Many applicants forget that job interviews are also an opportunity to learn more about your potential managers.
After all, a great working relationship with your new boss significantly affects your productivity and motivation to work. Poor managers are one of the main reasons employees leave their jobs.
So, how do you determine whether your potential boss possesses effective leadership traits -and is the right fit for you?
That said, here are some questions you should ask to spot a good or bad manager during your interview.
“What Are the Opportunities for Advancement Within Your Team?”
One main reason employees remain in a company is for career development opportunities.
Thus, this should be one of the first questions you must ask your potential manager to spot whether they’re good or bad. Asking this helps you learn more about the company’s culture and whether it’ll help you with your career growth.
Good managers provide clear paths for potential advancement, skill development, and growth within their team.
They should also be able to share stories of team members receiving recognition and promotions for their contributions as concrete examples.
In contrast, bad managers provide vague responses to this question or even avoid answering it altogether.
They may also deflect discussing feedback and performance evaluations, which shows that the company is indifferent to or unable to effectively support employee development.
“How Do You Balance Meeting Your KPIs With Preserving Your Team’s Well-Being?”
This next question aims to determine your potential manager’s leadership style and the company’s attitude toward achieving its goals.
Part of a manager’s responsibilities is setting Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to achieve their team goals. However, these shouldn’t come at the expense of their employees’ physical and mental health, which leads to burnout.
Good managers understand this and will discuss their strategies to maintain both a healthy work-life balance and high levels of productivity in the long run.
On the other hand, bad managers are inflexible about adhering to KPIs and don’t offer support mechanisms to struggling team members. These are often the telltale signs of a toxic work environment too.
“Can You Tell Me About a Time When One of Your Team Members Gave You a Suggestion on How to Improve a Process?”
Knowing how your potential manager handles feedback and suggestions goes a long way in determining whether you can work well with them or not.
A good manager encourages collaboration in decision-making, allowing subordinates to freely propose ideas and solutions to current problems.
Aside from listening to their input, they strive to implement suggestions that could really help things along.
“How Often Do You Check in With Your Team Individually and/or as a Group?”
Some of the most common challenges to working online jobs are the sense of isolation from your co-workers and the difficulty of making sure everyone remains productive.
Fortunately, regular check-ins with your manager help re-establish a sense of connection and communication within the team.
Thus, another good question to ask your potential manager is how often they do this, either to individuals or to the whole team.
Do they provide a regular schedule for check-ins? Do they make use of these to monitor performance and better understand their subordinates and needs?
If so, you’re looking at a manager who values healthy workplace communication patterns and is likely to be supportive of their remote team.
If not? It could be a sign that they lack engagement with their team, which could lead to communication gaps.
“What Will I Be Expected to Accomplish Within My First Six Months?”
Knowing your potential manager’s expectations early on gives you a clue about their leadership style -and how they’ll evaluate your performance.
Good managers will have clear and realistic milestones set for you. It should also be clear how these help achieve the company’s broader goals.
They should also mention providing the necessary tools, training, and regular feedback to help you accomplish these goals.
Bad managers aren’t very clear about their expectations or may have unrealistic ones, showing a lack of understanding of the role in question.
“How Would Your Employees Describe Your Leadership Style?”
This is one of the most common questions used to spot a good manager from a bad one, as assesses their self-awareness.
Do they sound genuine and realistic when they answer this question? Do the examples they mentioned match their declared leadership style?
Good managers aren’t afraid to highlight their areas of improvement while emphasizing their commitment to their team’s growth and well-being.
In contrast, bad managers often focus on themselves or are evasive when asked to go into detail about their leadership style.
A Great Work Experience Starts With the Right Manager
Aside from finding the correct work from home job, you also need to find the right manager to have a successful career. After all, you’ll spend most of your time with them.
Fortunately, the aforementioned questions will help you spot whether your potential manager is good or bad.
So, ready to start searching for an online job? Remote Staff can help make your search a whole lot easier.
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