Top 40 Supervisor Interview Questions And Answers

If you are preparing for your interview for the position of  Supervisor, some of these Supervisor interview questions may be posed to you. 

These questions may pertain to your previous experience, and skills, and may also be situational or behavioral. 

Although you won’t know what questions will be asked of you until you appear for the interview, this guide provides a list of the most frequently asked Supervisor interview questions and answers.

Read Also: List Of Strengths And Weaknesses For Job Interviews

Frequently Asked Supervisor Interview Questions And Answers

1 Why Should We Hire You As A Supervisor?

Being a strategist, I enjoy carrying out plans and I am capable of achieving both long-term and short-term objectives. 

In my career, I’ve participated in a variety of teams making me flexible and adaptable to changes as needed by the team. 

I work quickly, adhere to deadlines, and complete projects on time, and I firmly believe I am capable of supervising this team with success.

2 What Are The Roles Of A Supervisor?

The roles of a Supervisor include:

• The supervisor must complete the task using the tools at hand.
• Maintain a program of training for the team members.
• Create a plan to finish the projects by the deadlines.
• Deliver precise instructions to the team members.
• Pay attention to the comments and questions made by the team members.

3 What Are The Duties Of A Supervisor?

The supervisor’s duties include:

• Make a plan for how the team members will accomplish the project’s goals.
• Depending on each team member’s skill level, assign them various tasks.
• Keep an eye on the projects’ performance and deadlines.
• Send the development to higher reporting levels.
• Evaluation of team members’ performance
• Establish a motivating work environment

4 How Would You Motivate Your Staff?

A motivated staff can complete any task with ease and grace when combined with energy, skills, and knowledge. 

I will use these strategies to motivate my staff:

• Make the workplace enjoyable for the team
• Present chances for team members to acquire new abilities
• Energize the participants by appreciating their suggestions
• Ensure that each team member is content and has a positive attitude while working
• Encourage team members who make a mistake to try again

5 What Is Your Preferred Way Of Communication With The Team?

A leader’s ability to communicate with the team effectively is important, so I’ll use these methods of communication:

• Always greet and bid farewell to my team.
• Every week, hold an open meeting to allow for the discussion of everything that needs to be addressed.  
• For those who require it, conduct one-on-one meetings with the team members.
• Use straightforward English or a preferred language that anyone can understand.

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6 How Do You Keep Track Of Tasks And Goals?

I use the following techniques to keep track of my tasks and objectives both personally and at work:

• I divide a large, complex task into smaller tasks before assigning the work to my team and providing a thorough description. 
• If I have several projects going on at once, I make sure to prioritize my tasks based on the project deadlines.
• I make sure that the hardest task is finished first after carefully reviewing the project.

7 What Are The Qualities Of A Successful Supervisor?

Qualities of a successful Supervisor include:

• Strong communication skills to ensure that the correct information reaches the correct team member to complete a task successfully and without misunderstandings.
• Highly organized and efficient.
• Trustworthiness in teammates. 
• Respect everyone in the team, regardless of their level of experience.
• Being honest with your teammates and working with the utmost integrity. 

8 How Would You Deliver Bad News To Your Staff?

You must demonstrate to the interviewer that you understand that bad news is an inevitable part of the job.

In this instance, I would gather the entire team and explain what has happened when delivering bad news.

You must demonstrate to the interviewer that you can be empathetic while carefully explaining why this situation occurred, what steps you have taken to mitigate the effects of this bad news, and remaining strong throughout the process.

Read Also: Top 10 Behavioral Interview Questions And Sample Answers

9 How To Manage Conflicts In A Team?

If there is a conflict in a team, I will hold an open meeting so that I can listen to everyone, so that the situation can be handled immediately and there is no miscommunication. It will then be simple for me to reach a decision.

10 How Do You Manage Your Time And Prioritize Tasks?

I prioritize tasks based on the urgency of the task and the importance of each task. So I make a list of the tasks and, if they are large, I divide them into smaller tasks. 

If I receive a new task, I add it to the list and put in the completion date.

11 How Would You Control A Dispute Among Staff Disagreeing Over Job Responsibilities?

Conflict resolution is a critical skill that Supervisors must master to effectively solve problems that arise while working on a project. 

Conflict arises as a result of miscommunication or incorrect task assignments to team members. 

I would listen to both sides of the argument while gathering the root cause of the conflict from the conversation. 

Then, after carefully analyzing the situation, I will devise a solution that is not biased toward any team member.

12 As A Supervisor, How Do You Supervise Through Change?

Change is an essential component of development and it is my responsibility as a Supervisor to quickly adapt to changes. 

I will embrace these changes and be confident in them so that if any team member asks questions or anything specific about it, I am prepared with the correct answer.

13 What Is Employee Transfer?

Employee Transfer is a lateral movement involving only one employee in the company. It’s also defined as the movement of one employee from one job to another without changing any of the responsibilities or compensation.

Employee transfer can also be defined as a change in one job within the company where the various new jobs are substantially equivalent to the former in terms of pay, status, and responsibilities. 

Employees can be transferred from one department of the company to another, as well as from one plant to another.

14 Is Competition Among Team Members Healthy?

Team members must keep up with changes in technology, so healthy competition among team members is beneficial as long as it does not impair overall work quality or team unity.

Some team members may not be very social and may not enjoy participating in competitions and other events.

I will recognize this and not force these employees to compete but when they realize others are benefiting, they will automatically begin participating in these activities.

15 How Do You Present An Argument?

As a Supervisor, I will be able to handle and present arguments using the following strategies to present an argument strongly and effectively:

• Before speaking, I’ll listen.
• I’ll explain each contested point.
• Recognize what is wrong and right.
• I’ll be courteous and try to justify my response.
• The case should be compelling and realistic.
• Pose questions and scenarios.

16 What Is The Difficult Part Of Being A Supervisor?

The most difficult part is pointing the candidate in the right direction because before providing guidelines to candidates, Supervisors should be assertive.

To regularly nurture good ideas from employees, the Supervisor must be a strong communicator who understands the two-way nature of communication.

17 What Are Some Challenges Of Being A Leader?

The Supervisor must analyze the gaps in business operations and reform goal-oriented business practices and processes. 

Reasons why Supervisors, may not be able to overcome these organizational challenges include:

• Inability to learn from mistakes
• Inability to resolve conflicts
• Inadequate communication and team management abilities
• insufficient knowledge of leadership qualities
• Incorrect leadership style selection

18 How Do You Conduct A Code Review?

These are steps I’ll take to conduct an efficient code review:

• I won’t review more than 400 lines of code at once.
• A 500 LOC per hour inspection rate is a good starting point.
• Code will be reviewed for one hour at a time.
• Set objectives and collect metrics.
• Annotate the source code before beginning the review.
• Utilize checklists.
• Create a procedure to address the discovered flaws.
• Maintain a positive code review culture.
• Take advantage of the subconscious implications of peer review.
• Lightweight code reviews should be used.

19 How Do You Ensure Quality Of Code?

The quality of the code determines whether it is of high quality or low quality. Whatever the quality is, it is subjective.

To ensure the quality of the code, I’ll follow these steps below:

• Choose just one coding standard.
• Examine the code.
• Legacy code refraction.

 20 What Tools Do You Use To Test Code Quality?

I use the following  free and paid tools to test code quality:

• Sonar Qube
• ESLint
• Klocwork
• Coverity
• Code Climate
• Codacy
• Closure Linter
• JS Hint
• JS Lint
• Pylint

21 How Do You Debug An Application?

I use these methods to effectively debug an application:

• I’ll consistently reproduce the bug before making any code changes.
• Recognize the stack traces.
• Create a single test case to demonstrate the bug.
• Familiarize myself with the error code.
• Do a thorough internet search to get information on this.

22 How Do You Convince Someone To Agree With You?

I always make sure that what I am going to say is something I am completely confident in before I tell someone, and I then explain to them how my sharing will benefit them. 

For instance, if I must assign a project to a member of my team, I will ensure that they understand how working on the project will benefit them.

23 How Would You Differentiate Between A Team Leader And A Team Manager?

A team manager is someone who gives the team members a set of instructions and job responsibilities but leaves the rest up to them to understand and carry out. 

In contrast, a team leader will motivate the members of the team to achieve their current objectives, work more effectively, and create a highly productive environment.

24 How Would You Decide If A Project Is At Risk Before Accepting It?

Accepting a project when it is in danger makes more sense because difficulties will increase my productivity. 

Now, I will definitely fully comprehend a project before accepting it and will plan my risk response accordingly. 

I’ll consider every option to ensure the project’s success like listing all of the project risks in one location after I have identified them all. 

I’ll gather all the tools that can lower the risk and make a list of all the potential hazards and available resources.

25 How Do You Improve Team Skills?

To improve team skills, I’ll participate in these team exercises:

• I’ll appreciate each team member’s suggestion.
• Regularly educate the team members
• I don’t fight over who gets credit for the work because we collaborate rather than work alone.
• To improve the team’s performance, I established some ground rules.
• Show I’m happy with the group’s accomplishments.

26 What Methods Do You Use To Assess Your Team’s Performance?

When it becomes necessary for me to evaluate the performance of my team, I will do so consistently using reports such as daily, weekly, and monthly work reports. 

To ensure that I know who is working hard to advance the business and merits praise, I will always ask them to share their ideas with the team. 

I’ll offer self-monitoring strategies so they can assess themselves and dispel the notion that they lack the skills necessary for the job. 

27 What Is Your Approach When You Are Uncertain About Meeting Your Deadlines?

When I am uncertain about meeting my deadlines, I break down the situation with my team and ask for suggestions on how to finish the tasks before the due dates and how they can help me. 

I will even talk to my manager to get his or her opinion.

28 Describe How You Will Praise A Staff In Front Of Others?

The best way to recognize staff for their hard work is to express appreciation and a verbal compliment, in my opinion, is more powerful. 

I much prefer to compliment someone verbally in front of others because they do anticipate a complimentary comment from the manager or supervisor. 

Praising them will lessen the sense of negativity created in their minds and will ultimately increase their productivity, even if the staff is unable to complete the task assigned.  

29 How To Achieve Your Goal Successfully?

I follow the steps below to be able to achieve my goals successfully:

• Maintain my expertise in my field through training and certification
• To establish a relationship with the team member, I’ll keep in touch with them
• Keep an eye on both my and my team’s productivity. 
• If I need any help with the project, I’ll ask my seniors and teammates for assistance.

30 How Do You Assign Responsibilities To Your Staff?

The best aspect of assigning tasks to staff or employees is that each person feels a sense of ownership and will take on the task in any circumstance. 

This gives them the impression that they are important members of the team and contributors to the project. 

While assigning responsibilities to my staff, there will be deadlines, of course, but no criticism or harsh words.  

31 Explain Your Strengths And Weaknesses As A Supervisor?

My strengths as a Supervisor include:

• Ability to communicate with people very easily
• Organizing work properly
• Ability to work hard under pressure 

My weakness as a Supervisor include:

• I’m emotional
• I’m most times unable to refuse people
• I’m not able to lie

32 According To You, Competition Among A Team Is Healthy Or Not?

Team rivalry, in my opinion, is healthy provided there are no animosities or jealousies toward other members, this is referred to as healthy competition. 

When we teach and encourage healthy conflicts, rewards for top performance, and appreciation for the other team members, it is healthy.

When a person or a team is heavily competing with other teams, they need to find good competing opportunities.  

33 What Are The Four Different Leadership Styles And Brief Them?

Autocratic or Authoritarian leadership is one that:

• Assigns tasks and responsibilities without consulting others’ opinions
• Talks excessively
• Employees in this leadership position don’t advance

Participatory or Democratic leadership is one that:

• Has faith in the abilities and knowledge of others
• Involves others in the development of leadership and skills
• The staff perceives management’s concern for them

Unrestrained leadership is one that:

• Transfer the duties to their subordinates.
• Lacks concern for the team’s activities
• Lowers the team’s productivity.

Paternalistic leadership is one that

• The leader anticipates playing a fatherly role
• The team’s leader leads and safeguards them 
• The leader provides favorable working conditions.

34 What According To You Is The Most Challenging Part Of Being A Supervisor?

The most challenging part of supervising include:

• A lack of development
• Lack of team support
• Lack of support from higher authorities.

These issues in the workplace can be avoided with the right goals and plans and good communication.

35 How To Deal With Staff Who Disagrees With You?

If a staff or employee disagrees with me, I will personally meet with him to discuss his reasons for doing so. 

After talking with the staff, I will determine the point on which we can both agree so that neither of us feels invalidated.  

36 How Do You Handle An Employee With A Bad Attitude?

Despite their technical competence, employees with poor attitudes make the workplace unmanageable with their inappropriate behavior.

I’ll take this approach while dealing with employees with such attitude:

• Employees will receive regular feedback and performance evaluations.
• Correctly address any employee issues.
• Run appropriate attitude-awareness campaigns.
• Disputes between employees will be resolved.

37 What Are The Essential Characteristics Needed By An Effective Negotiator?

Essential traits needed by an effective negotiator include:

• Possessing goodwill 
• Having a good reputation
• Be well-prepared before engaging in the negotiation
• Keep an open mind

38  How To Deal With Rude Staff At Work?

There are a variety of strategies that Supervisors should use to deal with rude employees at work, they include:

• Be understanding of them and make an effort to comprehend the rudeness that motivated their actions.
• Engage in conversation with them to identify the underlying causes of their rudeness.
• Avoid being obnoxious.
• Give the employee who struggles with polite behavior more time.
• Recognize the person’s personality.

39 What Do You Consider Before Firing Or Hiring?

Before hiring, I consider these factors:

• Whether the applicant is qualified for the position?
• Can they manage the workload?
• Does his skill set match the requirements of the position or not?
• Does he or she have any prior relevant work experience?

Before firing, I consider these factors:

• Has the employee received a warning before or not?
• Can the sacking be prevented?
• Is the employee aware of the reason for their termination?

40 How Would You Assign Tasks Of A Project To Your Staff?

As a Supervisor, I must be able to distribute tasks most appropriately to ensure work quality and timeliness.

To accomplish this, I will assess the overall workload and divide it into different talent zones. 

Then I will delegate tasks so that each person gets what he or she is best at, to maintain both quality and timeliness.

Prepare For The Supervisor Interview 

The list of top Supervisor interview questions and answers was created with the guidance of professionals in the field. 

If you are chosen for the position of Supervisor, bear in mind that you will be responsible for the entire team that will work under your direction. 

To help prepare for your interview, you could do a question and answer session using this guide to aid you.

Have a great day.