Are you a supervisor and looking for a supervisor job? Going through sample supervisor interview questions and having an idea on how to perfectly answer the questions will surely give you an advantage over others.
Supervisor position is not an ordinary position that a company want to fill. They need someone more qualified to be able to fit the role.
Supervisor is a very popular job title, and you will be going for a tough competition when applying for the role of a supervisor. It is advised you go though some sample supervisor interview questions.
Becoming a supervisor in a company obviously place you in charge of a lot of employees. You may even be placed to supervise employees who have been in the company for a longer time than you (might even be a decade older than you in the company).
It is very crucial to possess interpersonal and good leadership skills when applying for a supervisory role.
Having said that you need to have interpersonal and good leadership skills, there are other skills that the company may require, and you can find them out in the job description.
Whether the job is for a production supervisor, warehouse supervisor or sales supervisor the same skills and competence is required to successfully carryout supervisory role in the company.
How to Answer
Before we give sample answers to supervisor interview questions, here are some tips that can help you out in giving perfect answers
Do Research
Just like we keep reminding job seekers to do in-depth research about the company they are applying and also about the job they are applying.
The requirements for a particular job position might be different from that of your company or former company. So it is essential you do an in-depth research to have a complete understanding of what is required.
Center your answers on Leadership and Interpersonal skills
The overall skills needed to be a successful supervisor centers on good leadership and interpersonal skills. You should endeavor to make these two skills your talking point when you are interviewing for a supervisor position.
Tailor Your Answers
After doing an in-depth research and having a complete understanding of what is required, you should tailor your answers to align with those requirements.
Hiring managers are only interested in hiring those that know what they are doing.
Backup Your Answers with Examples
Supervisor position is a very crucial position and no company wants to take the risk of having a bad hire. Most times employers are looking for candidates who have supervisory experiences. So you should try to give examples or tell short stories about your past related experience to backup your answers.
Also Read : Interview Questions For Managers (11 common Examples & Answers)
Supervisor interview Questions and Answers
Supervisor interview Questions – Sample #1
How would you provide guidance to an employee who needs help?
“Everyone takes guidance in their own way. It’s very critical that as a leader, we recognize this. The way I learn is not the same way someone else does. I first need to establish how it is that person likes to learn. Is it through verbal guidance or hands-on guidance? Then from there, I can do my best to educate them on what they need help with, in a way that suits them.”
Supervisor interview Questions – Sample #2
What are some successful ways you’ve been able to motivate employees?
“Different employees require different types of motivation. Some of my direct reports respond very well to public praise and acknowledgement for their ideas. Other employees of mine have been most motivated by contests or competitions with a small prize. I try to accommodate the employees’ personalities as much as I can.”
Supervisor interview Questions – Sample #3
When was the last time you had to deal with an employee who was not performing and how did you handle it?
“I recently had an account manager with a few client complaints. He was not responding to emails in a timely fashion and failed to follow up with important documents as promised. I outlined for him the specific complaints and we came up with a game plan together. We scheduled an hour each morning for him to exclusively follow up on emails, and discussed setting up calendar reminders associated with sending important reports to clients.”
Supervisor interview Questions – Sample #4
What do you consider the main goals of a supervisor?
“To maintain high motivation and enthusiasm in the workplace, to ensure everyone works to their full potential, and to take care of any problems that arise in the workplace, or between the workers, such as conflict, loss of motivation, and other problems”
Supervisor interview Questions – Sample #5
Where do you expect to be in five years’ time?”
“I hope to eventually gain more experience and move into a regional supervisor role or probably be in a mid level management position”
Supervisor interview Questions – Sample #6
How do you resolve disputes between employees?
“In my experience, there are always two sides to every story. I always get every party’s input about the conflict before I do anything. I’ve found it helpful to get everyone in a room together and serve as a mediator to decide how we can resolve the issue. I always get the agreed upon resolution, and each person’s responsibilities to it, in writing and provide a copy to everyone.”
Supervisor interview Questions – Sample #7
What are some ways supervisors can go above and beyond their role?
“Additional tasks I can take on as a supervisor is to keep track of any additional needs that happen outside the employee’s realm. For example, maybe watching how well the customer service is within the company and reporting that back to management, can be beneficial. Watching the other functional area’s of the business and reporting on it can be a major benefit.”
Supervisor interview Questions – Sample #8
What do you think will be the most important skills needed within the team you’ll be supervising?
“Given the company’s focus on shipping large home appliances, I know that relevant safety qualifications and knowledge will be especially important. Also, as this site is the primary distribution centre for one of the country’s biggest suppliers, it’ll be a hectic and high-pressure environment. Accordingly, I’d expect the team working under me to be able to remain calm and focused under pressure.”
Supervisor interview Questions – Sample #9
How would you handle an employee who doesn’t seem to want guidance?
“Employee’s who don’t seem to want guidance is a regular occurrence. The best thing I can do is explain how the process the employee is taking is not the best thing for the company. And agree on the fact that we both want the company to succeed. Once we do that we can start thinking about ways to provide guidance to that employee that best suits them. We don’t want to create frustration. Only progress.”
Supervisor interview Questions – Sample #10
How do you identify employees who are struggling?
“Struggling employees often have a hard time communicating their needs or tend not to communicate at all. They frequently become either more abrupt with their communication or more reserved. Both are signs that the employee is struggling and may need to be checked-in with by myself.”
Supervisor interview Questions – Sample #11
Tell us about a time you had to discipline someone
“When I was working as a supervisor at XYZ Company I noticed that one team member was always turning up late. I broached the topic with her informally to begin with and attempted to find out if there were any personal reasons for this behaviour. However, it continued over the course of a month and so I told her she would be put on a first warning if she carried on arriving late. This conversation had the desired effect and she did start coming in on time after that.”
Now it’s Your Turn
That is it on my guide on supervisor interview questions and answers
Did you found it helpful?
Which sample answer is your favourite?
Or are you a supervisor? Which answer did you have for any of the above mentioned questions?
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