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I don't agree with specifically asking them about their personality (hopefully you've gained some insight about that during the interview), but I absolutely agree that's it is ok to ask a potential manager about their specific management style.
Agreed. While you may wind up with someone else as your manager, I think their answer gives a good insight into the office culture. I hate working for / with anyone who has a tendency to overly micro-manage. If I got that sense from a potential manager in an interview, it would factor into whether I would accept a position at that company, should an offer be made.
I always ask that question when I interview. I pay attention to what they say and what they don't say. It's important to understand a manager's style BEFORE working for him/her.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Quote:
Originally Posted by spencgr
As a hiring manager, I welcome questions. And if you don't ask any, I don't think you are really passionate about this particular job; you just want any job. That may be the case, but I'm going to hire the person who really wants to make sure this is a great fit for them as well as the company.
I agree, when I ask at the end if the applicant has any questions the response can make a big difference
in who I hire if 2-3 are pretty close otherwise. I would not suggest starting out with that question, though.
It comes off as smug, and over-confident. I would suggest asking questions about the company culture, work environment, how the staff gets along with each other and with other departments they work with. You can learn a lot about the manager from answers to those kind of questions without looking like you are trying to turn the tables and interview him/her, and you will be demonstrating real interest in working there and fitting in.
Agreed. While you may wind up with someone else as your manager, I think their answer gives a good insight into the office culture. I hate working for / with anyone who has a tendency to overly micro-manage. If I got that sense from a potential manager in an interview, it would factor into whether I would accept a position at that company, should an offer be made.
You may hate working with a micro-manager but often people are micromanaged for a reason. As an employer, I hate employees whose hand you have to hold because he or she can't anticipate needs and you have to literally provide them with a set of instructions because they can't think for themselves or anticipate doing something unless they are strictly told to do so.
If you want to be a good employee and rise up the corporate ladder, anticipate needs, don't react to them.
It's supply and demand. If you are someone whose services are in demand and have several options in terms of employment, you can ask questions like this. I think it's a perfectly legitimate question provided you ask it in the proper way.
You can ask it like this "What is your managerial style and what are your expectations of employees. I ask this question because I've worked with many different styles of management and learn that you can fulfill expectations and provide more efficiency when you understand how your supervisor likes to approach a project"
Obviously, if the person is a hard-#@, he or she is not going to reveal that and state "Yes, I micromanage employees and can be a real pain to work with" They won't say that but you can gather clues they are that way because they won't do the opposite and volunteer information. Good managers who treat their employees fairly wil often publish that they don't micromanage and prefer to give employees room to complete tasks. The micromanager will often not provide a detailed response or give a shallow or superficial response that doesn't answer anything.
In general, when interviewing and assessing a job, rely on your instincts. If your "spider sense" goes off, it's usually right. Remember, a company will provide its best impression during the interview and it only gets worse from there. So if you get bad vibes at an interview, it's not going to get any better from there.
But of course, this is for someone in demand. For those who just need work and don't have the clout to write their own ticket, you shouldn't ask those questions for fear that the employer might think you are high maintenance and is seeking to be coddled.
Totally agree with this post. It is all about supply and demand. If you bring skills to the table that are hard to find, you have flexibility and more leverage. After reading through different threads on here, that is something I think people have a hard time understanding....supply and demand. Seems a lot of people think they deserve to be paid a great salary or wage just for showing up. You have to bring something to the table and show you are an asset if you want leverage. A blue collar unskilled person couldn`t ask this question because the manager probably isn`t that skilled or professional and would probably take offense to it. Of course, an unskilled person probably wouldn`t think or care to ask such a question. But I think it is a great question to ask for any professional position.
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