1. First impressions matter
When you meet your interviewer, the first thing they’ll notice is your greeting, presentation (including dress code) and body language, so make sure you make a positive impact. Be confident, polite and most important of all, be punctual.
2. Dress for success
It...
Case Study 1: Leap of Faith
Four years ago when Peter Thaveepolcharoen, 27, quit a B100,000 a month job to start a new, untested business, everything was uncertain. Today, his donut brand, Daddy Dough, brings in annual sales of B80 million a year.
Did you already have a background in food?
Well, my...
Thai Silk Factory Worker
Pay: Minimum wage (B203/day)
Working hours: 8am-6pm
Who did it: Gregoire Glachant
Real job: Managing Editor at BK Magazine
When they picked me up at On Nut, I figured the factory was in the neighborhood. Well, isn’t everything a five-minute walk from a BTS station? I...
What do fourth-year university students, managers facing a mid-life crisis (at age 28), disgruntled employees and creative minds with unused potential have in common? They’re probably all job hunting, figuring out what they want to do with their lives or thinking about a career switch. Here...
ROLLING WITH THE PUNCHES
Pariyakorn Ratanasuban
Boxing promoter
Every Saturday, hordes of fans crowd into Bangkok Boxing Stadium to see muay thai fighters unleash a flurry of fists, elbows, feet and knees onto each other. The promoter of this traditionally male stronghold is Pariyakorn Ratanasuban...
The numbers are in. Thai salaries will rise by 4.7 percent next year. Regionally, that’s pretty average—far below India (13.7 percent) but still better than Malaysia (3.4 percent). It can be tricky to ask people how much they earn. Many don’t feel entirely comfortable asking what...
How did you get into this field?
Well actually, I was looking for a job via Manpower. I was sent out to three or four companies and they all rejected me saying I was overqualified. Then I interviewed for a research position at Manpower and got the job.
So do you ever get some really big weirdos?
Uh...
Wake up, work, eat and take naps on your own schedule. Oh, and absolutely and positively no ass kissing when it comes to office politics. Wouldn’t that be the life? Everyone dreams of being an entrepreneur, but few envision the reality of working on their own. The first hurdle is figuring out...
Chet, taxi driver
Who are the worst passengers?
The impolite ones. For example, recently I stopped for a group of young girls who asked me, “Ja pai mai?” Why couldn’t they just say, “Pai mai ka?”? They sounded like they didn’t care whether I gave them a lift or...
Sometimes it seems as if we’re surrounded by service that, as our former premier famously said of Thai Airways, sucks. Moronic waiters, bitchy flight attendants, sluggish tellers, corrupt cops, psychopathic taxi drivers—every one of us can come up with a long list of horror stories,...
