Production Supervisor interview questions and answers
These Production Supervisor interview questions will help you look for important qualifications and skills in your candidates.
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Production Supervisor Interview Questions
A production supervisor has important duties like overseeing daily operations and resolving problems. The setting they work in (typically manufacturing) calls for deep technical knowledge as well as understanding of HR practices and quality management.
When interviewing, focus on assessing three key areas: leadership, problem-solving and relevant expertise. Present them with hypothetical scenarios and discuss their past experience. See if they can explain how they use different methods and concepts.
Questions about their knowledge or technical expertise should be tailored to the company and position. You may want them to have experience in electrical systems, assembling etc. Ask them a few questions to evaluate their technical knowledge. Alternatively, if you find a candidate with technical aptitude and strong supervisory skills, you can train them yourself, even if they don’t have relevant background.
Operational and Situational questions
- How would you teach your team to respect company policy and regulations?
- What would you do if, by the end of the day, there were products in the daily batch that weren’t up to standard?
- If you saw employees weren’t using protective equipment, how would you handle it?
- Imagine two of your subordinates have a rivalry that affects their performance. What do you do?
- How do you handle undisciplined or disruptive employees?
- What would you do if an employee was consistently late at the beginning of their shift?
Role-specific questions
- What makes a good supervisor in your opinion?
- What methods would you use to motivate employees?
- How would you use six-sigma?
- How can you contribute in quality management?
- How do you go about preparing production schedules?
- What’s your experience with lean manufacturing?
- Are you good in using computers?
- What kind of equipment do you experience with?
- How many people did you supervise in your last job?
Behavioral questions
- Tell me about a time you made a production process more efficient
- Recall a time you managed to build an effective team
- Give me an example of a subordinate who didn’t perform as well as you expected. What should you have done?
- Describe a time you had to make a difficult/unpopular decision. How did you ensure it was followed through?
- Tell me about how you met production goals in your previous job