Would you take a job working with someone with a reputation for being chippy?

[ocelot41]

Just that really. Great, rare job in unusual area, lots of opportunity for progression, family friendly hours and easy peasy commute. But the person you would be working with is rumoured to pretty hard work. Not a bully or a bad person but insecure, chippy and requiring firm boundaries.

WWYD? Take the job and an assertiveness course? Or run like thunder?

[Soundofsettling]

Run like the wind unless you have the hind of a rhino, or have a trial period where you can walk away with no bad feelings.

I've had that kind of manager, I lasted 12 months and swore never again!

In fact forget hind of a rhino , you would have to actually be the rhino!

[Soundofsettling]

What has happened to the people previously working for her?

[Duckdeamon]

Risky to take the job IMO as they will be senior to and have power over you.

[FenellaFellorick]

Not if I didn't have to.

[ocelot41]

This person would not be line manager but is team leader. Previous person is pretty assertive and managed to carve out a secure niche for herself within the organisation where she could minimise contact. I can be robust if need be but the way this job has been framed involves some very unclear boundaries which would make it harder to stand my ground if challenged in the way the previous person was.

[ocelot41]

Other people in the organisation are lovely by the way, and (I think) quite keen to have me. They are also aware that there have been complaints about this person previously.

[Soundofsettling]

It is really hard to explain, but this person caused just so much additional stress by not being clear, constantly disrespecting the clock and at the same time relying on me so much!

She completely undermined me, twisted my words behind my back to senior management - but all this with a complete innocence that she could be doing anything wrong.

Other team members and senior management were aware of what she was like, but I got the brunt of it - I had a lightbulb moment that this organisation wasn't that great if they weren't prepared to manage these kinds of employees.

[ocelot41]

Oh gosh that sounds horrid Soundofsettling. How stressful!

I think you have a good point about senior management not dealing with it. One complaint could be just a personality clash but I know of several from different people.

[Soundofsettling]

Just to underline - she was "lovely", but really needed the job, was very insecure and worked every hour under the sun.

If you would like the job as a springboard I'd go for it, I certainly learned from the experience and moved up, but I would be cautious making this a long term move.

[ocelot41]

It could be a terrific springboard for me but have had a really awful bullying boss before who used to rung me up at 11 at night and scream at me - got clinical depression within a yr. So am cautious!

[NickiFury]

No I wouldn't. When I have been warned about someone prior to starting work with them it has always been confirmed. Usually after a few weeks honeymoon period where I congratulated myself on having taken the job with an open mind because the person in question is actually lovely..........for about three weeks! often much less.

[ocelot41]

The job is described as helping this person run two projects.I am quite senior so if I was successful, I was thinking about asking if in a year or so, I could be in charge of one of them. At the moment, I get the impression this person wants the kudos of being in charge of both but wants someone else to shoulder the work.

[ImperialBlether]

I think knowing about it in advance would help. As someone else said, you'll probably have a honeymoon period with this person and that's the time you have to be careful - don't let your guard down, set out your boundaries and don't get too friendly.

Don't forget if someone new comes in and makes yet another complaint about this person, surely something should be done then?

[bellathebluebell]

No, I wouldn't.

I'm a PA and have received warnings about difficult bosses in the past. I always used to breeze and say I could handle it. i couldn't! Now I just don't bother. Let another mug put up with her. Life is too short...

[slightlyeggstained]

Sounds like the worst possible arrangement - you will be doing the work, she will be micromanaging and everything bad will be your fault, everything good will be hers.

What's stopping you from saying "I'll take the job, if I run one project and she runs another. No overlap." If you're senior enough to be thinking you could ask to run a project in a year, then you're good enough to do it now. Nobody will be successful working under this person with unclear boundaries and no senior management support. You'd do better running something independently from day one.