Ask straightforward questions. The way people answer them is more important than what the content (mostly) of those answers are: Examples: 1. Do you like work

Ask straightforward questions. The way people answer them is more important than what the content (mostly) of those answers are: Examples: 1. Do you like working here? You should get an impression that the person genuinely likes working there. If you have to drag enthusiasm out of them that's not a good sign. 2. What's your management philosophy? They should have one, or at least be able to sound like they've given it some thought. 3. Tell me about a time you disagreed with your manager or somebody senior, what did you do, what did they do? What ended up happening? What your looking for is a manager who is willing to admit some degree of political prowess. You DO NOT want to report to someone who cannot stand up to their seniors, it can be just as bad or worse than the overly political managers (the overly political managers at least get somewhere sometimes, you and your team will get resources, project wins, etc). More like this. Whatever question you'd like a direct answer on. Ask it, most likely you'll never get the whole truth, but the way these questions get answered matters.