What I Don't Like About Being a Manager

When I interviewed for the position of manager of my store I was asked what kinds of things do you like about being a manager? I named things like "I enjoy 'running the show', like the challenge, enjoy building "teams" and succeeding at goals, blah blah blah..."



I was also asked what I don't like about being a manager and I remember saying exactly "dealing with personnel issues, the hiring and firing." Hiring is a pain because it entails sifting through countless, mostly worthless applications (and I really think high schools should do a better job of preparing students to go into the working world. Teach them how to fill out applications properly and teach them good interviewing skills!), interviewing people then making a decision. It's always a gamble to choose someone good. I wish that interviews could be the first 30 days on the job, and if you don't cut it, I could cut you! But, no, I have to figure out if you are the right employee by looking at an application and talking to you one on one for a few minutes. It's such a pain.



Then the worst part is the firing. I hate the firing. Sometimes the firing is justice. If I have a really bad employee, who is not dependable and just needs to go away, it is not usually a problem for me to say "I'm letting you go, sign here".