Like the actual election, it was a tight race down to the very end, but when asked which of the two major presidential candidates people would rather have as a boss, the majority of U.S. Monster poll respondents had a clear answer: "Neither."

On that note, and putting all political opinions aside, as you interview for a new job, it's critical to realistically think about the qualities you seek in a future boss. The kind of manager you have can determine your career trajectory and overall success at a company, as well as your day-to-day happiness.

[See: Famous CEOs and Executives Share Their Best Career Advice .]

Unfortunately, the interview process is just a small window into life at a company and working for your potential manager, but there are ways to find out as much as possible in the little time you have. Here are several questions to ask yourself and your prospective employer if you want to figure out what kind of manager your potential boss will be.

Do they pay attention to you? During an interview, is your potential boss checking their phone, answering email and simply not making eye contact? If they're not engaged with you now, don't expect them to be when you work for them. You'll likely find yourself unsuccessfully striving to get five minutes of one-on-one time on their calendar, let alone securing time to make your case as to why you deserve a promotion.

On the flip side, during the interview an excellent boss will shut the door and subsequently shut out the world – the message is clear: You and only you are important during this brief time together. They should seem alert, focused, engaged and most importantly, not easily distracted .

What is their composure? Granted, it's not likely they'll fly off the handle – at first. When I was a recruiter, occasionally candidates who withdrew their candidacy revealed to me that the reason they had a change of heart was due to the demeanor of their potential boss – the person made a snide remark about the company or a colleague.

While this was unprofessional, it ended up being a blessing in disguise as those job seekers knew this certainly wasn't the type of environment they wanted to work in, or boss they wanted to work for.

[See: The 8 Stages of a Winning Job Search .]

How do they react to your responses to behavioral-based questions? When you're asked behavioral-based questions, such as, "Name a time when you worked with a difficult person. What was the situation, how did you handle it, what was the outcome?" and you're talking about a situation, see how your potential boss reacts and insert comments. Do they seem empathetic ? Do they seem to think you handled it appropriately? Most importantly, do you get the sense that if you approached them with a similar issue they would have your back? Is this someone you could see yourself confidently working for?

How do they prefer to manage people? (Look for clues) Do they have a hands-off approach or do they micromanage you daily? There are pros and cons to each so you need to first figure out which camp you prefer and then pick up on clues from your potential boss. You can ask how performance is measured and how involved they are – do they want to know about a task you're working on the entire time or only the outcome?

What do prospective colleagues say? In addition, hints about your potential boss don't only come from your manager; they can also show themselves through your prospective colleagues.

As your potential colleagues ask what questions you have for them, don't be shy! They expect you to ask questions, so get specific: "How is this department typically managed – is it the type of environment where you run with things, or does the boss prefer to be kept in the loop at all times?" and, "What does it take to succeed at this company and with the boss in terms of performance, recognition and communication?" The answers, unspoken as well (watch for eye contact or lack thereof and potential squirming around in the chair), can provide true insight into how your potential boss manages things and treats employees.

[See: 8 Ways Millennials Can Build Leadership Skills .]

What is the career path for the role I'm pursuing? Yes, while it's all too common to hear about people getting "promoted" at year-end, when it was really just your company's way of combining a year-end slight salary increase with a new title and calling it a promotion, you need to know if there's a career path for you at the prospective company.

Talk to the boss and ask questions about the career path for the role to find out if they walk the talk. They may say they believe in promoting their people and that employees are their best assets, but dig deeper – has anyone on the team been promoted, and if so, when? What's turnover been like on the team?

You can ask follow-up questions based on their answers, but pay close attention: What they say and also how they say it is very telling.

Are there training opportunities? Is there money in the budget for attending an industry conference or learning a new skill? The manager may tell you what you want to hear, but you can get a picture of this by asking potential colleagues – have they been approved for training opportunities ? What type of opportunities did they pursue? If they didn't pursue opportunities, that's one thing, but if they attempted to seek learning and it was consistently denied, that's a tell-tale sign.

Above all, keep in the back of your mind that the right boss can make or break you. And although an interview may not give you the complete picture of someone until you actually get there, you can certainly leverage it as your opportunity to see if it's a good fit. While they're assessing you, you absolutely must be assessing them – potential boss included – as well.

15 Awesome Jobs That Pay More Than $90K

15 Awesome Jobs That Pay More Than $90K