Wanted: White guy in a tie. No experience necessary.
Yup, that’s all you need to land a job as an “executive” in China, according to a piece in The Atlantic — pale skin and a suit. In China’s image-driven business culture, appearing to have connections to the West — even fake ones — is important, says Mitch Moxley, who writes of his stint as a “quality-control expert” at a Shandong province construction site. “Having foreigners in nice suits,” explains his Chinese-language tutor, “gives the company face.”
There could be real business possibilities here, though. The recession disproportionately threw exactly this demographic — middle-aged guys — out of work. Maybe it’s America’s new export opportunity?