A few years back, a group of analysts found that more two-thirds of professionals who left a job did so because of poor management. Things have changed quite a bit since then. For starters, people do not leave their jobs that often. But, one thing assured – there certainly is no shortage of bad managers around.

Getting stuck under a poor supervisor is an excruciating affair. You feel distraught and disoriented. Without proper guidance and mentorship, you fall short of your career goals. And you cannot even leave the job because it would look bad on your resume. If only you could pick them out right from the interview. Never so easy. But you can always pick up a few symptoms!

The One who turns up Late

You reach the office 15 minutes before time. And you wait. And you wait. And wait some more. Finally, the manager drops by an hour or so late, and without so much as an apology, just casually starts off the interview. It's a certain red flag. Yeah, managers might get stuck with work every now and then. But at least they should be courteous enough to acknowledge their inadvertance.

The One who Won't Speak

What about the one who won't speak a word; would just sit there nodding off to whatever you have to say? They are a difficult bunch. They expect you to keep gushing on like a torrent of words. Says two things – that he might actually be quite short of ideas, or he is a really poor communicator. Neither are people you would want to work under.

The Mad Micromanager

Then, there's the one who won't stop throwing questions at you. They pick up every bit of information on your resume, and keep asking for every single thing you did in your career. And follow it up with a description of the job responsibility in brain-numbing detail. Beware. You are about to fall into the jaws of the micormanager!

The Gossip Guvnor

You have to say the interview went well. Just that you talked more about the presidential elections, that recent saucy scandal, and brands of beer we liked. And bit about your family and work at the previous organization. This breed of managers are equally bad. They will drop by for similar chats while you are at, leading to dismal productivity. Or they might just be looking for a few details from your past to get you disqualified.

The One Who can't sit Still

From the moment you started talking, your manager had been fidgeting with this phone. Thrice, he excused himself to make a call. You have every right to feel demeaned and neglected. So, just get the hell out. If your manager can't pay attention in hiring a team member (possibly the biggest responsibility on his agenda), then a lot else is gonna skip his attention as well.

The Dominator

This guy's just even. He'll pick up every single point listed in your resume, and find something worng with it. It's an art, and he had mastered it to diabolic perfection. This particular species derives immense pleasure in belittling others, keeping them as work-slaves. Run for the fire exit!

And the Pure Illiterate

Then, there are a few who haven't done anything to be a manager. They, probably, were just born into the right family, or just weaseled their way up somehow. They don't know a thing about running business. You can easily identify this bunch. They won't ask you any specifics about your qualifications, and try to engage you in vague conversation. So, before you take the offer, research a bit about the company – find out whether it is financially safe, and whether there are people there worth working with.