You will spend more time with your colleagues and your boss than your family. Having a strained relationship with your boss can cause a significant amount of stress and even lead you to make decisions you would never normally make. Having a bad boss can take on a number of different faces and might not be as recognizable as having them scream at you in the office! The failure to consistently dismiss your ideas, take their personal anger out on your or simply ignore you in the office can all be signs of a poor boss and make you want to find a new job.
If this is the case the worst thing that could happen is to find a new role and discover that your new boss is just as bad! Remember that when you attend an interview about a potential job you are, to a certain extent, interview the hiring manager as well. This is the perfect opportunity to discover more about the boss and what sort of leader they are.
If you want a boss who makes time for you and listens to your opinions then being interviewed by someone who checks their emails or smartphones during the interview and be a big indication that you might find yourself struggling to make your thoughts heard once you are in the role.
You might want to have a discussion with the interviewer about why to current role is available. Has the previous employee been let go or left and why? Vague responses such as the person was a bad fit or not a cultural fit could mean that the company does not place much emphasis on training or even that the employee would not bow done to the manager’s methods. You could ask question how long the manager has been at the company and what made them join. If they have come from a larger corporate company into a smaller venture they might still be stuck in a management style that is better suit to companies with a high number of staff.
If you are going for a role that you are very interested in and happy to go the extra mile for then doing a bit of research beforehand on the internet would be a great idea and could give you an advantage in the interview. Have a look on LinkedIn and see if any current or former employees have recommended the manager and if possible try connecting to someone who has previously worked for them and pick their brains. People will spend a long time showing that they are suitable for the company and why they should be hired but remember to make sure that it is a two way street and get the potential employer to explain why you should join and what the company culture is like.
Remember if you enjoy you job and don’t want to leave but your current boss is making life unbearable then there are a number of steps you can take to resolve this issue. Have a relaxed open conversation with your boss or suggest that perhaps it would be better if you reported into another manager/supervisor or approach someone higher up the company, possible within your employer’s human resources department. None of these tactics can guarantee any success and the best way to avoid the situation is to make sure you never work for someone like it in the first place.
