Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Interviewing potentials

Virdi Bhupinder wrote a letter to question the manner in which job interviewers conduct their sourcing for applicants. He feels that some questions they ask are absurd: Please send us your photo, What is your race and Can you speak Mandarin for a front-line job?

I partially agree with his opinion. Asking for his photo is a natural part of the selection process. First impressions through a person's features and physical appearance can tell others more about him. The question about his race is redundant though. His name already gives an indication of it. His ability to speak Mandarin is also evident from his name, but it is not necessarily accurate. Some non-Chinese have learnt to speak it. It may be an intrinsic part of the job to have this ability. I feel he has not thoroughly examined the rationale behind the questions.

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