Interview Questions for your Prospective Boss

© 1995 by Temple Porter, CMC


Your relationship and communications with your next boss will probably have more to do with your success than any other single job-related factor. You need to know how your boss handles expectations, goals, disagreements, successes, mistakes, priorities, risk, reports, decisions, negotiations, anger, and conflict. Once you know your prospective boss' style, you must compare that with your style-are you compatible?

Your prospective boss' responses to the following questions will tell you a lot. Take notes, not of his/her words alone, but of what comes across to you-anxiety, patience, interest, anger, etc.-from body language, vocal variety, facial expression, and all the other clues you can get.

What is your #1 priority in the next six months? (Get specifics here. "Better than we did last year," isn't specific. "Twelve per cent increase in our glass products market share" is specific.)

What specific results would you expect of me over the next six months? (Again, get as specific as you can. If it can't be measured, there could be a question as to whether you achieved it.)

How would you define a top performer? (Is it realistic, do-able, challenging? Does it fit you?)

How would you plan to measure my productivity? (If there is no such plan, beware of traps; suggest how you would like to be measured, and note his/her response.)

How will I know if my performance displeases you? (Beware the boss who hides his/her displeasure, or glosses over this one.)

How receptive are you to changes, innovations, trying out new ways of doing things? (If the boss has the "Not Invented Here" attitude, expect the challenge in the job to be minimal.)

What level of decisions would you expect me to make? (Get specifics on dollars, resources, authority.)

What should I do if I think you're making a mistake? (Pay real close attention to the response to this one. Egomaniacs expect you to deny or ignore their mistakes.)

How will I know what your decisions are? (What you're really interested in is how involved you will be in the decision-making process, and the response to this one should tell you.)

What is your negotiation period after you make a decision?

How should I approach you in negotiating a decision change? (The response to this one will give you a gauge to the boss' flexibility, reasonableness, and openness to input.)

How can I tell whether something is important to you? (In other words, how can you figure out his/her priorities?)

How often would you want updates on my projects? (The leash should lengthen with time and trust.)

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