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Elsewhere on the internet I've heard people say that if you mention it at all, you should put it in hobbies or else you risk getting dismissed and gossiped about to a company's peers, limiting your job opportunities.

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    If you have a decent enough proficiency with it, I think it should be listed as a language spoken. Why not?
    – sevenseacat
    Commented Oct 13, 2016 at 7:58
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    This sounds like an opinion-based question. Or are there any hard facts that anyone can cite?
    – Tsundoku
    Commented Oct 13, 2016 at 10:08
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    @ChristopheStrobbe Does it really matter if the question is opinion-based? I know that is an option as a reason to close it, but if I wonder if that’s more for StackOverflow and the other communities can choose their own policies. For example if you look at the Workplace community, virtually every question is opinion-based. workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/20903/…
    – Neil Roberts
    Commented Oct 13, 2016 at 14:52
  • @NeilRoberts Subjective questions are OK; see e.g. Good Subjective, Bad Subjective. But the question (or its answers) should not be purely opinion-based: backing up statements with experiences, facts, etc. is better.
    – Tsundoku
    Commented Oct 13, 2016 at 15:11
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    @ChristopheStrobbe ok, well I think in this case at least the one answer we have does quote experience. I would say this question does fit their definition of a "great subjective question".
    – Neil Roberts
    Commented Oct 13, 2016 at 15:16

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We discussed that question here:

https://www.duolingo.com/comment/15562777

I said that if you put Esperanto on your resume, the response at an interview (if you get one) will certainly be "what the heck is that?".

A few people replied that they got their current jobs thanks to having Esperanto on their resume.

For my part, I have it listed at the top of my foreign languages. People have asked about it, or skipped over it. People are always very interested - at least to my face, I suppose.

My thought is that it doesn't belong under hobbies. If you don't speak it well enough to call it a language, it probably doesn't belong on the resume at all. I think it helps if you have more than one language.

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    I agree: I would not put it under hobbies. I would rather put Klingon under Hobbies, but I would put Esperanto under Foreign languages, if I speak it well enough.
    – avpaderno ♦
    Commented Oct 13, 2016 at 4:22
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Every single time I was asked about it in the interview, and it was always viewed positively, with interest, not something to be frowned upon.

And I absolutely disagree with hiding it. I could. I have two native languages. I could just say I speak Hungarian. No, never, I am too proud to belong to the Esperanto community.

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  • "I am too proud to belong to the Esperanto community." ("Mi estas tro fiera ol aparteni al la Esperanto-komunumo.") kaj "I am too proud of belonging to the Esperanto community." ("Mi estas tro fiera pri tio, ke mi apartenas al la Esperanto-komunumo.") estas antonimoj.
    – EulerSpoiler
    Commented Nov 27, 2023 at 7:20
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I was very hesitant to put Esperanto in my resume myself because of all the misconceptions people have about it (which are neatly listed here: What are the most common misconceptions about Esperanto?). I decided to do so in the end, after a non-esperanto-speaker told me I should absolutely write it. She said it is a great example of determination and deligence, just like learning any other language.

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    I know this answer doesn't provide any facts, but I hope my experience alone might be at least a little helpful or interesting.
    – Antonia Montaro
    Commented Oct 15, 2016 at 22:21
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I have added it to my resume solely because my research advisor at university added "Marathon Runner" to hers for a chemistry teaching position. The only reason I know this is because another professor was on the search committee and he commented on that fact. He remembered that running was on her resume and, while it didn't help or hinder her application, it was something that stood out.

I am of the notion that standing out is good (as long as it's something good or neutral that is making you stand out).

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If you only speak English and Esperanto, then I would put it in hobbies, otherwise, I would put it among the other languages that you speak.

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    I think you need some kind of reasoning here.
    – sevenseacat
    Commented Nov 16, 2016 at 14:59
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There is a trade-off between hiding it or not. The advantage to hiding it is that you then have a great immediate comeback if the interviewer says to you, “Tell me one thing about yourself that nobody else knows.” Your answer: “Uh, I’m learning Esperanto.”

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  • Excellent. And if you've already revealed competence in Esperanto, another good reply is, "I struggle with bi-coastal elitism."
    – EulerSpoiler
    Commented Nov 27, 2023 at 7:11
  • Also, when you check in to a hotel and the clerk asks you, "What brings you to town?", you can answer "An Esperanto meeting."
    – EulerSpoiler
    Commented Nov 27, 2023 at 18:35

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