Dear Joan:
I have been in my current job as an entry level manager for one year. Shortly after starting with the organization, it became clear to me the job that had been described to me during the interview process was not the job I was doing (i.e. a bait-n-switch).
My position is newly created and promised to be an opportunity for me to utilize my education, skills and experience in a way I had not been able to in previous jobs. The interviewer and I had great rapport in the first interview and seemed to click. I thought to myself, this is it! My manager shared with me after I started, that she was ecstatic about me as a candidate, after my first interview.
Shortly after beginning, things began to go awry. First, my manager turned out to be a micro-manager, which has caused ongoing frustration and friction between us. By her own admission, she is aware of her management style, and stated "I should not take it personally because that is just how she is." Second, I discovered there is little chance for advancement within the organization. Thus, my work experience has been very disappointing and unfulfilling, to say the least.
My question is how can I prevent such an ill fit in my next job? (Yes, I am actively looking for a new job.) What are some of the right questions to ask during the interviewing process to assess if a job is/will be the right fit? This is not a situation I want to repeat. It is my true desire to be at my next job for the long term.
Answer:
How disappointing. The good news is that you have broken into the ranks of management and you have a year of experience under your belt. That should make job hunting a little easier, since you can put “manager” on your resume.
Interviews are such beauty contests. You can only judge the outside of a person through an hour or so of dialogue. It rarely provides the best measure of a job fit. As you suggest with your own situation, what can seem like great rapport and a good growth opportunity, can fall flat in reality. It’s a simple fact of life that interviewers tend to oversell themselves and their opportunity, while interviewees tend to overstate their qualifications.
So, how do you overcome that natural dynamic? First, ask to talk to other people in the organization. If the employer has nothing to hide, he or she will be happy to connect you to potential peers and employees. In fact, many companies today make peer interviews a regular part of the interview process, especially for management jobs.
Secondly, be more thorough in the questions you ask during your interviews. For example:
- How would your current employees describe your management style?
- How frequently do you meet with members of your staff (both in meetings and one-on-one)?
- Could you describe how you delegate?
- What measures would you use to determine if I were successful in the first six months? First year?
- What advancement opportunities have others experienced who worked for you?
- How long have people on your staff been in their current jobs?
- What is the turnover in your area?
- Is there tuition refund in your organization?
Sometimes interviewees are reluctant to ask questions during an interview, fearing that they will seem forward or out of place. Quite the contrary, a smart interviewer knows that a candidate who asks good questions is just as concerned about job fit as the employer. That is also a sign that the candidate can afford to be discriminating about where he or she works. As long as the candidate is pleasant and doesn’t sound too pushy, it is a plus.
If you are actively networking while you hunt for a job, you also have an advantage. You will be able to call on some of the people in your network to find out about the company as a place to work. And if you know someone on the inside of the company, you can also get the scoop on the hiring manager.
Because you were burned this time, it will make you a better shopper the next time around.
