Trends Asia: If Your Face Fits, You'll Get the Job
A recent Financial Times article caught my attention – if your face fits, you’ll get the job!
According to the article, if you notice a discreet but alert man sitting quietly in the background at your next job interview in Asia, you had better hope that you don’t have a thin face or ugly ears. What on earth?
Interestingly enough, many Asian businesses still use the ancient art of face reading to determine whether or not they should hire a candidate.
So what are they looking for?
- A long and beautiful ridge in the outer ear and sparkling eyes denote intelligence.
- Erect shoulders suggest leadership.
- A big nose and thick ears indicate an ability to garner wealth.
- But watch out for candidates with lopsided mouths, eyebrows that turn up and a crooked nose (dishonesty), a prominent, pointed chin (impatience) or thin cheeks (low energy).
According to the ancient practice, done correctly face reading can determine who will bring profit to a business and who won’t cheat. While the article suggests that companies don’t really hire or fire based solely on face reading, it is a way to focus on the character of the individual and to identify areas in which to probe more, if required.
Certainly, the practice of face reading is not used in North America, but we do use other techniques to help gauge the character of the individual such as psychometric testing and a battery of other tests. While we may not agree on the method, it is critical that companies determine methods to hire candidates “who not only can do the work, but who will do it”.