CHECK OUT BOSS FIRST.

Byline: KEN LLOYD On the Job

Q When my current boss interviewed me for this job, he was friendly, funny, and easy-going. Now that I work here, he is mean and completely different from the way he was in the interview. I wonder why he would do this and if there is anything I can do about it. B.G.

A The reason your boss acted like a human being during the interview is that if he acted like himself, neither you nor any other reasonable applicant would have accepted the job. He is obviously a pretty good actor, although he has trouble staying in character during the second act.

When dealing with a manager who adheres to the Jekyll and Hyde theory of management, there are a few steps to consider. In the first place, the next time he is mean to you, let him see how his behavior is working against his own objectives. He needs to understand that by being mean to you, not only is he generating stress and dissatisfaction, he is also undercutting performance and productivity.

One of the most powerful words in the persuasive process is ``guarantee.'' Tell him that you guarantee that if he can treat you more professionally, your productivity will improve. Be sure to give him a clear idea of what you mean by professional treatment.

Over the long run, the best way to avoid this type of problem is to screen your future boss as carefully as he or she would screen you. Sometimes a few words with your future co-workers can tell you whether the boss knows how to act like a manager or merely knows how to act.

Q I have been doing market research here for about a year, and one of my co-workers is assigned to be my mentor. He reviews my work and advises me. I disagreed with what he wanted me to do on a recent project, but I went along with it. It turns out that I was right and he was wrong. Should I tell this to our boss? T.A.

A If you go to your boss on this matter, your behavior may be regarded as tattling, shrinking responsibility, and undercutting a colleague. And further, your boss may ask something like, ``If you truly believed that you were right and your mentor was wrong, why didn't you stand up for yourself?''

If you believe that you are not getting useful advice from your mentor, the first place to look is at yourself, particularly in terms of your ability to act assertively in support of your ideas. In fact, when you demonstrate the self-assurance needed in this type of situation, perhaps your mentor and management will see that you are ready to work on your own.

However, if you still want to go to management, your objective should not be to criticize or blame your mentor for anything. Rather, your objective should be to demonstrate to management that you are ready for more autonomy. Be sure to bring in specific data from your work and educational experiences to show that this is the case.

One less obvious point that you hopefully learned from your mentor is to listen extra carefully when others disagree with you. This lesson is going to help you become a better employee, manager, and future mentor.

Q. Over the past several weeks, our manager has hired four new people in our department, and each one is less qualified than the next. This has created more work for all of us. We told our manager about the problem, but he thinks it is a case of longer-term employees resisting new hires. What should we do now? D.C.

A With the recent shift in the economy, there are many more qualified applicants swimming around in the labor pool these days. At the same time, if a company is committed to hiring less qualified applicants, there needs to be an equally strong commitment to training them.

Your manager seems to subscribe to the philosophy of hiring unqualified personnel and not training them. Give him some factual data to let him see that this is not exactly a win-win formula.

If your manager is planning on doing even more hiring, you and your associates should indicate that you would like to help. By offering help rather than complaints or criticism, you are more likely to catch his ear. Many companies are getting their employees involved in screening, and this approach is linked to more effective hiring decisions.

In addition, ask your manager what he is going to do about providing the four newly hired employees with more training, and let him know that you are willing to help in this area, too. And speaking of training, perhaps your manager should think about selecting a training program on employee selection.