Im thinking about studying to get a B2 Certificate in French so I can put it on my Resume. Is a B2 certificate really mean much though? I feel like C1 or C2 Certificates means so much more to an employer. Does anyone have experience they can share about this topic?
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Are you looking to work in a French-speaking place? Or perhaps some specific job/company/industry that has regimented or other serious language requirements? If so, then the certificate might help and it’s probably not too difficult to find that out from one of those sources.
If not, and if you are an American looking to work in America and just want to show off your language skills on a resume, then I would say no. In fact, NO CERTIFICATE will mean much of anything, let along the differences between levels of said certificate. If this is the case and you are just looking to impress an employer or otherwise signal that you are a smart, dedicated guy, then all you need to do is write “Fluency in French” under the “Skills” or similar section of your resume. If you aren’t, then write “Proficiency in French.” Either way, have a prepared answer that shows your language experience that you can trot out in an interview if someone notices and asks–even if it’s because they are curious. List any courses you took in school (especially if after high school), mention that you have/had engaged “private tutors” if you have done so (LingQ people count), travel to french speaking areas, overall how many hours of study you have put in, and some of your stats: words known, “flash cards created” (linqs), words read, hours listened. The reason for doing this is because you want to distinguish yourself from someone who just took it in school and is one step above beginner. Just don’t be like the girl who writes “Conversational in _______________.” All that says to a potential employer is that you took courses in school and went on vacation with your parents’ credit card.
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I think in Europe, a B2 certificate kinda means something since a lot of “regular” jobs may mean interaction with foreign clientele, etc. In the US, I think a B2 would be useless for the most part, because either a company is involved in international business, which is conducted in English almost everywhere – that’s why Europeans wanna get those B2 certificates, they’re in English 
– or the job would require a C-2 proficiency, such as in academia or diplomacy.
A B2 here is mostly just means you have a worthwhile hobby. As LILinguist pointed out, it may be a good conversation tidbit, but that’s about tit.
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Let’s say you want to work as a project manager. The things they are looking for is stories about “projects” and “managing”. If you would say I “took care of by myself”, “created”, “founded” or "have a certificate in French. They will feel like why are you NOT talking about “projects” and “managing”.
Personally as a web developer if someone says he got a high A2 or low B1 I would be stoked, because anything less would feel like a dabbler.
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The one time I applied for a job where an additional language was a requirement, the first interview was a language test. They didn’t waste their time moving candidates on to real interviews if they couldn’t communicate.
If it’s not a requirement of the job, then like others have already said, you’re just listing a hobby so it doesn’t really matter if you have a certificate or not.
(This is based on having worked in the US and Canada. I’m sure other countries are different.)
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