Interview Question of the Week: Would your supervisor be surprised to learn that you are seeking new employment?

photo credit: timsnell

For more from the Interview Question of the Week series, look here.

This week’s IQOTW is an interesting one.  I myself got a variety of this question in a previous job search, and I like it for the element of surprise (which I am going to destroy for all you loyal readers) and the insight it provides on professionalism and career-mindedness.  You won’t hear this question all the time, but it’s worth considering both for upcoming interviews and for its implications on your current job.

From a hiring manager’s perspective, your relationship with your current supervisor is extremely telling.  Let’s look at some possible responses to this question:

“Yes, I think my supervisor would be completely surprised.”

This makes me wonder if you communicate with your supervisor at all.  I would be digging to see how you deal with conflict.  If you told me that you’re looking for more growth opportunity, I’d want to know if you had asked for that opportunity where you are.  If you have a positive, constructive relationship with your current manager, it’s hard for me to believe that your departure would be completely unforeseen.  Somewhere along the way, you’d have shared that you’re looking for something more or different.  And if you don’t have a positive, constructive relationship with your manager, I’m going to wonder why, and what you’ve done to try to improve the situation.

“No, I don’t think she’d be surprised at all.  She knows how I feel about my current role.”

This answer seems a little too blunt on the other side.  Are you a complainer?  Have you tried to improve your professional lot in life within your organization?  If your supervisor knows you’re dissatisfied, why haven’t you been offered more opportunity?

The ideal:  “Well, he would likely be surprised in that I haven’t expressly said that I’m job searching.  However, we’ve discussed my professional goals and it’s clear what the organization can and cannot offer, so from that perspective, I don’t think that it would come as a shock.”

This answer shows a few things.  That you have professional goals and are willing to pursue them.  That you have proactively discussed these goals with your supervisor in an attempt to move towards them.  And that you’re making a job change for opportunity, not out of dissatisfaction.

Now, of course, the true ideal is if the answer above is TRUE.  That is, if you can’t honestly say that you’ve discussed your career goals with your current supervisor and you’re clear on what opportunities are available, then you’re losing out on a huge opportunity.  Even if you ultimately decide that you must leave your current company, what great projects or training might you be missing out on in the meantime?

So, by all means go and chase down your professional dreams.  But don’t squander the meantime.  Take advantage of whatever you can at your current position, and practice positive, proactive communication with your current boss.  It can all help prep you for that positive relationship with the next one.

Related posts:

1. Interview Question of the Week: Tell me about your last supervisor.
2. Interview Question of the Week: What would your last supervisor say about you?
3. Interview Question of the Week: Where do you hope to see yourself in five years?
4. Interview Question of the Week: What has been your greatest success?
5. Interview Question of the Week: What qualifies you for this position?

Tagged as: Career, interview, interview prep, job change, job hunt, job search, preparation