Four Tips on Interviewing Your Next Boss

After weeks and months of networking and sending our resumes, you have finally landed a job interview. It is in the industry you love at a level higher than your last position. They pay is great with a few extra perks thrown in. Sounds ideal, doesn’t it. Not so fast. When you are being interviewed, you should also be conducting an interview of your own. The person who is sitting across the interview desk or table will be your next boss. Do they measure up to your requirements for the perfect job and perfect manager? Are they someone you will feel comfortable interacting with? Here are four things to consider when interviewing your next boss.

1. The age factor. Are you comfortable working for someone who is younger than you? What about someone who is around your same age, or from another generation completely? Most new employees leave a job because of wrong “fit.” You will be working for and interacting with this person on a daily basis, and communicating by email, text and phone. If you don’t like being called “Dude” or “Young Lady” by your boss, you may find it better to take a pass on this one.
2. The gender factor. We know that men and women are supposed to be equal and treated equally in the workplace, but there are some people who prefer to work for a man as opposed to a woman, and vice versa. You may have had some bad experiences in the past or just feel you do a better job and are more focused working for one or the other. Work success has a lot to do with the ability to build solid working relationships, and if your gut tells you that this prospective boss is not a good match, best to listen carefully.
3. Annoying habits. At the lunch interview, your prospective boss spends the last half hour picking his teeth with a paper clip. Or she goes on and on about her miserable boss or the poor financial condition of the company. If your prospective boss constantly takes phone calls and text messages during the interview, you can bet it will be difficult to command his attention or time once you’re hired. Constantly cracking jokes. Gazing off in the distance, or checking out everyone else in the room are signs that she is disrespectful or on a huge ego trip, looking for someone more important than you. Instead of making excuses, carefully consider how you would handle these annoying habits on a daily basis.
4. Rapport. How easy is it to talk with this person? Can you tell they are really listening to you by the insightful follow-on questions and comments? Are they open, sharing a little of themselves? Are they positive and encouraging about your qualifications? Do they exhibit traits of a leader? Are they specific and knowledgeable? Are they clear about expectations and what it takes to be a successful candidate and employee?

The money, title and job description may be great, but if at the end of the interview you can’t answer these four points positively, this may not be the career choice for you. Finding a job may be tough, but keeping a job that isn’t right for you can make each day even tougher.

Mary Nestor-Harper, SPHR, is a workplace consultant, blogger, motivational speaker and freelance writer for BusinessWorkForce.com. Based in Savannah, GA, her work has appeared in Training magazine, Training & Development magazine, Supervision, BiS Magazine and The Savannah Morning News. When she’s not writing, she enjoys singing Alto II with the Savannah Philharmonic Chorus and creating original gift items available on http://www.etsy.spoolhardy.com/. You can read more of her blogs at businessworkforceblog.com and view additional job postings on Nexxt.