Bosses: Insane Vs. Eccentric

When you first take on a position, it’s possible that knowing who your boss is might not be on the top of your priority list. For example, if you’re working for a major corporation, you might not even spend a lot of time with your boss because they will have many different employees to watch after, or maybe they have a lot of cred. However, when it comes down to actually staying in the position you’re in for an extended period of time especially, if the company is small and you’re the right hand man to the CEO, it absolutely matters not just who they are but how they treat their staff.

I’m here to tell you that during the interview process you will nine times out of 10 meet and speak with your potential boss and YOU should be paying attention.

Things that you should be watching out for:

1.    Are they nice?

2.    Are they dressed professionally?

3.    Do they have good interpersonal communication skills?

4.    What’s their cred?

5.    Are they dressed professionally?

6.    Do they seem “normal?”

7.    Are they sober?

These may seem like obvious questions that need to be answered, but clearly not everyone is looking into them because there are numerous websites where employees can complain about their employers. There IS a difference between someone who might be fun and eccentric, but brilliant and someone who is completely off, insane, and possibly strung out on whatever they can get their hands on.

Recently, I was offered a position as a brand representative that I was about to take with very little caution. First off, I found the position on Craigslist, which is a red flag already and secondly the CEO that I would be working with was a complete lunatic. He couldn’t sit still for literally more than five seconds; he was dressed in slacks that had broken belt loops and a sweaty t-shirt. Further more he seemed to be living in constant euphoria. Did I mention that he had a bunch of different companies and the one I would be working on was new? Granted, the idea had some genius behind it, but when I say genius I am speaking to the concept. Anyway, it wasn’t long until my mother sent me a link to several complaints about the gentleman that I was intending on working for. After a bit of light reading, I quickly sent an e-mail to him saying that I took on another position, but really I just had no interest in working for an unreliable and insane boss.

So, if they give you a bad vibe, have sketchy cred, or have a website dedicated to a hate group on them, turn down the job.