Interviewing For Job In Bangkok - Questions

[demerdin]

Hi all,

I have a phone interview with the owners of a company soon and I have some questions.

The company is an American owned company, the Thailand office is franchised. The owners of the franchise are Thai. The director position was last filled by an American, but the rest of the staff is Thai. The position I am applying for is the director position, directly under the owners and the supervisor of everyone else.

I am not going into this blind, I have done a lot of reading and research on Thai culture and Thai business culture. I have read sites on commonly asked questions and what my response should be like. But those are just websites. This is my first forum post.

Please be honest and forthright with any advice/help you can offer:

1. What types of questions should I expect and what would a typical Thai business owner expect as an answer?

2. Am I allowed to offer ideas that are different from the ideas of my older boss?

3. How serious should I be on the phone interview? I was told common jokes, pretend arrogance (well, I'd be great at the job because I AM great), and such do not translate well and should be avoided. Is that true?

That is all for now. I suppose once I read some responses I will be able to respond with more direct questions.

Thanks all,

D

[chiangmaibruce]

My experience with thai interviews is limited and you will get more detailed feedback from others ... but I might as well jump in first ....

1. expect to be asked about your international experience. by this they will mean working outside your home country. they don;t seem to realise that you can still have considerable international experience whilst still working from your country of origin (depending on your jb of course). so unless you have worked in other countries, before then have an answer for that one

2. from your reading you would have seen that personal initiative is not highly valued, making your boss seem imperfect or ignorant even less so. go there at your peril.

3. humour? very rarely transportable across cultures - least of all over the phone in a job interview. don;t even think about going there. conservative is the way to go

good luck

[CWMcMurray]

Of course it all depends upon the owner's attitudes, but I would think that the phone interview with the owner will not be a huge difference from what youy may expect from a phone interview back home.

This is someone owning an american franchise, who most likely is very well educated and has a lot of experience with westerners and western management styles. The fact that he is recruiting an American Manager from overseas just reinforces this opinion.

The culture issues will be more challenging if you get the job. From what I have learned, it is better to come in quitely and spend a bit of time watching, learning and building relationships with your subordinates before making any sweeping changes (this doesn't mean becoming their best buddy).

Give it a couple of months of assessment and then work toimplement changes. If you come in like a bull ready to shake things up, you will most certainly have problems.

If you want to give advice or disagree with your boss, best to do it in private, not in front of everyone. The same should be done with people under you as well.

This is just a rough guideline and like all other stereo types, could be completely incorrect for this specific owner and this specific company...

[Kf6vci]

Use plain English, even if it seems the owners understand you all right. Often, something is not clear and this will be kept secret from you.

Use this opportunity to think of some questions yourself...

Would there be any backseat driving?

Can you speak with the outgoing American?

What is the ownership structure? I have had terrible experiences dealing with owners who mess with every aspect of their business, screaming and yelling etc.

Look before you leap! If this is serious, come out check outeverything!

[think_too_mut]

The owner is talking to an American, no pre-req to be a Thai speaker.

That tells a lot.

[demerdin]

The owner is talking to an American, no pre-req to be a Thai speaker.

That tells a lot.

Thanks everyone! The different opinions make very good sense.

Think_too_mut: I'm not sure I understand what that tells? The organization I am going to work for works with educated Thai's and helps them gain graduate admittance in American MBA and Law programs.

Otherwise, this is a healthy discussion. I will absolutely avoid humor and pretend hubris (which helped me get my current job because my current employer reacts well to *arrogance?*hubris?*cockiness?*).

Best,

D

[think_too_mut]

The owner is talking to an American, no pre-req to be a Thai speaker.

That tells a lot.

Think_too_mut: I'm not sure I understand what that tells? The organization I am going to work for works with educated Thai's and helps them gain graduate admittance in American MBA and Law programs.

It would make more sense if you researched this section, many people asked similar questions about jobs in Thailand.

They were sprayed with replies like:

Do you speak Thai?

Why would anyone employ you if a Thai can do the same job for much lower price?

Why would anyone consider you at all?

You are not getting those, that is what I meant.

[slapout]

A telephone interview??? more than likely a first step to bringing you over for a personal interview. The company should have already contacted your references, past employers etc so it could be they want to hear you speak English as well as seeing if there is any communication problems between you and them. I would make a list of questions to ask if the chance should arise, such as work permit, why position is open etc. Granted my experience is very small as only once was I involved in a telephone interview. The questions being asked about action in situations were so non defining and the person asking was a director who the position would report too, that I turned the contract down. Good luck on your quest

[think_too_mut]

A telephone interview??? more than likely a first step to bringing you over for a personal interview. The company should have already contacted

your references, past employers etc

No. That comes later, when candidates are shortlisted to 2-3.