How important are the HSK 汉语水平考试 exams for non-Chinese who want to demonstrate their Chinese language proficiency to employers?

I passed HSK5 in Wuhan a few years ago, but I did not find it very useful. What many employers are looking for is proficiency in Chinese “culture” i.e. understanding how China works. HSK does not test that. In my experience, validation by a Chinese person or some “China specialist” is what employers will rely on.

This text was originally published in quora.