China firm links hiring to applicants’ zodiac sign

To quote from a news report:

The hiring strategy of a company in China has gone viral after it explicitly banned candidates born in the Year of the Dog.

Those behind the employment policy believed that applicants born under the canine Chinese zodiac sign would bring bad luck to the boss of the firm who is a dragon.

China has 12 zodiac signs, each assigned to a year in a repeating 12-year cycle.

The belief is that two signs positioned opposite each other on the cycle are in conflict, such as the dragon and dog.

The company, Sanxing Transportation based in southern China’s Guangdong province, wanted to hire a clerk for a monthly salary of 3,000 to 4,000 yuan (US$420 - US$550), half the average salary in the province.

In its job description it specifically asked candidates born under the dog sign of the zodiac to “not apply for the job”.