Looking for a Good Boss

A Guide for Young People
The boss you work for is going to have a significant impact on your work experience and the development you will enjoy in a role.

Use the job interview to find out the information you need to make an assessment of whether the manager will be active in your development. Make sure the interview is not just an assessment of you.

What do you look for in a prospective boss when you are considering a job?

Here is a checklist to help you cut through any rhetoric and get to the truth of how a manager is likely to treat you when you start working for them. The manager is likely to treat you similarly to how they have treated others. So, the idea is to seek information that gives you a picture of how they have supported other people who have worked for them.

Ask the following types of questions to gain the useful information you need to make an informed decision about the boss you might be working for.

1. I'm really interested to hear about the young people who have worked with you over the last couple of years. Can you tell me about them, and where are they now?

2. Can you tell me about their development?

3. What work assignments have young people had in their first six months of work?

4. What development and training experiences have your young people had over the last year?

5. Do you have a graduate development program? What is your role in that program?

6. Have you ever had a staff opinion survey? What were the results?

7. Do you mind if I talk to young people on your team about the development they have had and what sort of experience I am likely to get here?

Below we have examples of "good" and "bad" answers a manager might give to these questions.

The key thing about the discussion that these questions generate is that the manager can not avoid giving useful information. Even if the manager answering the questions is evasive, then that's providing you good information in itself!

You might be thinking that the questions are a bit too direct for a young person to ask in an interview, and that you don't want to "turn the interviewer off" in the interview. The way around this is to ask them in a relaxed fashion, and to frame the question in a conversational tone. For example, you might preface the question with, "I'm really keen on the development opportunities I might have here. Can you tell me about the development others have had?

To get comfortable with these questions, practice with a friend or family member beforehand.

Here are examples of good or bad answers to your questions. Both types of answers provide insightful information - you will have a pretty good idea of what the experience will be like working for this manager. At least then you have information to make a considered view about whether you want this job working for this manager.
 

"Sure! Let me see. I have had four young people working for me over the last few years. Two of them, Angela and Peter, are still with us on the team. They have moved from being mentored in the role to now undertaking projects on their own. One person, Jill, accepted a promotion to another department, and one recently left to join another company where he was given a really good role."

Note : this answer is desired as the manager has provided specific information on specific individuals that allows you to picture what's happened.

"Mmmm. Let me think. I've had four, no, three young people working for me the last few years. What I have found is that they were too impatient for promotion. You really need to be patient in learning the basics of the role. Then things can come your way."

You ask: "So are the three people still here?

Answer: "One is. The others have left."

Note : this answer is undesirable in that it is vague and not a desired outcome. You get the feeling that the manager is not very active in ensuring a positive workplace experience.
 

Desired Answer

"We did a staff survey six months ago. I'm not sure where I filed the results. But from recollection, the results were okay. People across the firm are pretty concerned about the same thing...mainly communication and pay."

Note : The answer is not specific, and also related to the overall company rather than the team's results. Also, not knowing where the results are filed may mean that the manager does not treat them as a priority, or it could mean that the manager did not want to show the results. Or it could mean that the results are filed with the Human Resources department and genuinely the manager would not be expected to have them on-hand. No conclusion can be drawn from the information given on this point.