If you’re looking for supervisor interview questions and answers, look no further. Our team has spent considerable time putting together the absolute greatest interview questions and answers for those who are looking to get hired in the supervisor position.

Supervisors are essentially operators within the company. But their primary objective is to look over other employees. Meaning, they are involved in the operational components of a business as it relates to the inner workings of the employee base. That could be employee guidance, employee direction, disputes, task diversification and much more.

What Is Going To Get Covered In A Supervisor Interview

When interviewing for a supervisor position, you might be asked questions that relate to your ability to multi-task, to manage a team, to give direction, to show guidance and what you do when those methods you spoke about don’t work.

Hiring managers who hire supervisors are looking for someone who can present a level of leadership that the employees will appreciate and adhere to. If you can’t seem to present yourself as a leader then you might have a more difficult time being hired as a supervisor.

Behavioral questions will absolutely be asked in the interview. You might expect questions like, “If you were an animal, what would you be?” or questions like, “How do you like to be managed?”

These types of questions give the hiring manager a sense of who you are as well as how you’ll treat the team that you’ll be responsible for.

5 Best Supervisor Interview Questions & Answers

1. What is transformational leadership?

There are two types of leadership: transactional and transformational. Transactional leadership is me telling someone what to do and when to do it. That’s fine but it also requires that I do that every time someone needs guidance. Transformational leadership is the process of me educating someone on what they can do for the company on a regular basis that will provide value. It equips the employee with the decision making abilities to do their role in an autonomous way.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

Behavioral Questions To Prepare For As A Supervisor Interviewee

Below are some behavioral questions that you may want to prepare for before you go on your interview. These questions may seem like trick questions but in reality as there to help the hiring manager get to know you better.

• What are your career goals?
• If you were an animal, what would you be?
• How do you like to be managed?
• What type of work environments do you prefer?

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