Results 1 to 17 of 17
-
02-27-2007, 05:14 AM #1Aspiring Evangelist
- Join Date
- May 2004
- Location
- US of A
- Posts
- 430
Job interview: How do you like to be managed?
Recently I went to an interview and was asked this question: How do you like to be managed?
I don't think I answered very well. How would you answer this question?
-
02-27-2007, 05:22 AM #2Web Hosting Master
- Join Date
- Dec 2002
- Location
- Los Angeles
- Posts
- 559
I would put my feet up on the desk, lean back in the chair, smile and say, "I don't. Now give me the job or I'll jam this Bic so far into your neck your ancestors will bleed to death!"
See, that kind of thing impresses them. Grace under pressure, it's called.datapimp - You only get one soul, ya dig?
-
02-27-2007, 05:36 AM #3Web Hosting Master
- Join Date
- Nov 2003
- Location
- Newport Beach, CA
- Posts
- 2,923
coming from a management position of over 12 years I can tell you the way I like to hear that answered:
I like to be given an objective, and direction, then rely on my responsibility and my co-worker's responsibility to see the objective is met with very little direct management.
however, that's just my taste, there are a million different managers with a million different answers.
Just be positive and make sure you reflect responsibility, and that you don't have to be watched all the time. Good measure to throw in co-workers because it shows teamworkShow your reciprocal links on your website. eReferrer
-
02-27-2007, 05:46 AM #4Web Hosting Master
- Join Date
- Dec 2002
- Location
- Los Angeles
- Posts
- 559
Well you just told him how to fake an answer.
As someone who has hired a lot of people in the web hosting business myself, I can tell you that people ask questions like "how do you like to be managed" because they don't have any skill at sizing people up, and they read that question somewhere, and they, like fastnoc, would probably be happy with a rote, meaningless response.
You may as well blather about bringing synergistic initiatives and outside-the-box thinking to the company. It's all equally empty.
There are great questions you can ask an interviewee to completely throw them for a loop and see how they think on their feet, but "how do you like to be managed" is not one of them.datapimp - You only get one soul, ya dig?
-
02-27-2007, 05:46 AM #5Junior Guru
- Join Date
- Dec 2006
- Posts
- 247
I like to be given an objective, and direction, then rely on my responsibility and my co-worker's responsibility to see the objective is met with very little direct management.
-
02-27-2007, 05:59 AM #6Web Hosting Master
- Join Date
- Nov 2003
- Location
- Newport Beach, CA
- Posts
- 2,923
Well you have to remember, there are many different opinions as there are managers. The people who do well are the people who learn to read the person interviewing them, and to know what style that person is, and would probably want.
Some people have very low self esteem and to that type of person he's going to want someone that needs attention. People with low self-esteem search for constant reassurance, and the people that work for them give them that by asking for help.
There are others that simply prefer kiss *** employees. So for that type of person You'd need to kiss their *** in the interview too . Pump one of these guys up by telling him how impressed you are with his management style is a sure fire hit. But if you do that to someone like me, it's an instant turn off.
I like to do as little managing as I can. So the best person for me to hire will be someone I know I can give a task, walk away and know that the job will get done without me having to go back and ask again. This is a pretty typical management style.
All the different methodologies of management rely on the same thing. Getting things done.
I'm REALLY easy to work for though. I don't bother people. So I'm also pretty easy to interview with. I like building a team of people who like being together. One of those 'none of us leave till ALL the work is done' type thing. so thats an important matter.Show your reciprocal links on your website. eReferrer
-
02-27-2007, 06:05 AM #7Web Hosting Master
- Join Date
- Nov 2003
- Location
- Newport Beach, CA
- Posts
- 2,923
Originally Posted by datapimp.com
just because you don't understand it doesn't mean it's a bad sign.
There is a very specific reason questions like that are asked. Not just because you don't think they know what they're doing. lolLast edited by fastnoc; 02-27-2007 at 06:09 AM.
Show your reciprocal links on your website. eReferrer
-
02-27-2007, 09:19 AM #8Web Hosting Master
- Join Date
- Jul 2003
- Location
- Kuwait
- Posts
- 5,104
Speaking of interview questions...
Back in college, a friend of mine was being interviewed by Microsoft. The asked him this question:
"You have a jar with red and blue marbles, and one empty jar. What would you do to make sure that when someone picked a marble from the empty jar, it was red?"
He answered:
"I would place all the blue marbles in first, then all the red marbles on top; giving the highest probability a red marble will be picked."
Which I thought was a great answer; but when he asked me the same question, my answer was:
"Put one red marble in the empty jar."
Point here is; silly question -- but it shows how a person thinks and that's really what they are trying to figure out in an interview.
I have heard people being asked some really "stupid" questions -- another one is ... 'How many manholes are there in _____' (insert some major metropolitan area, like LA).
As far as the management question -- I personally hate 'lassiez-faire' (sp?) managers. They don't tell you what they expect; they don't give you any deadlines or guidance, yet the expect you to read their mind.
I actually liked the response:
I like to be given an objective, and direction, then rely on my responsibility and my co-worker's responsibility to see the objective is met with very little direct management.
-
02-27-2007, 11:05 AM #9Web Hosting Master
- Join Date
- Aug 2002
- Location
- Chandler, Arizona
- Posts
- 2,564
I like to be micromanaged, as if I was in the military....
Just kidding :-D-Robert Norton
www.SophMedia.com
-
02-27-2007, 11:18 AM #10Texan at Heart
- Join Date
- Jul 2003
- Location
- Castle Pines, CO
- Posts
- 7,189
Depends on what you were being interviewed for. If you were being interviewed for a management type position, then there is one answer to give. If it was an employee type situation, then it would be another answer.
My answer - I don't. I do and I tell others what to do. Delegation
-
02-27-2007, 11:42 AM #11Invented the Internet
- Join Date
- Feb 2001
- Location
- West Michigan, USA
- Posts
- 9,687
Originally Posted by datapimp.com
Exactly. We used to have great fun at interviewing people. Watch the movie Shallow Grave when they're interviewing potential room mates. Throw in at least one of those questions or, my personal favorite, ask them if they've read (insert dead tech author's name here) book that just came out. Needless to say, the guy that answered "Oh yeah! It was pretty good." didn't get the job.
One of my favorite replies, during a face-to-face interview, to "In one word...what do you feel is your best quality?" was "Sense(hyphen)of(hyphen)humor". He got the job.
--Tina||| 99.999% Uptime SLA!!!
Plenty of space and bandwidth to fit your needs!
www.AEIandYou.com - - (WP Friendly - Premium Reseller Hosting and Cheap Dedicated Servers)
-
02-27-2007, 12:27 PM #12Web Hosting Master
- Join Date
- Dec 2002
- Location
- Los Angeles
- Posts
- 559
Originally Posted by fastnoc
If you think one-size-fits all with questions or psychology or burritos. you are sadly mistaken.datapimp - You only get one soul, ya dig?
-
02-27-2007, 04:09 PM #13Aspiring Evangelist
- Join Date
- May 2004
- Location
- US of A
- Posts
- 430
Originally Posted by datapimp.com
-
02-27-2007, 04:16 PM #14Junior Guru Wannabe
- Join Date
- Feb 2007
- Posts
- 36
I think they want to see if you are self-motivated... I would probably answer it this way:
"I would like to see management give me an objective. With good communication to keep management and customers up to date, rely on my self-motivation to complete the objective on time."
-
02-27-2007, 04:21 PM #15Aspiring Evangelist
- Join Date
- May 2004
- Location
- US of A
- Posts
- 430
Originally Posted by fastnoc
Although I answered along the line of yours, it wasn't as crisp and nearly panic when it was asked. My answer basically was that I'd like to have the management to have visions and pass that visions to their employees. However I didn't say management should give objectives and directions, and have enough trust to let employees complete the task(s).
Thanks for your input.
Originally Posted by TravisST
Thanks.Last edited by TieuDieuTu; 02-27-2007 at 04:25 PM.
-
02-27-2007, 10:15 PM #16Web Hosting Master
- Join Date
- Nov 2003
- Location
- Newport Beach, CA
- Posts
- 2,923
Originally Posted by TieuDieuTu
I think the key here is to answer the way they want you to answer, not always the way you might think. There is also a LOT to be said for what job you're interviewing for. If you're interviewing for a an entry level job, where the person interviewing you is new, or doesn't know a ton about the process you will probably get things like peope 'trying to throw you for a loop' but an experienced interviewer doesn't need hat tricks. They know how to get the answers they want, and they like it when people think they know how smart they are by dismissing that type of thing.
There are also techniques used by prospective employees. Heck there are even courses that teach you how to give interviews. I've had to take courses in both as I worked my way through management amd it was interesting when I got to the differences in being the interviewee. I think people should pick up on the courses that teach how to GIVE the interview. that way they know more about the direction the person is going.
Just my thoughts though, as I said before everyone is different.Last edited by fastnoc; 02-27-2007 at 10:28 PM.
Show your reciprocal links on your website. eReferrer
-
02-28-2007, 01:24 AM #17WebHostingTalk Lover
- Join Date
- Mar 2003
- Location
- New York City
- Posts
- 7,406
Very interesting thread, I'm sure it'll be very helpful for anyone looking for some tips during interviews
We should definitely concentrate on the things that would make you display your strong points during an interview and not focus on specific things you should or shouldn't do as that can be different for every interviewers.
Cheers█• Taskade - To-Do List & Tasks • All-in-One To-Do List & Mind Map App for Remote Teams
█• Simple and shareable to-do lists for web, mobile, and desktop
█• To-Do List Templates • 300+ shareable templates and productivity workflows
█• Get things done, faster and smarter! • I eat penguins for breakfast ...