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Have you ever had a job that you hated?  A job where you wanted to burst into a fiery tirade about how horrible that job was just before you stalked out yelling, “I quit!” over your shoulder? 


If you’re like most people, you’ve had a job like that.  But whatever you do, don’t burn your bridges, because you never know when the contacts that you made when you were in that job could come in handy.

A lot of people in higher-level positions like the feeling of being a mentor.  Whether or not they fulfill the promise of being a good mentor is beside the point.  The point is that they enjoy the feeling.  When a person who began below them as an entry-level worker begins to spread their wings and go out on their own, it reflects well on that higher-level person. 

If you’ve ever had a job where you transfer from one manager’s department to another’s, you’ve probably noticed something like this.  If you do well in your new position, your previous manager will take the credit, saying that it was him/her that helped you develop into a productive worker.  

This may seem a bit insulting at first; after all, it was your hard work that got you where you are today.  But, it isn’t always wise to disabuse that former boss of the notion that they helped guide your progress.  

A far wiser thing to do is to ask that person for a letter of recommendation should you decide to try for a different position, whether within that company or without.  

It may seem strange, but some long-time managers begin to feel almost as though they are the mother hen and their workers are their chicks.  They don’t necessarily treat you like a porcelain doll, but they’ll help you along when you need it.  If you can recognize these tendencies in a boss, you can help your career later on down the line.
 
Don’t get me wrong; some of these bosses will be people that you would never want to get to know on a personal level.  But on a business level, they are good people to have in your corner.  

The long and the short of it is that most people enjoy teaching (to some degree) and enjoy seeing their students use those teachings well.  Get that boss on your side and you’ll have a good reference for life.

More resources:
About getting a reference from a former employer: http://www.nolo.com/article.cfm/ObjectID/0F55D73F-A2F8-44DD-980380B278C09B1E/catID/d348be73-c552-4d58-b00586c0c0909efa/104/150/269/ART/

Getting on your boss’s good side: http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/career-articles-getting_on_the_boss_s_good_side-498