For as long as we can remember, many job listings in Singapore have been populated with a stipulation that requires applicants to have the ability to speak in Mandarin. Essentially, a thinly-veiled pretext for only hiring people of Chinese descent — folks of other races can forget about applying.
But what if a non-Chinese person does fit the criteria of “Chinese-speaking”? Will the employer still want that Chinese-speaking, non-Chinese individual for the job?
Apparently not, as Tharenii Muniandy found out. Currently looking for a job in the IT industry, he’s been fielding calls by companies to head for interviews — but one particular call really pissed him off. According to his now-viral rant posted on Facebook, the caller beat around the bush until the quintessential question was asked: was he actually Chinese? When Tharenii replied no, he was immediately rejected, despite the fact that he, y’know, speaks Chinese.
“What if he did not ask me if I was Chinese and I actually go and show up for the interview — is he going to insult me (to) my face by saying ‘Actually we are actually looking for a Chinese-speaking person.’ Am I supposed to beg and say ‘(yes I really can speak Chinese), please give me the job!”
Tharenii’s rant comes to no surprise really for the many non-Chinese Singaporeans who’ve faced rejection during their own job hunts multiple times — and purely on the grounds that they’re not Chinese.
