What to ask in an interview to spot a good manager or red flags?

Question

I just completed several technical interviews with a company, and the next round will be a behavioral interview with the manager.

I’d like to know what questions I should ask to determine if they are a good manager and to spot any potential red flags. Aside from directly asking, what questions can I ask to better understand the manager's management style?

Additionally, I hope to work from home 2 to 3 days a week (that company has hybrid work policy). How can I ask about their attitude toward WFH without coming across as not being fully committed to work?

Alex Chiou · Accepted Answer

The remote work/WFH policy should be on the job posting - Is it not there? If it really isn't, I would ask the recruiter. I think that question is fair game, and you don't need to use some ultra-carefully crafted language to ask.

I would ask this ASAP, assuming hybrid work is a deal breaker for you and you can't do 5 days RTO. A pretty bad outcome is to go through the entire loop, get an offer, and then realize they are 5 days RTO so you can't take it. This is the worst failure mode as it costs everybody a ton of time.

If a company thinks lesser of people who want remote work, that's probably a red flag and you shouldn't work there anyways.

What to ask in an interview to spot a good manager or red flags?

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