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Looking for a job is like dating. After a date (job interview) or two, three, or four (or twelve), you still only have a rudimentary understanding of who the person (company) truly is. It’s a front-facing, window shopping ritual and you can’t see the whole picture. You can’t be sure what you’re going to end up with.
It’s not until you move in together that you know whether or not the match is going to work long-term. The primary differences between a marriage between individuals and a marriage to a job are that 1) you will spend more time at work than with your spouse, and 2) you’re not really married to your job. You’re married to your boss.
Your business cards and paycheck may be embossed with your company’s name, but on a day-to-day basis you don’t report to your “company”. You report to your manager, and therein lies an overlooked vital component of how happy you will ultimately be in a job. A top reason for professionals leaving their jobs is an unsatisfactory relationship with their managers.
While far from foolproof, there are ways to gauge what life with your manager will be like at every phase of a job search – interviewing, observation days (if applicable, but still valuable information for everyone), and during the early days of a new job.
Interviewing:
Time to hit LinkedIn, or any other resources at your disposal, to determine who the hiring manager is for the job you want and to whom you would most likely report. It may be the same person. It may not. Do your research. Learn what you can about the people behind the job listing.
If you’re heading into an interview, tap your network to tap their network and see if you can get some first-hand information from current or former employees, or people who have worked with your most likely manager at any point. Ask around to see what their professional reputation is.
Wondering what to say at a job interview when asked, “Do you have any questions for us?” Ask probing questions about staff hierarchy, and departmental and company-wide mobility. Is there a transparent and clear roadmap for advancement and promotion? The answers to these types of questions may give you a deeper understanding of the manager’s style. A supportive, servant-leader manager will mentor their workers and guide them toward their career goals. Other managers are a dead end.
Observation Days:
If you are invited to participate in an observation day, or work day, where you spend the day at a company to get insight into what it would be like to work there, prior to accepting a position, take advantage of this time. Get a sense of the vibes you get from your manager. Cordial? Abrasive? Demanding? Just a jerk? Try and get a read on their personality.
Take special note of how the manager interacts with the other workers. Open? Defensive? With whom do they have a rapport? Why? You can’t know a person in a day, but if you’re given this opportunity, you should definitely extract what you can.
For students, internships, which are essentially long observation days, should provide you with all you need to know about a particular company and field of work. Many people have positive internship experiences and end up working for that company post-graduation. If you do an internship, the same considerations apply. Take the time to absorb the way the manager runs things. If you wish to assume positions of leadership in the future, take note of what motivates people versus what brings them down.
The Early Days of a New Job (Yes, You Took Your Chances):
As you’re talking to your manager, try and get a sense of their managing philosophy. If you feel they are open to it, ask point blank about their expectations. Can they clearly articulate what their vision is? That is the most direct approach.
Listen to what your co-workers say. An indirect approach to be sure, but traditional and effective. Great managers don’t get a lot of press, but if your manager is an overbearing nut job who calls people ten times a day when they’re on vacation then chances are you’re going to hear about it. If your peers openly and honestly praise your manager take special note. That is hard-earned.
If you’re a month into a new job and everything seems to be going okay, then suddenly your manager has an epic freak-out over nothing, what do you do? Find the workaround, if there is one. Is it fair? No. Quit or tap into however and whoever is the escape route.
Philip Roufail contributed to this article.
Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, career coaching services, and outplacement services. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.
