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Don't make these mistakes with a Chinese interviewer

Sep 12, 2018

 

Red envelopes

An American software programmer was attending an interview with a Chinese tech company at a job fair in San Jose. He had heard from a Chinese friend that in China, it was customary to give a red envelope (hong bao) as a gift on New Year's Day and other festivals. Hoping to make his interview go more smoothly and demonstrate his desire to adapt to Chinese custom, he prepared a red envelope to present to his interviewer.


The interviewer was first surprised at the programmer's audacity, but upon opening the envelope his astonishment quickly turned to amusement and laughter - the envelope was empty!


If you're at all familiar with Chinese custom, you know that the red envelope is a gift given at festivals, weddings, and birthdays (especially from the old to the young) and always stuffed with money. Therefore, it should never be given at a job interview. Attempting to bribe your way into a job with an envelope of cash is never advisable, for reasons that should be obvious!


Apparently, the American programmer didn't know you're supposed to fill the hong bao with cash and wasn't  trying to bribe his interviewer after all. He presented the empty envelope in a ceremonial fashion as a misconstrued token of his respect for Chinese traditions.


The interviewer helpfully explained to the job seeker the full meaning and tradition of the hong bao, leaving the programmer deeply embarrassed - not the best way to start a job interview!


Follow your heart

In a similar case, a Silicon Valley tech worker had traveled to China to interview with a Chinese company. As he sat down for the interview, he displayed a hand-written card bearing the Chinese character '怂' (song). The Chinese interviewer was extremely confused.


Sensing the interviewer's confusion, the applicant explained that in order to demonstrate that in his heart he was truly committed to moving to China, he had written his personal motto "follow your heart" in Chinese, based on his Chinese friend's translation.


The applicant's complete obliviousness to the fact that his 'friend' had played a nasty prank on him left the interviewer caught between laughter and tears. He had to gently explain to the confused job applicant that the character 怂 did not in fact express his personal motto "follow your heart", but rather meant 'terrified and panicked'. Imagine announcing that first thing at a job interview!


Keep two hands on the wheel

While interviewing with a Chinese company, it's natural to want to impress with your knowledge of the language or show your willingness to dive headfirst into a new culture. But the lesson here is BE CAREFUL! You don't want to make a fool of yourself and alienate your interviewer by demonstrating that you're actually quite inept and ignorant. As the above interviewers later stated, the thing the company most cares about is  your technical skill and ability. Mastering Chinese etiquette and conventions is a distant second. Better to stick with what you know. After you've landed the job you can learn more Chinese customs and culture from your coworkers in a less high-stakes environment.


Here are a few simple tips of Chinese etiquette that everyone can easily master:

When exchanging business cards, always use two hands as a sign of respect. When receiving a card, study it thoughtfully for a moment before slipping it into your card case or placing it on the table in front of you. And finally, it's a good idea for you to have a bilingual business card with English on one side and Chinese on the other.

Good luck!


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