The traits that make US firms less likely to hire Hong Kong Chinese over white applicants, according to Stanford study
You might think appearing unflappable in a job interview an asset, but what US employers see instead is an enthusiasm deficit, research shows. A cultural critic isn’t surprised by the findings, and says Asian job applicants are typecast.
Hong Kong Chinese job applicants typically appear calm and collected in interviews, but their composure could lower their chances of being hired by companies in the West, particularly the United States, a study shows.
The research by Stanford University, with input from scholars at City University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong, considered how potential employers react to cultural differences in the way applicants show emotion.
It found the tendency of Hong Kong Chinese to be calm and even-tempered a handicap because American employers favour passion and look for job applicants who ooze enthusiasm.
The findings are based on studies, involving a total of 1,041 participants, that focused on different scenarios at five employers. In four of the studies, the researchers compared Americans – both white and Asian – living in the United States with Chinese from Hong Kong.
“In the US, career counsellors and job advisers often tell applicants to be excited and enthusiastic when applying for jobs. It is important to recognise that this message is shaped by our culture, and it may not be right or feel natural for everyone,” says Lucy Zhang Bencharit, a co-author of the report and a doctoral candidate in psychology at Stanford.
Melbourne, Australia-based image consultant and branding coach Jon Michail, who has numerous Hong Kong clients, says his observations tally with the Stanford findings.
