At
any job, the single most important relationship you’ll have is with your manager. This is the person who will fight for you to be promoted or receive a raise, or decide you’re just not working out. They can make your life miserable, or they can elevate you toward your goals.
A job interview is an opportunity not only to prove to a potential manager why you should be hired but also to get a sense of what it would be like to work for them. There are plenty of great resources on how to interview someone coming onto your team, but not so much for how to interview someone whose team you may be joining. So as someone interested in improving relationships within organizations, I’ve come up with a list of questions to ask your next manager. Note: If a hiring department has no intention of introducing you to your potential manager during the interview process, this should raise an alarm. Hiring is a two-way decision and you should be able to feel good about entering a relationship before taking the plunge.
Also, if you’re a manager yourself, think about how you might answer these questions. If you don’t have strong answers, you probably have work to do in supporting and developing your team members effectively.
First, some questions to ask yourself during an interview
Keep these in mind throughout your conversation.
- Does the manager show interest in what motivates you? If your future manager is only interested in what you can offer their team rather than what you will get out of the position, then your relationship may be very one-sided.
- Do they speak well of their team? Good managers are excited about the success and growth of the people they work with.
- Do they back up their claims with concrete examples? Just as we “show, don’t tell” in our writing, your new manager should show you why they’re honest, supportive, or moral by offering real stories, rather than simply telling you to trust them.
Questions to ask your next manager
You might not have time or feel comfortable asking all of these questions, but choose the ones that would benefit you most.
- What does success look like for you? This is an opportunity for them to show whether they have a clear definition of success for their team. If they don’t, you won’t, either.
- How do you spend your time every week? Is this person in meetings all the time? If so, then they may be someone who values busyness over getting things done. Find out how much time is spent running the business versus developing the business and its people.
- How will I know our relationship is healthy? What do they need from you? Will you have regular catch-up sessions? Will they provide actionable feedback?
- What was the best feedback you ever gave someone on your team? This will tell you how — or whether — they support the growth of their team members.
- Tell me about the last time you disagreed with your boss. Is this a “yes” person? If so, do you really expect them to have your back?
- Tell me about the last person who changed your mind about something. This will let you know if they handle difficult feedback constructively.
- Tell me about a time someone complained about a person on your team. How do they handle misalignment? Do they bring people together or take sides?
- How are you supporting diversity and inclusion in your organization? Is the manager trying to build an inclusive team? Are they working to create an environment where everyone can succeed? With this question, you’re also asking: How safe an environment will this be?
- How long do you intend to stay in this job? What’s next? Good managers know their job is to make themselves replaceable. They’ll have an idea about what their succession plan looks like. If they don’t, your own development may be blocked.
Remember, the relationship you have with your manager is perhaps the most important factor in determining what you get out of a job. Hopefully, these questions will help you investigate that relationship before you jump in.