Q: I am fairly perceptive, but I am not a psychologist. I took a new job after being interviewed by the company owner and the supervisor I would directly report to. Both seemed OK, not touchy-feely people, which I thought was good, but normal, intelligent people I could learn from. I paid most attention to the supervisor because she would be assigning me work and reviewing my performance. During my interview, though she was hard to read, she smiled appropriately, asked direct questions and seemed businesslike, so I thought she would be fair and reasonable.

Whoa! Nothing could be further from the truth. She has an inherently mean nature, and I can't figure out what I've done to cause it. I listen to her every direction and take notes when it's too involved to remember. When I ask questions, she answers them, and I take that as a good sign. But when I turn in my finished work, bam, the sledgehammer comes down, and she pounds me on what I should have done. She never gives me such advice while I am working on the tasks but slams me for things when I'm finished. I have remained respectful, still trying to figure out where her anger is coming from. At what point do I stand my ground?

A: Standing your ground is not a good approach to take with a boss, regardless of whether she is or is not reasonable. Review your interview experience with her. People who are naturally mean-spirited or ruthless can be hard to read because they expend all their energy hiding their true selves. They know the accepted standard behavior, social mores and appropriate times to politely smile and laugh, and they have mastered overall control of how they want to appear. You were being shown a facade, not the real person.

Now that you work there, your supervisor has no reason to hide that true self, so you are seeing the "insider," the personality that has nothing to do with reason or cause and effect where you're concerned.

Genuine personality types can be read more easily because they have nothing to hide. With no hidden agenda or worries about what others might think of them, they follow interview protocol as secure individuals who can behave naturally and spontaneously to conversations and situations.

Getting through this work experience will be a challenge as long as you remain at the company. If the work and the overall job are a good steppingstone on your career path, continue being polite, listening to your supervisor's comments and criticism, and maintaining the "yes, ma'am" attitude. Your overly tolerant behavior is a means to an end.

If you were hoping to be in the job long term, you must alter your plans. Try to stay for a year while remaining a good employee. The only time to defend yourself would be if she were to attack you in writing, placing the complaint in your file with human resources. You need to play defense when it could affect your future, so never let an accusation go unanswered.

Stay abreast of the jobs in your field, and don't confine yourself to a narrow location. The more deeply entrenched you become to a specific location the more difficult your career journey will be.

Email your problems and questions to workplace expert Lindsey Novak at [email protected], and follow her on Twitter @I_truly_care. To find out more about Lindsey Novak and to read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.