Describe Your Best Boss and Worst Boss? (With 10 Sample Interview Answers)

The basic purpose of conducting an interview is to evaluate a candidate through the responses given by him. The trickier the question, the better the assessment. Describing one’s bosses is a common interview question that is tricky and requires a lot of preparation. A thoughtful and concise answer which is logical and well reasoned can impress your interviewer and can boost your chances of selection.

Which Boss Is Being Talked About?

We all work and migrate from one organization to another organization in search of better prospects. In every organization, one encounters a senior who guides, scolds, allots targets, and reviews performance. Through this question, they want to know about your best senior as well as the worst one. The reason for picking your best and worst boss must be clear and well explained to them.

Why This Question Is Being Asked?

Every question asked in an interview process is thoughtful and is framed after applying a lot of mind. Through this question an interviewer can get indirect answers to the following questions:

1. What is your style, way or procedure following which you like yourself to be governed or supervised?
2. Are you a person who just passes on the blame to other people?
3. Do you like creating scapegoats for the mistakes that you have made?
4. Will you be able to fit in the work culture of the organization?
5. Will you be productive in a strict work environment?
6. Do you take responsibility for the mistakes committed by you?

Employers are always on the hunt for employees who are serious in performing their duties and able to follow the guidelines or directives provided by the management.

Two Best Tips To Handle This Question

1) Don’t Get Carried Away

We all have met a bad boss. But, please control your emotions, while sharing anything about him. Don’t get carried away, and choose your words after due consideration. Any abusive or obscene language would simply mean you are out of consideration, no matter how excellent your academic record is or how valuable your work experience is.

2) Never Say You Have Not Met Any Bad Boss

The biggest mistake that candidates make, is when they simply refuse to share anything about their bad boss. This gives an impression that you are too diplomatic and trying to be smart. After all, this was the part of the question, an interviewer was more interested in. By simply denying your bad boss, your evaluation can’t be completed and your selection chances would deplete.

List Of Ten Best Responses To This Question

Response No. One

Every individual is different from others and our bosses are also individuals. I have worked with two companies prior to applying with this one, and I can say that I have met with both a good boss and a bad one. A good boss taught me time management skills and the other one always pulled my leg as he had a different junior as his favorite. Still, I never complained and focused on my tasks.

Response No. Two

The best boss I met was, during my internship with ABC Management LLP. I was a fresher then, and he taught me everything without getting irritated or frustrated. He was like a father figure to me and explained everything in a lucid way. Further, during my first full-time job, I met a bad boss, who was really arrogant and always yelled at me for making even small mistakes.

Response No. Three

My best boss has always been my father, who has taught me everything from discipline to perseverance. He was the to develop these qualities in me, who otherwise was a brash child with no future. I really owe him. Further, I met a bad boss during my tenure with ABC Foods Ltd. He was really lethargic and used to give me heavy loads of work which included his duties and tasks. But being a disciplined person, I handled everything with a smile and never complained.

Response No. Four

The best boss I have ever met was a woman working as a senior sales manager. She was my direct senior and I she taught me everything about a customer’s mind. She was really bright in her work and had a knack of selling even the most toughest things. I learned a lot from her work and her approach of solving problems. The bad boss I met, always distracted me by forcing me to have unproductive conversation thereby impacting my performance.

Response No. Five

My worst boss was a mature person aged somewhat around 50, who always gave me wrong guidance. I used to check the procedures of getting the work done online which wasted a lot of my working time and severely impacted my performance. The best boss I met was a woman in her mid-40s, she always explained to me all my tasks for the day in a very polite tone and even helped me whenever I got stuck.

Response No. Six

I met my worst boss when I was undertaking my industrial training in the field of manufacturing ball bearings. Everyone expects a trainee to make mistakes, after all, that’s what, training is for. But he always scolded me and never helped me when approached for a solution. On the other hand, I got a wonderful boss during my first job. He groomed me completely and imparted his valuable knowledge without any ego or arrogance. I am everything because of him.

Response No. Seven

The best boss I got was when during my school days I went for a summer camp. There were so many activities and so many kids, but he always used to pay special attention to all my performances and activities. He taught me time management and persuasion skills at such a young age of nine. On the contrary, I got the worst boss till today, when I was in my first job. He always used to discourage me, that I will not be able to complete a particular task.

Response No. Eight (For Fresher)

Since this would be my first job, I hope and believe, that I will get some wonderful bosses who will always motivate me and help me through thick and thin. If I talk about my school time, there was a teacher, who always scolded me and let me down even after scoring good grades. She was really short-tempered and had some special hate towards me. Anyways, as soon as I got promoted to a high school, I got some wonderful teachers who have helped me a lot in shaping my future.

Response No. Nine

I met my best boss during my first internship with ABC Accounts Management LLP. I was unaware of any accounting software then and even made mistakes in passing basic accounting entries. But, he always supported me and encouraged me. He taught me everything right from the scratch and made me a knowledgeable man. I met my worst boss, during my tenure with XYZ group. He was really egoist and wanted me to praise him all the time.

Response No. Ten

Sycophancy is something, that I have always hated. I met a person during my previous stint with ABC Sales Corp. He always promoted sales executives not on the basis of merit but on the basis of sycophancy. Whoever complimented him, cared for him, was given promotions, and the other employees used to struggle in the heat of competition. I hate this way of career advancement. But, I met a good one too, during my training with XYZ. He guided and counseled me from time to time. As a result, today I am a postgraduate with 3 valuable certifications.

Conclusion

The responses generated through this question are vital for understanding the mindset of a candidate. Every company has its set of rules and governance etiquette, whether you are a perfect match for them or not, whether you can assume responsibility for your work or not, can be evaluated through the responses generated by this question. If you like our articles then don’t forget to share them with your family and friends. Also, do let us know through the comments section below, how much you like our articles.

References

1. https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA15904580&sid=googleScholar&v=2.1&it=r&linkaccess=abs&issn=00251895&p=AONE&sw=w