1. What three words may a colleague use to describe you?

Ans: My coworkers see me as someone who takes initiative and leads by example.
I've been entrusted with leading small teams during tight deadlines, showcasing my
ability to motivate and guide others effectively.”

2. How did you hear about this opportunity?

Ans: I heard about this opportunity through a former colleague who
knew I was job hunting. They told me about the amazing work you do
here and recommended that I apply, seeing how this job could be the
right fit for me. I appreciated the referral and decided to find out more
about the position.

3. What interests you about this position?

Ans: I am interested in this position because it aligns perfectly with my
skills, experiences, and career aspirations. I am excited about the
opportunity to contribute my expertise to [Company Name] and make
a meaningful impact in [specific area or industry].

4. Why do you wish to work for this company?

Ans:
5. What do you already know about this role and company?
6. Do you prefer to manage people or ideas?
7. What is your greatest strength and weakness? How do you compensate for your
weakness?
8. Have you worked with software vendors? How do you handle vendor relations?
9. Do you have any other questions?
11. Why did you pick the school you attended?
12. How do you keep your IT skills current?
13. What's a new software or technology you recently worked with, and did you enjoy it?
Were there any challenges you encountered?
14. What development tools have you used?
15. Why do you think you're the right candidate for this job?
16. Can you describe the most innovative change you initiated and how you implemented the
change?
17. How do you ensure quality in your deliverables?
18. Why are you leaving your current role?
19. What is your greatest achievement in your career so far?
20. Can you tell me about a time you worked under pressure? How did you handle it, and
what was the outcome?
General production supervisor interview questions
Below is a list of general job interview questions for production supervisors:
● Tell me about yourself.
● What is your greatest strength?
● What is your greatest weakness?
● How did you learn about this position?
● What interests you about being a production supervisor?
● What do you consider to be your greatest professional achievement?
● What are your expectations for your work schedule and hours?
● What are your salary expectations?
● Why should we hire you for this position?

Questions about experience and background

Here are interview questions a hiring manager may ask you about your education and
experience:
● Do you have experience working in a manufacturing environment?
● Tell me about your management experience.
● What makes a good supervisor? How do you embody these traits?
● What is your experience with manufacturing equipment? Is there any equipment
you're not comfortable using?
● Describe your experience working with contracts.
● What is your experience with time management and production software? What
software do you prefer?
● Have you used reports to improve production processes?
● What is your knowledge of HACCP principles in food production?
● What is your management style?
● How would you prepare a production schedule?
● How many people did you promote on your last team?

In-depth questions
Here are in-depth job interview questions you may receive during a production supervisor job
interview:
● Describe a time that an employee underperformed under your management.
How did you address the situation?
● How would you handle a situation where you're understaffed but you have a rigid
deadline?
● What do you think are the qualities of a good production supervisor?
● How do you plan to build rapport and trust with a new production team?
● How would you instruct team members to prioritize their tasks during busy times?
 ● What strategies would you use to stay in contact with team members?
● How would you reward employees for exceeding your expectations?
● What strategies would you use to give team members feedback in this role?
● How would you handle an employee who was consistently late to their shift?
● How do you plan to integrate your management goals into your team's
performance and output?
● What would you change about our processes to improve efficiency or quality?

Career Guide
1. Interviewing
2. 41 Production Supervisor Interview Questions (With Example Answers)

41 Production Supervisor Interview

Questions (With Example Answers)
Indeed Editorial Team
Updated February 17, 2023
An interview for a production supervisor job can give you an opportunity to show a hiring
manager that you have the qualifications and abilities to successfully perform in this
role. Researching questions before an interview can help you prepare your responses
and improve your chances for getting hired as a production supervisor. In this article, we
provide general, background and in-depth interview questions and sample answers for
the top production supervisor interview questions to help you get your next job.Related:
Production Supervisor Resume Samples
General production supervisor interview questions
Below is a list of general job interview questions for production supervisors:
● Tell me about yourself.
● What is your greatest strength?
● What is your greatest weakness?
● How did you learn about this position?
● What interests you about being a production supervisor?
● What do you consider to be your greatest professional achievement?
● What are your expectations for your work schedule and hours?
● What are your salary expectations?
● Why should we hire you for this position?
Related: How To Answer "Tell Me About Yourself" (Tips and Example Answers)
Questions about experience and background
Here are interview questions a hiring manager may ask you about your education and
experience:
 ● Do you have experience working in a manufacturing environment?
● Tell me about your management experience.
● What makes a good supervisor? How do you embody these traits?
● What is your experience with manufacturing equipment? Is there any equipment
you're not comfortable using?
● Describe your experience working with contracts.
● What is your experience with time management and production software? What
software do you prefer?
● Have you used reports to improve production processes?
● What is your knowledge of HACCP principles in food production?
● What is your management style?
● How would you prepare a production schedule?
● How many people did you promote on your last team?
In-depth questions
Here are in-depth job interview questions you may receive during a production
supervisor job interview:
● Describe a time that an employee underperformed under your management.
How did you address the situation?
● How would you handle a situation where you're understaffed but you have a rigid
deadline?
● What do you think are the qualities of a good production supervisor?
● How do you plan to build rapport and trust with a new production team?
● How would you instruct team members to prioritize their tasks during busy times?
● What strategies would you use to stay in contact with team members?
● How would you reward employees for exceeding your expectations?
● What strategies would you use to give team members feedback in this role?
● How would you handle an employee who was consistently late to their shift?
● How do you plan to integrate your management goals into your team's
performance and output?
● What would you change about our processes to improve efficiency or quality?
Related: The Importance and Qualities of a Good Leader
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Production supervisor interview questions with

sample answers
Below are some of the top questions you may receive in a production supervisor
interview:
Describe a time you built a successful team. What strategies did you
use and how did these strategies improve efficiency?
An interviewer might ask this question to learn about the hiring strategies you would use
as a production supervisor. You can use your past experience both as an employee and
a manager to help answer this question.Example: "In my current management position,
I've hired several employees for the production team. One strategy I use to hire team
members and maintain efficiency, beyond hiring experienced candidates, is to hire
employees who are a good personality fit for the team. Since I started doing this, I've
noticed more cohesion among the production team that has led to us meeting or
exceeding our production goals."
Tell me about a time you had an idea that improved a process. What
was its effect?
Hiring managers ask this question because they want to know whether you've achieved
success in the past. Think about ways you can quantify the impact of your ideas to
answer this question.Example: "As a production employee, I approached my manager
with an idea to combine two production processes for greater efficiency. My manager
tested the idea with the team over the course of a few days. In the end, combining the
processes helped the team exceed its production goals by 20% that quarter, and my
idea became a permanent part of the team's processes that's still in use today."
How would you address employee underperformance?
Production supervisors routinely coach employees to meet performance goals. You can
talk about strategies you've used in the past to motivate underperforming employees to
improve. If you're applying for your first management position, you can also talk about
the most effective ways managers have addressed underperformance on your
team.Example: "In my last management position, I regularly coached underperforming
employees. One employee in particular failed to meet production goals when they got
distracted by other tasks. I realigned the employee's workload to address the issue. As
a result of these efforts, the employee's long-term performance improved."
How do you plan to meet production goals in this role?
A job interview is an opportunity for you to show how you would perform as a production
supervisor. To answer this question, you can talk about key performance indicators
(KPIs) you would use to keep your team focused and meet quality and quantity
goals.Example: "In my current position, I find time management to be a key factor in
meeting production goals. I use the timing of past deliveries to create and maintain
production goals to ensure they're met. I also leave a bit of room in the production
schedule just in case unforeseen circumstances impact production. Since I
implemented these two strategies, we've met 35% more deadlines."
What strategies would you use to solve a dispute between two
employees?
Part of being in a management role is handling employee conflicts. Your response to
this interview question can communicate your leadership skills and confidence to a
hiring manager. It can also be an opportunity for you to show an interviewer your
problem-solving skills.Example: "Unfortunately, my current employees have disputes
from time to time. As manager, it's my job to step in and address the issue. I'll talk to
each employee separately and encourage them to solve the issue independently. If the
dispute continues, I take disciplinary action. I find that most of the time they solve the
issue among themselves without needing more intervention on my part."
How would you meet a tight production deadline?
Production supervisors occasionally have to motivate their teams to make difficult
deadlines. The way you handle these scenarios can tell an interviewer a lot about your
management style and motivational strategies.Example: "I use my time management
skills to plan a production schedule that can allow my team to meet tight deadlines. For
example, I have my team produce 15% more inventory than necessary to account for
an unexpected order that requires that amount of inventory. Since I started using this
strategy, we've never missed even the tightest production deadline."
Describe a time you had to make an unpopular decision. How did you
handle the situation?
Employees in authority positions occasionally have to make decisions that their teams
won't like. This question can test your problem-solving capabilities. You can talk about a
time an unpopular decision you made led to benefits for the team or company later
on.Example: "In my last production supervisor position, I had to temporarily cut hours
for the team based on a budget from my boss. My team was disappointed and a few
team members threatened to quit. I listened to their concerns and explained that we
were cutting hours to avoid layoffs. By showing empathy, I helped diffuse the situation
and prevented most of the employees from leaving. I also used the situation as an
opportunity to cut the budget to avoid experiencing the issue again.
How would you ensure all employees adhere to company policies?
Interviewers want to know how important policies will be in your leadership as a
production supervisor. Following company policies can promote safety, efficiency and
compliance with regulatory laws. You can use this question to talk about how you've
managed adherence to policy in the past. It can also give you an opportunity to learn
more about the company's policies.Example: "Most company policies are in place to
protect employees from harm and the company from liabilities. In my current position, I
take company procedures and policies seriously to help protect my team. I make sure
to train each team member on policies when they start. I also speak to any team
member when I notice they're not following even small procedures for a task at work.
These two strategies have embedded procedure and policy into the culture of the team
and ensure that everyone understands and follows policies."
What strategies would you use to motivate employees in this role?
Employee motivation can be a critical tool for production supervisors to maximize
performance in a factory setting. If you're interviewing for your first management
position, you can talk about ways your supervisors motivated you in past production
jobs to answer this interview question.Example: "In my current role as production
manager, I've found that one of the best motivational tools for production employees is
improving efficiency. When I started in the position, I noticed that communication was
not effective nor efficient when it came to employee schedules and company
announcements. I convinced the company to try using a system with a mobile
application where employees could check their schedules and receive company
announcements. The system was so effective that the company still uses it today."
How would you ensure the quality of products?
Production supervisors can perform quality assurance duties in their roles to make sure
their team's quality standards are high. To answer this question, you can talk about your
past experience with quality assurance and strategies you plan to use to maintain
quality in a leadership position.Example: "Earlier in my career, I worked in quality
assurance for a factory. The job gave me skills like attention to detail that I plan to use
to assure quality as a production supervisor. For example, I plan to review workflows to
reduce variability in production. This can help ensure that the quality of products is
higher overall."