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It is certainly not at all uncommon during the typical employment
interview to be asked about your relationship with your boss.
Answers to these questions provide the employer with insight
about your interpersonal effectiveness as well as the kind of
boss for whom you prefer working.
The following are examples of questions you are likely to be
asked on this subject during the course of your employment interview:
- Who was the best boss you ever had? Why?
- What were some of this boss's key traits and characteristics?
- What effect did these have on you? Why?
- Describe your current boss.
- What do you most like about him or her? Why? What do you
least like about him or her? Why?
- How would you describe your relationship with your current
boss?
- In what areas do you most agree? Why?
- In what areas do you disagree? Why?
- If there was something you could change about your boss,
what would it be? Why?
- What aspect of your boss's management style is most motivating?
Why?
- What aspects of your boss's management style do you find
demotivating? Why?
- How would you categorize your "ideal boss"?
- Describe his or her management philosophy.
- Describe his or her management style.
- Why do you prefer this style and philosophy?
- How would you categorize the "worst boss" you
could have?
- Describe his or her management philosophy.
- Describe his or her management style.
- In what ways would this profile be detrimental to you?
- What would be demotivational about this style?
- How would you characterize the traits and attributes of
a good boss? Why are these important?
- How would you characterize the traits and attributes of
a poor boss?
- What type of boss would you find motivating and stimulating?
Why?
- What type of boss would you find demotivating and unstimulating?
Why?
- Describe your relationship with your last boss.
- What did you most like about this boss? Why?
- What did you least like about this boss? Why?
The Classic Answers
The following are offered as examples
of effective ways to answer many of the interview questions
you may encounter concerning relationships with your boss:
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1. "I have always had a good relationship with my boss, so
I find it difficult to pick the boss I liked least. If
I had to make a choice, however, I would have to pick
Watt Meyers. Watt's a great guy and really means well,
but sometimes he doesn't always think before he talks.
As a result, he did not have a good relationship with
his boss, Jim Dawson, our director of marketing. Consequently,
we all tended to suffer a bit, especially at budget time,
when Jim would make it a point to be particularly tough
on Walt. Sometimes we would get arbitrary budget cuts
of as much as 30 percent, which deprived us of the support
we needed to get the job done well. Although I certainly
got along well with Walt, I can honestly say I was glad
when he elected to take early retirement. Our relationship
with Jim Dawson improved quite a bit at that point."
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2. "Although I am quite flexible and have worked very successfully
for several bosses who have had very different styles,
I prefer working for someone who is demanding of high
performance, and who is open and fair in his or her management
style. I prefer working for someone who is supportive,
but will push me to my full capability and challenge me
to continually grow and learn. I think being stretched
in this way is the only way you learn and grow rapidly.
I enjoy this kind of challenge and stimulation."
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3. "Although my relationship with my boss, Jane, has been
a very good one, I suppose the one area in which we have
a minor difference in viewpoint is concerning the best
way to implement our new Total Quality Program. I would
much prefer to start by getting buy-in at the top of the
business, and then cascade the effort downward. Jane would
rather start with the hourly operating personnel, build
some successes, and then push things up from below.
Both positions have their pluses and minuses, and we
have had some spirited debate on the best approach. I
recently agreed to do it Jane's way, and am quite willing
to give it an honest try. She has made some good points,
and perhaps it may work out well. In the meantime, we
still continue to have a good working relation- ship and
mutual respect for one another."
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