Supervisor Interview Questions: Examples and Tips (2024)
Updated January 19, 2024
- Why Apply for the Position of Supervisor?
- Why Is a Supervisor Interview So Important?
- Example Interview Questions for a Supervisor Position in 2024
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- Tips for Acing Supervisor Interview Questions in 2024
- How to Follow Up on an Interview for a Supervisor Position
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Final Thoughts
Before we start, let's look at some common supervisor interview questions:
- What qualities do you think the ideal supervisor has?
- How do you keep employees motivated?
- How would you settle a conflict between two members of staff?
- Tell me about how you would handle an underperforming employee.
- How would you describe your supervisory style?
- Have you ever had to discipline an employee, and how did you go about it?
- Why do you want to be a supervisor?
This article will show you exactly how to answer them and how to stand out in our supervisor interview.
Why Apply for the Position of Supervisor?
If your career aspirations are to reach a high level of responsibility, securing the position of supervisor is a positive step in the right direction.
As a gateway to middle management and beyond, a supervisory role is an opportunity for you to gain experience, develop leadership skills and make a strong impression on senior staff who can help advance your career.
As they are a step up the ladder and hold so much potential, supervisor roles are also highly sought after, and you’re likely to face tough competition in the application process.
To help you prepare, we have compiled a list of common competency-based and supervisor behavioral interview questions.
Why Is a Supervisor Interview So Important?
If you’ve written a strong resume that shows the necessary skills and experience, chances are you’ll be invited to an interview for supervisor position candidates.
This is a crucial step in the recruitment process, as it allows the hiring manager to evaluate your skills in person and determine how effective you’re likely to be if offered the role.
Skills the interviewer will be on the lookout for include good communication, problem solving, interpersonal skills and organization.
On top of this, they’ll be looking for you to show key traits like initiative, resilience, empathy and assertiveness.
An interview is also an opportunity to measure how well your personality and work ethic fit with the organizational culture, so you can expect some supervisor interview questions around your motivations, values and working preferences.
Example Interview Questions for a Supervisor Position in 2024
Below you’ll find a mix of competency-based and supervisor behavioral interview questions with example answers.
The answers are, of course, for demonstration purposes only and should be used as inspiration for compiling your own responses.
What Qualities Do You Think the Ideal Supervisor Has?
This is one of the most common interview questions for a supervisor position. It’s designed to explore your approach to management and what you understand good leadership to be.
Avoid just listing a set of characteristics. Instead, explain the reasoning behind the qualities you mention.
Example answer:
A good supervisor should be in tune with the staff they supervise. If you want to get the best out of a team, you have to listen to them and encourage them to work together, so you need to be attentive, approachable and motivational. You also need an air of authority but understand that good leadership is about earning respect, not shouting orders.
How Do You Keep Employees Motivated?
As a supervisor it’s your responsibility to keep staff morale up and encourage employees to achieve their goals – whatever those goals may be.
If you have one, share a real world example of when you’ve implemented a motivational initiative, and show how it was beneficial to both the workforce and the organization as a whole.
Example answer:
Day to day, I think it’s important to keep staff up to date with how the business is doing. When they see how their work contributes to something bigger, it pushes them on. Recognition is important too. When an employee does a good job they should be applauded.
Something I’ve found works well when things get tough, like over the holiday season, is to really push the team effort and give them some autonomy. Last year, I swapped personal targets for team targets and let the staff figure out how best to achieve them. They appointed their own sub-supervisor to report to me everyday, and we were the best performing department that Christmas.
How Would You Settle a Conflict Between Two Members of Staff?
Conflict resolution is a big part of being a supervisor. It may not happen often, but when two members of staff have a disagreement, it can be highly disruptive to the entire team.
Show the interviewer that you understand the need to act quickly, stay impartial and find the best resolution for everyone involved.
Example answer:
In my experience, most conflicts are easily resolved if you're fast to respond. When I’ve had issues in the past, I’ve approached each employee privately to hear their side of the story before bringing them together to discuss it.
It’s all about de-escalating and looking at a problem objectively. If we can’t find a suitable solution between us all, then it’s my job as supervisor to decide the best course of action, but I’ll always try the collaborative approach first.
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Tell Me How You Would Handle an Underperforming Employee
Companies put a lot of money into recruitment, so it’s important that every employee hired performs to the best of their ability. When they don’t, it’s their immediate supervisor who will step in first.
Show here that you have strategies for dealing with such scenarios, and that you won’t just run to your own line manager when someone’s not doing as they’re told.
Example answer:
I’d first try to find out why they were underperforming. Have they not had the right training? Do they not have the right tools or support? Are they having personal issues? I think there’s usually a reason other than idleness.
When you identify the source of the problem, you can fix it. If it turned out they were just lazy, I’d look to HR for advice.
How Would You Describe Your Supervisory Style?
This is one of those interview questions for a supervisor candidate that you may think is tricky to answer if you don’t have any supervisory experience. Don’t panic if you find yourself in this scenario.
Think about supervisors you’ve had yourself in the past, how they approached their role and what lessons you’ve learned from their style. Then apply this to yourself.
Example answer:
I’d describe my style as motivational and supportive. I always look for individual strengths in a team and how to pull these together. Knowing what people are good at is the only way to delegate tasks effectively and encourage staff to achieve their full potential.
I also try my best to lead by example. If I don’t exhibit certain behaviors myself, how can I expect others to?
Have You Ever Had to Discipline an Employee, and How Did You Go About it?
Discipline is one of the hardest parts of a supervisor’s job. It has to be well-judged, fair and matched to the offense.
You also need to be aware that every organization will have its own disciplinary procedures and as supervisor you must adhere to them.
Example answer:
As team leader, I once had to discipline a member of staff for persistent tardiness. I’d already discussed it with them multiple times in a friendly manner but the behavior continued.
Our policy was to issue a written warning, which I did with the approval of my line manager. Unfortunately, it didn’t have any impact. At that point, I felt the issue was beyond my level of authority, so I escalated it up the management chain.
Why Do You Want to be a Supervisor?
This is an example of a first time supervisor interview question, where as a candidate you are hoping to move up the management ladder.
Clearly explain your motivations and how you see your career progressing.
Example answer:
I’ve been ready to take on more responsibility for a while now. I think I’ve developed as much as I can at my current level, and supervisor is the next logical step in my professional journey.
I’m really keen for my work to have an impact – to contribute to a business’ growth and help others with their own development.
Tips for Acing Supervisor Interview Questions in 2024
Step 1. Think About Your Experience in Advance
The supervisor interview questions and answers given above are designed to inspire you and get you thinking about how your past experience can offer examples of relevant skills.
Try to come up with several examples for different question types, like those around communication, organization or your managerial style. The more you consider your experience and how it relates to a supervisor role, the better prepared you’ll be to handle anything the interviewer throws at you.
If you don’t have supervisor experience, it’s worth reviewing example first time supervisor questions and answers beforehand so you know what to expect.
Step 2. Use the STAR Method When Answering Interview Questions for a Supervisor Position
The STAR method is a good way to make sure your answers are well-structured, concise and provide a measurable outcome.
It involves describing a situation, what you were tasked with, the action you took and the results that followed. Practice this technique before your interview with some of the examples you’ve taken from your past experience.
Step 3. Watch Your Body Language
It’s not just your answers that matter in a supervisor interview – it’s also the way you deliver them. A hiring manager can tell a lot from the way you hold yourself, your gesticulations, your eye contact.
Be aware of your body language throughout and the messages it could be sending.
Step 4. Prepare for Tough Supervisor Interview Questions
If you don’t have any supervisory experience, there may be some questions you find particularly difficult to answer. To prepare, think about other aspects of your life where you may have shown leadership skills.
This could relate to college projects, sports clubs, involvement in charitable activities – anything will work, provided you show key competencies and skills.
Keep in mind also that the interviewer will be aware of your work history from your resume, so when it comes to first time supervisor interview questions and answers, you will not expect you to share specific examples if you have not had the relevant experience.
Step 5. Have Some Questions of Your Own
By asking questions of your own you show the interviewer that you are truly invested in the opportunity on offer and keen to learn more about the role.
Questions to ask in a supervisor interview might revolve around the potential for further training, the structure of the staff you’ll be supervising or how the company approaches performance reviews.
To really make a strong impression, you should also consider general interview tips and advice like choosing the right outfit, arriving early and doing plenty of research on the hiring company.
How to Follow Up on an Interview for a Supervisor Position
However well (or badly) you think your supervisor interview went, you should always take the time to follow up. One, out of courtesy and, two, because it’s a good way to reiterate why you’re a strong candidate for the job.
The best way to do this is by sending a thank you email to the interviewer. This should communicate that you appreciate their time and are thankful that they are considering you for the role.
Having had time to reflect, you may feel there were important points missed in your interview or things you didn’t explain as well as you’d like.
A thank you email is a chance to address this, but keep it brief. Explain yourself concisely and let the interviewer know you’re open to a follow-up conversation if they should wish.
After this, it’s advisable to wait around 10 to 14 days before contacting them again for an update if a final decision has not yet been communicated to you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common supervisor interview questions typically relate to your understanding of good leadership and how you get the best out of the people under your supervision. ‘Tell me about your supervisory style’, ‘How do you motivate a team?’ and ‘How do you handle team conflict’ are some examples here.
If you’re taking a step up, you’re likely to be asked first time supervisor interview questions – for example, ‘Why do you want to take on a supervisor position?’ or ‘What skills do you have that you think are well suited to the role of supervisor?’
When answering these interview questions for new managers, consider different aspects of your life where you may have demonstrated leadership skills.
To prepare for your supervisor interview, you should research some supervisor interview questions and think about the experience you have that can be used to address them. Try and think of examples that show key skills like communication, decision making and delegation.
You should also do your research on the hiring company and prepare some questions of your own. It’s a good idea to run a practice interview with friends or family to build your confidence and iron out any issues.
Supervisors are responsible for overseeing employees in a designated team or department. They delegate tasks according to skill set, plan work rotas, support staff with training and development, onboard new hires and feedback on performance.
They also act as a bridge, communicating organizational goals from above and reporting back to senior management.
A good supervisor has all the qualities of an effective leader. They should be strong communicators who exhibit active listening, empathy and understanding, and have the ability to inspire others to achieve their goals.
They should have a level of commercial awareness and possess the skill set needed to manage people, workloads, resources and processes.
Stress management plays a key part in a supervisor’s work. There will often be times when stressful situations occur, and it’s important to have good coping strategies in place for both yourself and your team.
In your supervisor interview, show you are resilient, considerate of the working environment and that you’re happy to ask for additional resources whenever necessary.
Supervisors need to encourage engagement to keep a team motivated. Employees must feel invested in their own work, their job as a cohort and their colleagues.
Try implementing team development strategies, share business objectives with clear goals to achieve and make sure employees have the right resources, support and opportunities to perform at their best.
Some of the most common challenges faced by supervisors include dealing with staff shortages, knowing how to offer constructive criticism, handling staff conflict and dismissing employees.
If you progress to the role of supervisor in a company you already work for, you may have to manage people who were previously your peers. Shifting these working relationships is possibly one of the toughest challenges to overcome.
Final Thoughts
Securing a supervisor position is a big step in your career, and the interview is your best opportunity to make a strong impression.
Spending time looking at interview questions and answers for supervisor positions will get you thinking about how your experience fits and how you can pull examples from it to showcase your skills.
