Signed but not sealed - China

3 February 2012 - In Shanghai, in the early 1990s, it wasn’t easy to find personnel accustomed to our German work attitudes. So I was very pleased when Heinrich, a ‘local’ German, applied. He was married to a Chinese woman and had lived in Shanghai for years.

He seemed to be just the ticket and he had a good résumé, stating among other things that he had gained years of experience working for a notable German multinational. Although... it was a bit strange that his reference letter had been written by a member of the Board of Directors, which was unusual, considering Heinrich’s lowly position in the company.

Heinrich took up his new position only to demonstrate that he was completely unsuitable for the job. So how was it possible that the member of the Board of Directors had been so enthusiastic about him? When I reread his letter of recommendation I noticed an extraordinary typing error, one that I had recently seen in one of the faxes Heinrich had sent out. On closer examination, it turned out that Heinrich had indeed worked for the multinational, but never in the position stated in his résumé. He had been fired and had definitely not been given any references. So how did he get that letter with a signature so closely  resembling that of the member of the Board of Directors? The answer was readily available. As a member of the Works Council, Heinrich had read many letters containing the BoD member’s signature. And practice makes perfect, so...