Job Discussion Forums

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

[7969]

[igorG]

The post above is so misleading. You wouldn't make a dime without opening your email attachments with scanned applicants' credentials or passports, would you? Then, some abusive local employers wouldn't be able to apply for some douche bags' work permits either, would they?

[7969]

I teach a writing class at a university. During the course of the year, among other things, students have one module where they learn how to improve their sentence writing skills - including the following:

1. coherence
2. conciseness
3. emphasis
4. sentence variety
5. unity

It's a very useful module for those who are unable to express themselves coherently in written English.

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

[GuestBob]

[igorG]

[Lobster]

The documents requested as mentioned by the OP are standard in the hiring practice in China. Refusal to provide them may result in a lost employment opportunity. They want know what you look like, if you hold a valid passport, if you hold the degrees that you claim and have relevant work experience. Because they are often hiring from overseas, they should err on the side of caution when offering people employment. After all, it would be a real hassle for all involved should the prospect arrive and be denied government working documents.

Still, the risk of identity theft, although I consider it low, is still a possibility. So, how can one limit the possibilities?

1. Research the legitimacy of the contact; be it school or recruiter. This is also a necessary first step to determining the quality of the contact.
2. Black out your passport number in all places it appears. Even though passports have become more technologically advanced, the key information that could be used is the number.
3. Watermark all copies of your degrees and certificates. You may watermark them with text that states "Electronic Copy Only. Request Originals".
4. Do not include your Social Insurance or Social Security number etc. on your CV. Do not include any bank or government-issued information (e.g. your driver's licence number).

Taking these steps can help you protect yourself. Although most identity theft rings in China target locals, it is an international problem and one should always be on guard.

RED

[igorG]

[Lobster]

Mmmm... They check the date of expiry to see if it's valid. They don't need the number. Remember that you cannot receive a visa beyond the expiry date of the passport.

They are also requesting the pic to see if you're what they want appearance-wise. How professional is that? That would depend on their screening criteria I suppose. You can look at some of the pics people post with their resumes on various sites. Some actually show the prospect partying in a bar! Certainly the picture could be used to discriminate against people of colour, the elderly, the ugly or the disabled. It could also be used to weed out slobs and psychos for that matter. If they don't want you based on your appearance, you don't want them either, right?

Perhaps the passport copy may also tell them about your country of origin, perhaps not. You could be a native of HK holding a British passport, or a person from Rwanda who has a passport from SA. But in a place like Shanghai, your odds of getting an FEC drop if you're not from one of the big six.

They could check your degree without seeing a copy if they wanted to go through the effort of degree-checking for a dozen applicants. Fact is, they won't go through the trouble unless they're a very discriminating outfit (e.g. a prestigious uni or international school), in which case you'll probably also get a reference check too. They believe that it's the applicants' duty to provide their credentials.

I'd say that if one is not willing to go through the recruitment process as specified by the institution and submit the requested documents, they'd be better off passing on the post. Some processes are particularly tiresome: complete their 3-page application, write a 1-page essay about why you want to work there, submit a sample lesson plan or syllabus, explain your teaching philosophy in detail, complete a grammar test etc. You may have to ask yourself if you want to work at such a place (the answer may be yes).

Employers may accept whatever, but the question is, will it get you your FEC and RP? An employer may accept an Associate's Degree, but I know that it won't get you an FEC in Shanghai. Maybe elsewhere. Then again, many places are willing to take people on as illegal hires, so the degree is not required.

Do they reduce identity theft? Well certainly deleting/restricting critical personal information is a basic step to reducing theft. This is especially true when you consider that your passport copy and CV may be used as recycled paper in their photocopier (I've seen it). I don't think it's realistic to expect authorities to just accept "whatever". When you want your FEC and RP, you'd better have your papers in order or risk a flight home.

Many local employers are business owners. They aren't stupid, even if they may be greedy. They know what is relevant to their needs.

Certainly a person applying for a job from overseas needs to be particularly cautious. That's what this thread is about.

RED

[igorG]

An utmost caution is most definitely the gist of this thread.

Now, the poster writes

[The Great Wall of Whiner]