Language Value, 17(1), 85–107. https://doi.org/10.6035/languagev.7933 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. Hiew, W., Tibok, R. P., Ngui, W., Gabda, D., & Suyansah, Q. (2021). Science graduate employability and English language proficiency: Findings from a Malaysian public university. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 20(7), 23–43. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.20.7.2 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. Ivanović, K. (2023). The ability of students at the tertiary level of education to apply relevant moves and content in job application letters. Annual Review of the Faculty of Philosophy, Novi Sad, 48(1–2). https://doi.org/10.19090/gff.v48i1-2.2387 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

14. Kamil, M. A., & Muhammad, A. M. (2021). Professional communication competence in English for occupational purposes (EOP) courses: A systematic literature review and proposal of a framework. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 9(4), 849–857. https://doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2021.090418 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

15. Karim, A., Islam, M. S., Hamid, M. O., Rahman, M. M., & Amin, E. U. (2022). Language ideology, development of English proficiency, and performance in professional communication: Voices of STEM + business graduates of English-medium university. Asian-Pacific Journal of Second and Foreign Language Education, 7(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-022-00149-1 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

16. Lee, M. H., & Ng, S. W. (2022). English speaking proficiency and interview outcomes among university graduates. Malaysian Journal of Language and Communication, 11(1), 101–115. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

17. Lee, S. H., & Hassan, N. A. (2021). English writing skills and resume effectiveness among fresh graduates. International Journal of Education and Training, 7(2), 66–74. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

18. Lim, H., & Hamid, M. A. (2023). English language proficiency and employment prospects among Malaysian graduates. International Journal of Language and Communication Studies, 15(2), 45–59. http://dx.doi.org/10.5296/ijld.v10i4.17875 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

19. Malaysian Employers Federation. (2021). Bridging the gap: Enhancing graduate employability through English communication skills. MEF Publications. http://dx.doi.org/10.35631/IJMTSS.415007 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

20. Malokani, D. K. A., Kazi, S., Chandio, S. P., Mumtaz, S. N., Darazi, M. A., & Farooqui, N. S. (2023). The correlation between English language proficiency and perceived career opportunities: Empirical analysis. Remittances Review, 8(4), 28–41. https://doi.org/10.33182/rr.v8i4.310 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

21. Nesaratnam, S., Wan Salleh, W. H., Foo, Y. V., & Wan Syazwan, W. M. (2020). Enhancing English proficiency and communication skills among Malaysian graduates through training and coaching. International Journal of Learning and Development, 10(3). https://doi.org/10.5296/ijld.v10i4.17875 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

22. Nithideechaiwarachok, B., Maneekanon, O., & Bubphada, T. (2022). Exploring English language proficiency, English language problems, and English needs among first year undergraduate students. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 21(12), 272–289. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.21.12.15 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

23. Noah, J. B., & Abdul Aziz, A. B. (2020). A systematic review on soft skills development among university graduates. EDUCATUM – Journal of Social Science (EJOSS), 6(1), 53–68. https://doi.org/10.37134/ejoss.vol6.1.6.2020 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

24. Phuong, H. Y., & Vo, P. Q. (2024). English language education and university students’ development of human capital. In T. L. H. Nghia et al. (Eds.), English language education for graduate employability in Vietnam (pp. 97–112). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-4338-8_5 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

25. Prasetya, R. E. (2023). Assessing the impact of English language skills and TOEIC performance on career development. Scripta: Jurnal Ilmiah, 10(2). https://doi.org/10.37729/scripta.v10i2.3397 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

26. Putri, W. D. (2022). English communication and employability skills in startup company among graduates: Case study of a university in Jakarta in post COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of English Language and Education, 8(2), 264–274. https://doi.org/10.31004/jele.v8i2.352 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

27. Rahman, M., & Subramaniam, K. (2021). Language barriers and hiring decisions in the Malaysian job market. Asian Journal of Career Development, 6(1), 23–34. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

28. Rido, A. (2020). English for university graduate employability: Students and employers’ voices. In Proceedings of the Twelfth Conference on Applied Linguistics (CONAPLIN 2019) (pp. 6–10). Atlantis Press. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.200406.002 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

29. Roshid, M. M., & Chowdhury, R. (2013). English language proficiency and employment: A case study of Bangladeshi graduates in the Australian employment market. Mevlana International Journal of Education (MIJE), 3(1), 68–81. http://mije.mevlana.edu.tr/ [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

30. Warman, L. A. D., Hadriana, & Sumarno. (2024). Enhancing employability: A systematic literature review on the significance of English for occupational purposes in higher education. Al-Ishlah: Jurnal Pendidikan, 16(3), 2259–2270. https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v16i3.4748 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

31. Wiles, E., Munyikwa, Z. T., & Horton, J. J. (2023, October). Algorithmic writing assistance on jobseekers’ resumes increases hires (NBER Working Paper No. 30886). National Bureau of Economic Research. http://www.nber.org/papers/w30886 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

32. Wulandari, D. P., Bhattacharyya, E., & Warni, S. (2022). English communication and employability skills of university graduates in start-up companies in the post COVID-19 pandemic. ELLTER-J, 3(2), 64–71. https://doi.org/10.22236/ellter.v3i2.10077 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

33. Zainuddin, S. Z. B., Pillai, S., Dumanig, F. P., & Phillip, A. (2019). English language and graduate employability. Education + Training, 61(1), 79–93. https://doi.org/10.1108/ET-06-2017-0089 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• Evaluating the Impacts of Mind Mapping Strategy on Developing EFL Students’ Critical Reading Skills
• Significance of Reading Instructions for Language Improvement in Children with Down Syndrome
• Prenasalised Consonants in Liangmai
• Metadiscourse Matters: Definitions, Models, and Advantages for ESL/ EFL Writing
• Blank Minds and Stuck Voices: Understanding and Addressing Cognitive Anxiety in High-Stakes ESL Speaking Tests