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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I don't think asking questions will do it, OP. I've tried that.

The only way I've found to detect a micromanaging boss is to be very explicit about what you do and how you do it, and what you can and cannot tolerate in a working environment. When potential employers ask me about previous jobs or what I look for, I talk about how negatively I respond to micromanaging and give some examples ("I don't mind learning how you like the dishwasher loaded, I know sometimes dishes don't get clean if they're loaded improperly, but I would need to feel trusted to handle those sorts of things in general on my own without a lot of direction.") to let them know I don't mind being told what needs to be done or being shown the best way to do something but that I cannot tolerate being micromanaged every day.

If they're micromanagers, this will put you squarely on their list of unsuitable candidates.

If they're not, they won't care and you'll continue to be a potential candidate.

Win-win.[/quote]

PP here (w/ the twins) and I just wanted to comment on this approach a bit as I think you have to be able to "read" the people with whom you're interviewing to see if you can be this direct.  Not everyone will respond positively (as as the poster said - that may tell you what you need about whether they're a fit for you).  For me, this approach - unless done EXTREMELY carefully - could feel like someone who has been burned by former employers micromanaging them - which I can understand and sympathize with.  But it could come across as fairly rigid and inflexible and that would be unappealing to me.  I think a successful nanny match with a family requires flexibility and adaptation on all sides.  The nannies have to learn the culture of the family with whom they're working, and the individual particulars of those people, those kids, their needs, etc...   The employers have to learn the individual preferences and capabilities of the nanny they're bringing in - what are his/her really strong points, where are the areas where parents and nanny might need to work out a mutually agreed upon approach, etc...

I want that flexibility, consideration, and respect accorded to everyone involved so I would only hire someone who demonstrated those traits in an interview process.  So I think you have to be a little bit careful.  We all have lessons learned from former jobs, but you have to be careful about how much that colors the way you're perceived in interviews.[/quote]

Yes, my experience has shown me that presenting myself in this way illustrates my capabilities as a self-starter, a professional, and someone who in fact is extremely observant and adaptable (and my references say as much) and I have never, since I was 19, ended up in a job I was unhappy with nor ended up in a job working for a micromanaging MB. I have had only good experiences for the last 10+ years using this method, so it's worked for me. (Don't know where you got anything about having been "burned," but I never was.)

I think you sound more like a nanny than an MB, so I'm not sure how many nannies you're actually hiring anyway.[/quote]

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