What will decide whether or not you’ll get the job you’ve always dreamed of?

We all know how life-altering and important finding your perfect job is. Even if there’s not one certain recipe for success, there are factors that may help you achieve greater success.

Sure, your level of education and your skills are also major factors that will help you to advance further in your dream career field. But sadly, they aren’t always the factors that will determine whether or not you’ll get a certain job.

That’s where job interviews come into play.

Even if you provide a company with all of the information about you on paper, they will still most likely organize a face-to-face job interview.

Job interviews can often be an unpleasant experience. During job interviews, you can face many tricky questions that are in use, specifically to confuse and lessen the number of potential candidates.

The impression that you leave on the interviewers and hirers will most likely determine whether or not they’ll choose you for their open job position.

Luckily, there’s a lot of standardized interview questions you can prepare in advance.

A question that may appear during the course of your interview is, ‘How do you like to be managed?’ Actually, this question is so common that you’re almost guaranteed to come across it during your job interview.

It will happen, even if you’re getting interviewed for a higher position.

Different variations of this question may appear, such as ‘What is your ideal manager like?’ or ‘How would you define your perfect boss?’

You might think that the question ‘How do you like to be managed?’ is a bit of a strange one. Or, maybe even too straightforward!

Yet, why is this particular question so important and frequently used and asked on job interviews?

Many interviewers ask this question because they want to hire an employee who will acclimate adequately to the company’s style of management.

This won’t only help you possibly get a job position, but also find a work environment that’s suitable for you, which is very important in the long run.

Another reason why interviewers ask this question is so they can create a picture of how your past work environment was like and what you’re familiar with.

That’s why it’s important for you to answer this question in a smart way. And here are just a few tips that will help you how to do exactly that!

REFLECT ON YOUR PAST EXPERIENCES AND TALK ABOUT THEM:

You’re gonna want to prepare for the interview and know everything you can about the potential ups and downs so that you can avoid the infamous interview red flags and warning signs and know how to cope.

If you have any previous employment background, it is vital for you to talk about it during the course of your job interview.

You might not think it’s worth mentioning your career experience at all.

Before each job interview, you’ve already presented the hiring company with a copy of your documents, including your CV. Your CV does include an entire section dedicated to past work experience.

Regardless, recruiters still want to talk about your work experience, face-to-face.

Take a few moments to reflect on the time you’ve spent on your previous jobs. Most importantly, try to think of your previous bosses and how they were.

Some of the questions you should answer are: How were your previous bosses or managers like?

How much effort were they putting into team-building? How was your professional relationship?

Always think of both the positive and the negative sides of your previous jobs. No job is ever perfect, so it is okay to show that you can point out flaws as well as good things.

Describe the things that your bosses used to do. What was their management style like?

What were some positive traits your boss had and that you admired? Do any of your colleagues share the same experiences? If not, why do you think that is?

Try to not only think of your previous bosses and their behavior but also how well their work, management, and communication style matched your work style.

Reflecting back on the past will help you reevaluate your previous opinions, as well as refresh your memory and give you a better idea of how the answer the question.

If you cover all of the important topics, you are sure to find a team of people that match your work habits, which will definitely make you happier!

WHAT IF YOU’VE ONLY HAD BAD BOSSES AND BAD EXPERIENCES?

Talking about your past experiences seems easy enough, but for a lot of people, that isn’t the case.

If you, in your case, solely had experiences with terrible bosses, you might not feel assured enough to bring up the topic of past workplaces.

Nonetheless, you should definitely contemplate talking about them.

Just be careful! You shouldn’t only talk about the way your superiors treated you poorly. Pointing out only bad things about people you used to work with can make you come off as cynical and pessimistic.

That way, you also unintentionally paint yourself as an unmanageable and unadaptable employee.

And we’ve already mentioned the importance of first impressions!

If you think that you don’t have many nice things to say about your former boss, you can still turn your answer into something positive.

Talk about what you think those previous bosses should’ve incorporated into their management style in order to make it better.

If you reflect on the negative, explain how those bad experiences impacted you as a person and made you grow and learn.

By doing this, you will show that you can look back and discuss your previous experiences, notice specific problems, as well as offer different solutions.

AVOID TOPICS THAT AREN’T WORK-RELATED:

When talking about your previous bosses and your work experience, avoid talking about topics that aren’t work-related.

Sure, as humans, we’re not the most objective when it comes to relationships with other people. It is normal to bond with or like some people in your place of work more than others.

It is a great thing if you form personal relationships, such as friendships, with your boss, or your colleagues.

And sometimes, you won’t be particularly fond of people you have to work with. And that’s okay!

But all of this should strictly be a personal part of your life and not affect the way you do your work and how much effort you put in.

So, if you’re telling a story about your former boss, mention only things that will showcase their strengths and weaknesses in the office. By all means, avoid retelling stories from personal outings, like bar nights, or restaurant dinners.

If you do this, you will show your recruiters that you possess the quality of knowing how to separate your personal from your business relationships, as well as present work-related things in an objective way.

Separating your personal and professional life is one of the key habits of productive people, and it is very important in the business world.

It may happen that you and your interviewer have different personalities and sensibilities. After all, even interviewers and hr managers are human beings and they do have their likes and dislikes.

If you find that you have fallen out of their mercy and that you and your interviewer just didn’t click, do not despair! Panicking is the worst thing you can do. Here are some tips on how to handle the situation.

DESCRIBE YOUR IDEAL BOSS:

Now that you’ve already talked about your past experiences, and previous bosses consider also describing your ideal boss as a part of your answer.

You should be honest when answering, and your answers need to be realistic. Creating a false image of yourself and your work habits won’t benefit you in any way.

If you do this, even if you get a job, you will most likely end up working in an environment that’s not the best choice for you. So don’t fake your enthusiasm, it will show!

No boss is ever perfect, nor can they be! Your ideal boss is the boss that’s perfect for you because his style of managing matches your work habits perfectly!

If you describe your ideal boss in a realistic way, you will show your recruiters how you perceive the world of business.

This will also illustrate all of the expectations you have regarding the work position, which will then help them see how well you would mesh with their company’s management style.

The most important thing when describing your ideal boss is to focus on just a few things. Just two, or three crucial traits, are enough for you to make yourself understood. If you do more than three, it might too overwhelming for anyone listening.

DO YOUR RESEARCH!

When you’re applying for the job, you provide the firm with a copy of your CV that includes a lot of relevant data regarding you.

The firm might also search your name up and try to find additional data about you on the internet. So if they’re informed and prepared, you should be too!

A thorough internet search will provide you with a lot of relevant information related to the firm. You may discover what their management and communication style is like.

You’ll then have the time to think about how well you would mesh with it.

On the internet, you are most likely going to find different people’s opinions and judgments about the firm that’s going to host the interview.

The internet is a space for freedom of speech, so not everything you find is relevant and correct. Researching, however, will present you with the general idea of how the management style is.

Look up your potential bosses LinkedIn, or any other social media accounts. It’s not a crime to see how they present themselves on public social platforms! Remember, the employees of the probably looked up your name too!

If you’re prepared, you’ll be less nervous and more likely to confidently answer any question that may come your way, but especially the tricky ones.

THINK ABOUT THE LENGTH AND QUALITY OF YOUR ANSWER!

Since you’re going to be preparing your answer in advance, you should try and make it the best you can.

Here are a few things you should consider when constructing your answer:

Think about the length of the answer you’re giving. It should be, neither too long or too short, rather somewhere in-between. If your answer is too short, you might seem like you’re uninterested in answering the question they’ve asked you, or like an unfriendly candidate.

If your answer is too long, you might overwhelm your recruiter or anyone who’s listening.

If it’s too long, your answer won’t be as effective or memorable. Keep in mind that recruiters do interviews for a living. This means that they meet and talk to a lot of different people.

Some of those people might be applying for the same position you are. Because of the fact that recruiters meet so many people, if your answer is too long and complicated, it probably won’t be memorable enough.

Also, if you’re preparing your answer in advance, think about the quality of your answer. You must not sound vague and unsure in any way, because you’ll leave room for interviewers to misinterpret your words.

On the other hand, if your answer is concise and clear, you are going to get your point across more easily.

To avoid sounding vague, talk about only the things you are certain of and fact-check every part of your answer beforehand.

INTERVIEWERS ARE NOT THE ONLY ONES THAT SHOULD ASK QUESTIONS!

Job interviews can seem scary and remind you of an interrogation, but that isn’t and shouldn’t be the case. Think of a job interview like it is a casual game of volleyball or tennis.

The ball should go over the net, back and forth between both players. Both sides should equally contribute to the conversation.

Jeff H. Sipe, an International Career Coach who has worked as a recruiter for many different, leading world companies, is asking us a simple question: ‘Why can’t you ask your recruiter to tell you more about the hiring manager?’. And he’s absolutely right!

You have every right to ask your interviewer or recruiter about anything related to the job position, including asking more about the management style of your future boss. So, maybe end you answer the question ‘How do you like to be managed?’, with another question!

And don’t worry, before you think about it, asking questions won’t make you look stupid! You asking questions will show that you’re genuinely interested in knowing more about the company and the job position.

Being brave enough to ask questions will make you stand out from the crowd.

As we’ve already mentioned, it is necessary for you to do your research before the job interview.

This step will help you to filter out important questions and dilemmas you might have from those that already have their answers on the internet.

USE SAMPLE QUESTIONS AS GUIDELINES:

If you’ve already done your research, you might still be unsure of how to answer this question. Don’t worry about it!

There are a lot of so-called ‘sample’ or ‘textbook’ answers to the question ‘How do you like to be managed?’, as well as many other standard interview questions.

Reading those more general answers will help you answer this question better, as well as pick up some more technical business terms.

There are other sample answers for many other standardized interview questions, too!

They are great and can very useful because of the fact they show a practical way of how you can answer a possibly complicated question.

Although sample answers exist and they’re just one internet search away, you shouldn’t use them to answer your interview questions in their entirety.

Your recruiters probably heard them about a million times from different candidates!

Instead, try to use sample questions only as guidelines that will help you come up with your own modified version of the answer. This is important for many different reasons.

Using your own words will help you remember better, so even if you get nervous, you are more likely to remember what you have prepared.

Coming up with your own answer means your answer won’t be sound fake or forced.

If you’re still unsure about how you should answer the tricky question of How do you like to be managed, check out this advice:

EXAMPLE ANSWERS, YES OR NO?

We’ve already covered the topic of sample answers and how useful they are as guidelines. However, you still might not feel like sample answers are enough.

And that’s fine! If you feel this way about sample answers, provide your recruiters with an original, more personal answer. For this, you can use an example from your life experience – a so-called, example answer.

If you’re answering with an example answer, don’t focus on unnecessary information such as names.

Yes, an example answer should be related to your life, but you should try to focus much more on the point of the example.

The example itself is much more important than specific people or places.

Example answers, however, can lead us to a slippery slope.

Example answers, unlike sample answers, are more specific rather than general. Also, not everyone is as fond of them. It is up to your recruiter’s personal preference, which you sadly cannot know for sure.

However, when you’re focusing on a specific example, you might motivate your recruiter to ask you some additional questions about it. Luckily, this does mean you’ve sparked their interest enough for them to ask you something outside of the usual interview scheme.

This will set you apart from all other candidates who aren’t brave enough to try to change up the usual course of the interview.

So, if you feel comfortable answering additional questions, you haven’t prepared beforehand, then feel free to provide your recruiters with an example answer.

A Smart Way to Answer “How Do You Like to Be Managed?”

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