How Do You Like To Be Managed?
How To Answer Interview Question: How Do You Like To Be Managed?
Interview questions can at times be very scary and one such interview question is “how do you like to be managed? This question is a very relevant question because it helps to ascertain how your relationship with your boss or manager will be in the future. The job recruiter or interviewer asking this question may not necessarily be your supervisor when you get the job but you may work closely together. This particular question falls under the behavioral interview question. A behavioral interview question and answer is all about determining how your work in the past can influence your future performance. In a work environment, what makes a company progressive is if there is a good relationship between the employee and the manager and if such a relationship is in chaos then it will be very catastrophic for that company.
Tips on how to answer the question
The first thing to do is to prepare beforehand, try and craft the answer to this question in order not to fumble the following are the tips:
Do a Self Assessment on what you want in a Manager
This question is asked to check how your day–to–day relationship will be with your future manager. Interviewers are looking for someone who can work independently with oversight. You have to do a self-assessment on what you really want in a Manager and what kind of managerial style will work for you. You will ask questions like “what do you want in teamwork in a work environment? Do you love to be independent or not? Would you like the relationship to change over time? You will have to do a quick self-assessment before you answer the question. Some employees usually get pissed off if they are not independent in a work environment while some are very comfortable with it. It is very important to discover the kind of managerial style that will best work for you
Consider Past Experiences
Think about your past experience in your previous place of work. Come up with a list of experiences on how you were managed. That is, think about those experiences you liked and the ones you hated. Give reasons why you loved some experiences and why you hated some because, in life, it is said that experience is the best teacher.
Research the Company
Every company has its managerial style; take your time to research the company by following them on social media pages and LinkedIn to get updates about the company. Find out what the company looks for in employees, and their managerial style and also research the company’s value and see if it corresponds with yours. For example, if a company loves to always tell employees what to do and do not accept any ideas from employees, if you are the type that loves to give opinions then it is very obvious that you don’t fit into that company’s management style. In addition, connect with employees of such companies on LinkedIn to know more about the management style of such companies.
Frame Negative Experiences
You may not have had a negative experience with your boss in the past but you can frame (please don’t lie) an experience of a managerial style you don’t like and use it as a learning experience. There are a lot of negative experiences with managers and for example, if you don’t like your manager raising his voice or talking to you rudely in a work environment, feel free to share it. There are managers that have a poor manner of approach and tend to talk to employees rudely when they don’t deliver a task appropriately. Feel free to share that you will love to be corrected politely.
Ask the Job Recruiter Questions
Be very bold to ask your interviewer or job recruiter questions and you can ask questions like: Tell me about your management style? Or tell me about my hiring manager or future boss? Interviewers are not the only people that should ask questions, you can also ask questions and this will help you to know their management style. Asking questions will not make you look stupid but it will show that you are interested in the company. This will go ahead to help you determine if you are comfortable with the management style of the company or not.
Do not delve into topics that are not work-related
Make sure you avoid certain topics that are not work-related when asking the question of how you want to be managed. Focus on work-related areas because interviewers want to ascertain how your working relationship will be. Do not talk about after-work hours, parties, lunch breaks, and others. Do not bash former company employers and managers, try and present negative experiences in a positive light. In a work environment, there are people you will not get along with and after working hours, it may be very difficult to even talk to them and so show that you can relate with everyone as long as it concerns work.
At the end of the day, they want to know how you can fit into their work environment and how to best utilize your skills to get the best deliverables.
Sample Answer 1
I will like to work with my managers independently. I always love to add value whenever I am working in an organization. I will love to brainstorm on my own and come up with ideas. My Managers can improve on my ideas and also guide me on how to implement them for the overall progress of the company. I also love a work environment that is dynamic where teammates are given a task and everyone works independently and at the end of the day the final project is brought to the Managers’ table
Sample Answer 2
I will love my Managers to trust me with a task and give me the freedom to carry out projects on my own. My relationship with my managers should be mentorship relationships where they can direct and guide me on a particular task. I don’t like managers that restrict employees’ freedom and I will love a manager that is considerate.
Sample Answer 3
I will love a manager that will trust me with a task in advance because I don’t like to be pressured to deliver a task. I love to meet deadlines but working at my own pace works perfectly for me. I may not deliver as appropriate if I am pressured to deliver a task.
In conclusion, above all prepare very well before you answer this question because the question can be scary if you don’t prepare. Preparing beforehand will help you to give the appropriate response as it is usually said, if you fail to plan then you’ve prepared to fail.
