Although a study in 2010 indicated most Brits found their other halves more stressful than their bosses at work (58% vs 43%[1] ), the workplace graveyard is full of corpses of those who were unable to spot a boss from hell on their best behaviour at the job interview.
The recent economic downturn has put even more pressure on jobseekers to turn a blind eye to prospective problems – especially if they have been out of work for a period.
While hopeful double glazing salesmen may have worked out that 'Wagner' of X Factor notoriety would hardly have offered idea personal development opportunities,[2] most problems tend to emerge long after the ink is dry on the employment contract.
Tell-tale signs
Pricilla Claman, president of Career Strategies, an American career coaching consultancy, posted a thoughtful comment on the Harvard Business Review blog entitled 'Choose your boss wisely'.[3]
She advises jobseekers to make full use of the opportunity to ask questions:
"Even before the Q&A section of the interview, look for repeated patterns of unconscious behaviour. This will help you predict future behaviour. Notice how the interviewer is saying things, not just what he is saying. Does he spend a lot of time talking about himself? Does he often use the word 'I,' and never use 'we'to describe his department? You can expect that manager to be pretty self-focused. Or, does the manager talk about 'the team'and compliment or refer to others on the team? If you are a team-oriented person, you probably will have an easier time working for the second manager, regardless of what the job is.
Listen carefully during the interview. Does the manager grill you? Challenge your answers? Not let you get a word in edgewise? You can expect that to continue on the job. Or, does the manager welcome you? Show you around? Give you a chance to present yourself? You can expect that in the future, too."
Spot the dog
A rather more lighthearted approach is to compare patterns of behaviour to animals, something Nancy LaFever started doing in her blogpost: 'What breed of dog is your boss'?[4]
"Does your boss get hold of an idea and never let it go? Imagine him as a member of the terrier group, running around with a toy in his mouth, violently shaking it side to side. Terriers are also great at rooting things out of holes or hiding places."
Here at The People Bulletin, some of us are rather partial to a particular Pyrenean mountain dog who calls in from time to time to see how we are all getting on... Once he gets hold of something he never lets go.
[1] www.newscenter.philips.com/main/standard/news/press/2010/20101111_global_index_hwb.wpd
[2] www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/tv/x-factor/2010/11/13/x-factor-s-wagner-a-boss-from-hell-say-former-employees-115875-22713393/
[3] http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/04/choose_your_boss_wisely.html
[4] www.jobacle.com/blog/what-breed-of-dog-is-your-boss.html