It pays to swot up on your future boss

Employers certainly aren’t shy when it comes to asking about a potential employee’s background. Why? They want to get to know him – to make sure he’s the right fit. So shouldn’t he be doing the same for his potential boss?

A job hunt should never be thought of as anything but a two-way decision.

You will be investing your time, skills and passion into a company and spending untold hours and energy working with a future boss. Make sure you’re making a good investment by asking the right questions and doing the right research.

Here are tips on checking references for a future boss:

1 You can ask other interviewers what it’s like to work with that person.

2 You can use a site such as LinkedIn to find your potential boss’s former direct reports or business partners, and reach out to them for their thoughts.

3 Social media can help you identify shared connections and point you to people who can give you insights on him.

4 Through both digital and analogue means, you can find out if your potential boss is in any clubs, associations or alumni groups through which you have contacts and can seek information. – (Harvard Business Review 2014)