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By Alice Gibbs
Senior Reporter
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A Redditor has shared his shock that while reviewing resumes he stumbled on something unexpected—an applicant listed their 671-day Duolingo streak under the "languages" section.
"At first, I was surprised, but in a good way," Bilal Ashrafov, from Lithuania, told Newsweek. "I had considered including something from Duolingo on my own resume, but wasn't sure if it would come across as professional. Seeing someone take that first step made me reflect on its relevance."
The resume, which Ashrafov saw through a friend who is in HR, listed language skills, including fluent English, American sign language and a 671-day streak learning Japanese on the popular app.
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Ashrafov shared the unusual resume on Reddit's r/duolingo subreddit, where it has gained thousands of upvotes and hundreds of comments.
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"Imagine explaining that in an interview—'I'm not just consistent, I'm Duolingo consistent!'" joked Redditor eempressfantasy.
Many people praised the candidate for forward thinking.
User ibopm said: "If I was hiring, I would definitely interview this person." While cmbhere agreed: "It got noticed, didn't it? Sounds like not too bad of an idea."
Duolingo, the world's most popular language-learning app, was founded in 2011 by Luis von Ahn and Severin Hacker. Designed to be a language-learning tool in your pocket, the app's popularity has skyrocketed.
More recently, Duolingo has already made inroads into formal education with its Duolingo English Test, which is now accepted by many universities worldwide. In addition to languages, the platform has expanded to offer courses in math and music, as well as Duolingo ABC, a literacy app for children.
While listing a Duolingo streak on a resume may not yet be industry-standard, Ashrafov said there was space for additions like this.
"A resume isn't just about concrete facts. We often include hobbies or extracurricular activities, especially for fresh graduates," he explained. "If the job involves multiple languages, a long-standing Duolingo streak can demonstrate dedication and continuous learning."
Not everyone online agreed that it was a good idea to put a Duolingo streak on a resume, with many pointing out that it doesn't necessarily equate to language competency. "It's true you can keep a streak going with just a minute of practice per day," Ashrafov acknowledged. "But with a 671-day streak, I doubt that was the case."
"The Duolingo English Test is becoming widely recognized. Perhaps, in the future, a long-term streak could be seen as a sign of commitment and self-discipline," he added.
UPDATE 02/10/25, 10:00 a.m.: This story was updated to clarify where the poster saw the resume.
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