There are so many brain-dead reasons for culling job candidates, from age, to gender, to race -- these are illegal, but good luck trying to prove you've been rejected because of these.
But at least you aren't a Virgo in China. You aren't, are you?
Well, pity those born from August 22nd-ish to Sept. 22nd-ish in China. The New Republic reports on astrology discrimination in hiring. Virgos, with your exactitude and whining and compulsions, go away:
Horoscopes in China can influence big decisions like whom to hire, whom to date, and whom to befriend, with astrological signs serving, like they do in the U.S., as markers of personality—Leos are dominant, Aries are spontaneous, Capricorns are stubborn, etc.—as well as compatibility. The difference is in degree. In China, dating show contestants regularly accept or reject potential matches based on their signs, and astrology is a common conversation topic on first dates. Gossip magazines devote pages to the horoscopes of celebrities. (Blake Lively likes Libras.) One young job applicant in Chongqing reportedly turned down a position because she was a Leo and her would-be boss was a Pisces.
In this astrological version of natural selection, no one has it tougher than Virgos, born between Aug. 23 and Sept. 22. The persecution is mostly playful. This month, Virgos have been taking a ribbing online for the usual sins: They’re picky, they’re spoiled, they’re fussy to the point of being obsessive-compulsive. One meme circulating online had WeChat users posting an array of eight photos—one photo short of a perfect three-by-three square—in order to annoy their Virgo friends. A website urged users to “drive Virgos crazy” by changing their WeChat profile photos so it looked like their friends always had one unread message from them. An informal poll of my Chinese friends confirmed that Virgos get a bad rap. “Virgos are evil through-and-through,” said Xu Yang, 31. (He later added that he was kidding.) “My brother is a Virgo, and we don’t get along well because he’s been spoiled,” said Nancy Wu, age 27. “Then again, Keanu Reeves is a Virgo, so it’s hard to say.”
Right. Who wouldn't hire Keanu Reeves, with his dead-ish eyes and his um, acting skills?
At one time I was a casual studier of astrology, and I recall that there are supposedly many other factors to it than the sun sign. What about the moon sign? What about your placement of Mars and Saturn vis-a-vis the boss's placement? What about your sign in relation to the birth day of the company? Come on, China! You can be more granular in your discrimination! Dig deeper!
And another thing. Wouldn't they be using the Chinese astrology to pick employees? Because that would make sense. People born in the year of the horse? Naaaaaayyyyyy!