Bangkok companies will never come out and say, “This is a really lousy job and we pay virtually nothing” yet there are certain words used in job descriptions that should signal to you that you may be looking at a position to avoid.  So what are some of the common phrases and words used by human resource professionals to make a terrible job look more appealing?

If you see a job description using the word “entrepreneurial”, you can usually anticipate the position has little if any guaranteed base salary.  Basically, the company wants you to go to work for them for free yet if you are able to generate some sales the company is willing to offer you a certain percentage of the profit.  Another phrase used interchangeably with entrepreneurial is “hunter mentality” which means you don’t eat if you don’t produce.  Some other words and phrases used to describe low-paying jobs in Bangkok:

  • self-driven
  • “Can do attitude”
  • hungry
  • highly motivated
  • “driven by results”

Unfortunately, there are too many unethical employers in Bangkok who will promise well-intentioned professionals opportunities to make lots of money through false claims.  So just use common sense when applying and interviewing for jobs.  As an example, if a hiring manager tells you the sales people are making significant sums of money yet they are all dressed rather modestly and nobody has a nice car, trust me when I tell you that the sales people in that organization are not making lots of money.