11/23/2015

Change your boss, Change your life!

If you have a serious disdain for your job, it's most likely related to your dislike for you boss than for
the job itself. Millions of people find themselves hating their jobs and for the most part they cannot really pinpoint why they became disengaged in the first place. If this is you then it may not be the job but your boss who is the problem. There's no secret that the people we work with daily can actually make or break our on the job happiness and if your boss sucks then it's kind of hard to justify spending 8+ hours with that person let alone being scrutinized by that person. So if you're in the market to change jobs or interviewing, make sure you make it a priority to find out as much as you can about your potential supervisor. Your boss really does impact your mood and should be an ally to you. They should be your biggest supporter and you shouldn't ever feel like you're in competition with your boss. Your potential for growth is highly correlated with your managers ability to lead therefore it's critical to make sure that you not only consider compensation but also gauge if your manager will be aligned with your goals. If you happen to be in the interviewing process now is the time to make sure that you use the interview to find out little things about your potential boss and take notice if they seem on edge or if the initial chemistry is off. There are red flags to consider during an interview but they're subtle so you need to be looking for them.


During your interview, ask why the position is open and try to ask  questions about the last employee who served in the open position. Take notice if they say the person has been promoted or if the person left and even try to ask how long the person was in their previous role. This is a huge indicator as to their own personal management style. If you're able to speak to the H.R. rep prior to interviewing then you can also ask them to get a bit of insight. 

If the interviewing potential boss doesn't really allow you to do much talking then this is also a red flag. A large responsibility of a good boss is having listening skills and listening to what you say during the interview should take up the most time. They should be listening to see if you are qualified for the fill the duties adequately and listening to see how knowledgeable you are at what you did or currently do. 

There is a distinct difference between a boss and a leader and what you should be looking for is a leader. Someone who looks to lead you to the next level while you contribute to the collective success of the department.