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Top 6 Production Supervisor Interview Questions

June 5, 2017
June 5, 2017 TruPath

Top 6 Production Supervisor Interview Questions

Production supervisors are responsible for overseeing daily operations, as well as managing workflow and supervising employees and production. The production supervisor typically is in charge of communicating tasks and expectations to other employees, as well as maintaining the staff at hand. When posing production supervisor interview questions, it’s important to go beyond the resume.

While previous work experience is valuable and necessary, a production supervisor also needs to know how to handle specific, spontaneous situations they may not have previously dealt with.

Here are a few production supervisor interview questions to ask a potential candidate.

Production Supervisor Interview Questions

In your opinion, what makes for a strong production supervisor?

How a potential candidate answers this question will reveal their values as an employee. It may also indicate how they lead in the workplace. A strong candidate for a production supervisor should be confident in their answer, and confident in their ability to fulfill and meet their own expectations. If you are aware of their expectations and how they manage themselves, then everyone will be on the same page if you decide to follow through with hiring them.

Discuss a time you had to make a decision without knowing all the details of the information needed to make the decision.

A production supervisor oversees the ins and outs of an operation. Thus, they must feel prepared to make executive decisions without immediately having the full picture. There will be times when there is missing information, or details that have not been figured out or properly communicated. A well-versed production supervisor should feel comfortable making important decisions under pressure.

How do you deal with employee turnover?

Employee turnover is inevitable, but how a production supervisor manages it is crucial. Company culture is often at the forefront of employee turnover. Therefore, it’s critical that the production supervisor helps create a positive company culture. Can the candidate manage other aspects to decrease employee turnover?

How do you confront stressful situations in the workplace?

Whether a production supervisor crumbles or thrives under the pressure of stress, determines how well they will lead others and themselves in the company. Stress is unavoidable. But how one commands the situation defines the company culture and the team led by the production supervisor.

How do you handle conflict in the workplace?

What sets a good production supervisor apart from a great production supervisor is their ability to handle conflict. Production supervisors, while they should be well-versed in business, must also know how to handle personal conflicts and issues that might arise as a result of varied personalities working and collaborating with one another.

What would you do if you received a task you knew could not be completed in the time allotted?

No matter how hard someone works, sometimes not enough hours in a day exist for someone to complete a task. Work can be turbulent. Sometimes, people fail to communicate specific aspects of a project. Or, tasks slip through the cracks, thus affecting the end result. A strong production supervisor should know how to handle these situations where they can only do their best.

What other production supervisor interview questions would you add to this list? Let us know — and contact TruPath for hiring help.


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Through our TruProcess, we are able to consistently deliver exceptional candidates that help organizations continue down successful paths. Contact TruPath today to tell us about your staffing needs.