Because the job comes with such big responsibilities, hiring managers will only pick people who can show they can lead and solve problems.
In this article, well show you exactly how to demonstrate those traits during your production supervisor interview. We’ll talk about 30 of the most common interview questions and give you tried-and-true answers that will get you the job.
So you have an interview coming up for a plant supervisor role? Congratulations! Landing an interview means your resume showcased your skills and experience well. Now it’s time to prepare for the next step – mastering the interview.
In this comprehensive guide I’ll share the 15 most common plant supervisor interview questions you’re likely to face. I’ll provide sample answers to each one to help you craft your own winning responses.
Whether you have years of plant management experience or you’re just starting out, preparation is key. Let’s dive in to the questions!
1. What makes an effective plant supervisor in your opinion?
This open-ended question allows you to share your philosophy on what skills and qualities are most important for success in this role.
Focus on leadership capabilities, communication skills, technical knowledge and problem-solving abilities Provide specific examples if possible
Sample Answer: “An effective plant supervisor has strong leadership skills to manage their team and foster collaboration. They also need excellent communication abilities to coordinate across departments and resolve conflicts. In-depth technical knowledge of equipment and processes is crucial as well to oversee operations and improve efficiency. Finally, great problem-solving skills allow them to think creatively, troubleshoot issues and make quick decisions when needed.”
2. How would you contribute to quality management in this role?
With this behavioral question, interviewers want to understand your approach to maintaining and improving quality standards.
Highlight quality assurance practices you would implement and tools/processes you’ve used in the past to prevent defects.
Sample Answer: “I would contribute to quality management by conducting regular equipment inspections, implementing statistical process controls, and performing root cause analyses on defects. In a previous role, I used Six Sigma practices to reduce scrap waste by 15%. I would also make sure my team is properly trained on quality protocols through hands-on coaching and workshops.”
3. What methods would you use to motivate your team?
This question gauges your leadership style and ability to inspire your subordinates.
Emphasize techniques like recognition programs, learning opportunities, collaboration and setting clear goals.
Sample Answer: “I’ve found that providing awards and recognition for meeting goals keeps team members engaged. I also make sure to solicit input from my team and support collaboration across work cells. Giving staff access to training and cross-training helps them develop new skills. Finally, I motivate by setting clear targets but also giving workers autonomy in how they achieve them.”
4. How would you handle an employee with poor attendance?
With this situational question, interviewers want to know your approach to discipline and performance management.
Focus on understanding causes, setting clear expectations, following company policy and consistent enforcement.
Sample Answer: “I would first have a one-on-one meeting to understand if there are any underlying reasons for the absences. I would remind the employee of our attendance policy and expectations going forward. If poor attendance continues, I would follow our progressive discipline process, with a verbal warning first, then written warnings and finally termination if necessary.”
5. Describe a time you successfully improved productivity in your department.
This behavioral question assesses your ability to enhance efficiency and output.
Outline the situation, actions you took, and the positive results achieved. Quantify your impact if possible.
Sample Answer: “In my last role, our downtime was creeping up, affecting production targets. I conducted time studies on changeovers and identified the biggest bottleneck – die cleaning. I worked with engineering to implement a new automated cleaning system. This dropped changeover time by 35%. Overall equipment effectiveness improved from 78% to 89% in six months.”
6. How would you go about scheduling production in this role?
Here interviewers want to understand your planning processes and ability to balance multiple factors.
Show you consider demand, capacity, inventory levels, changeovers and contingencies.
Sample Answer: “I would start by forecasting demand and comparing this to our production capacity across work cells to identify constraints. Taking into account current inventory levels, I can develop a high-level master schedule. I then schedule changeovers to maximize utilization of constrained resources. Finally, I build in contingencies, like extra shifts or overtime, to account for variability in demand or downtime.”
7. Describe a time you resolved a conflict between two employees.
With this question, interviewers evaluate your conflict management skills.
Focus on listening objectively, bringing both sides together, finding compromise and following up.
Sample Answer: “When two technicians on my team were in disagreement over tool maintenance duties, their animosity started affecting the whole work cell. I brought them together to understand both perspectives. I helped them find common ground and divide duties based on their strengths and interests, with clear ownership. Their cooperation really improved after this, and I followed up periodically to ensure the solution was working.”
8. How would you handle an employee safety violation?
This situational question tests your approach to one of the most crucial issues for any plant supervisor.
Emphasize immediately correcting the unsafe behavior, retraining if gaps exist, and enforcing consequences for willful violations.
Sample Answer: “I would immediately stop the unsafe action and remind the employee of proper procedures to reinforce policy. I may need to provide extra training if they don’t fully understand safety protocols. However, if willfully violating policies, I would follow our disciplinary process, which can include termination for serious breaches, since safety is our top priority.”
9. What are some key metrics you would track in this role?
This question evaluates your knowledge of key performance indicators for plant operations.
Highlight metrics like OEE, scrap, downtime, safety incident rates, quality defects, labor cost per unit produced and inventory accuracy.
Sample Answer: “Some key metrics I would track include overall equipment effectiveness to measure availability and performance, scrap and rework rates to gauge quality, downtime to assess reliability, and labor cost per unit to monitor staffing efficiency. I would also track safety incident rates, quality control reject rates, and inventory accuracy.”
10. How would you handle a low performing employee?
Here interviewers want to understand your coaching and performance management process.
Focus on clear communication about gaps, training, measuring improvements and following company policies if no progress.
Sample Answer: “First, I would have a direct conversation to highlight areas they need to improve and the impact on operations. Then I would provide extra coaching and training opportunities to support them. I would track performance daily and weekly to document progress. If no improvement after sufficient coaching, I would escalate following our company’s performance management process, including written warnings and termination if needed.”
11. What experience do you have with lean manufacturing concepts?
This question evaluates your expertise in continuous improvement methodologies like Lean and Six Sigma.
Highlight any specific techniques you’ve applied from 5S to kaizen and the results achieved.
Sample Answer: “In my last role, I completed my Six Sigma Green Belt certification and led a cross-functional team on a DMAIC project to reduce changeover times. We utilized techniques like value stream mapping and 5S. This helped cut changeover times by 42%, exceeding our goal of 30%. I’m very passionate about continuous improvement.”
12. How would you handle a facility emergency, like a fire?
Here interviewers want to understand your preparedness and leadership abilities in a crisis situation.
Emphasize calmly directing evacuation, accounting for personnel, contacting emergency responders and post-incident investigation.
Sample Answer: “Safety is my number one concern in an emergency. I would trigger alarms and ensure all personnel evacuate to designated areas. I would account for my team there per our emergency response protocols. If any workers were unaccounted for, I would coordinate with emergency responders to search for them. Post-incident, I would conduct a full investigation and debriefing to identify any gaps.”
13. Why are you interested in this plant supervisor role?
With this question, interviewers want to gauge your eagerness for the position and why you want it.
Share why you’re excited by aspects of the role like the industry, company mission and opportunity to manage operations.
Sample Answer: “I’m very interested in this role because of ABC Company’s reputation for safety and quality in automotive manufacturing. I’m drawn to the complexity of automotive assembly and automation. Leading operations for a major manufacturer like ABC appeals to me more than my current role at a supplier. I’m excited to take on more responsibility and help achieve production targets.”
14. How do you prioritize projects with limited resources?
This behavioral question tests your analytical thinking and decision-making abilities.
Show your process to evaluate impact, effort required and constraints to determine scheduling. Give examples.
Sample Answer: “With limited capital and labor, I first analyze each project based on factors like ROI, process improvements enabled, resources needed and timelines. I’ll conferred with department heads to understand how they prioritize requests and identify constraints. Based on this analysis, I can sequence implementation across quarters to maximize business impact within budget and resource limits.”
15. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
This closing question gauges your growth potential and ambitions.
Demonstrate your interest in taking on more responsibility and developing new skills, while advancing the company’s goals.
10 Additional Production Supervisor Interview Questions for Employers
- Could you tell me about your experience setting up and managing production schedules and making sure they are followed correctly and quickly?
- What steps do you take to make sure that production processes meet quality standards and government rules? What do you do if something goes wrong?
- Can you talk about your experience keeping an eye on and improving the performance of production lines to cut down on downtime, boost throughput, and start continuous improvement programs?
- Explain how you manage inventory, such as keeping track of stock levels, working with procurement teams, and avoiding waste or having too much inventory.
- Have you put in place any specific safety rules or programs in the past? If so, how did you make sure they were followed and keep accidents and incidents at work to a minimum?
- Can you talk about how you’ve coordinated and communicated with cross-functional teams like engineering, maintenance, and logistics to keep production running smoothly and solve any problems that come up between departments?
- Have you worked with any specific technologies or pieces of equipment for manufacturing? If so, describe how well you know how to use and take care of them, as well as how well you can teach and oversee production staff as they use them.
- What is your approach to managing your employees, such as assigning tasks, scheduling shifts, and keeping an eye on their work to make sure they are productive and engaged?
- Could you talk about the quality control measures you’ve put in place and oversaw, such as inspections, quality assurance protocols, and dealing with non-conformance issues?
- Have you worked on any projects to make processes better? If so, describe what you did to find places to improve, make the changes, and see how they affected the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of production.
20 Production Supervisor Questions and Example Answers
To help you prepare for your interview, we have put together 20 common interview questions. We have also included some production supervisor behavioral interview questions. There are also some sample answers here, but it’s important that you use your own words when you go on your own interview.
- Tell me about yourself. This is a typical interview question that is asked at the beginning of the meeting. Make sure that your answer highlights the skills, experiences, and accomplishments that are important to the question. As an example, I’ve worked as a production supervisor at XYZ Company for nine years. During my time there, I learned a lot about how to run a team, make sure quality is maintained, and run efficient manufacturing processes. In my last job, I was in charge of production schedules and made sure they were followed. I also made changes to the schedules as needed to meet customer needs. I know how to keep an eye on and maintain product quality while working closely with cross-functional teams to make sure that quality standards and legal requirements are met.
- People often ask, “Why do you want to work here?” to see how much research you have done on the company. Your answer should reflect your genuine interest for the company. Make sure that your values match those of the company. Example Answer: I want to work here because the company has a great reputation and is dedicated to being the best in the manufacturing industry. I really like how you focus on new ideas, quality, and making customers happy. I believe those are important aspects to a successful workplace. On top of that, I like how you stress employee development and a collaborative work environment. Putting money into employees’ growth and well-being makes me think they will be happier at work and do a better job overall.
- The question “Why should we hire you?” means that you need to sell yourself and talk about your unique skills, relevant experiences, and how you can help the company. Example Answer: I’ve been in charge of production for nine years. During my career, I’ve shown that I can improve operational efficiency, make production processes more efficient, and make sure that high-quality work is produced. There are strong leadership skills in me that help me be a good manager and keep my team motivated. I encourage my team to have a good work environment, work together, and talk to each other openly. I think my skills and experience make me the best person for this job.
- How do you see yourself in five years? People who are interviewing you want to know your long-term plans and goals. How you want to grow with the company should come through in your answer. Answer: In five years, I hope to be in charge of the production operations and be able to make a difference. To do this, I want to learn more about performance management, process optimization, and lean principles. I’m going to keep up with changes in the business world and in technology. I’m also excited about making a difference in the growth and success of the company. It’s my hope to be a part of strategic projects like increasing production. My ultimate goal is to become a leader in the organization that people trust and respect.
- What are your good and bad points? Everyone has them. When asked about your weaknesses, you should be honest and thoughtful about your answer. This shows that you know yourself and are willing to learn and grow. Example Answer: My greatest strength would be my organizational skills. I’m great at making and sticking to production schedules, organizing tasks, and making sure projects are finished on time. I’m very organized, but I tend to be too careful with my work. I have learned how to balance my need to pay close attention to details with the need to be flexible and adaptable in a backwards world.
- Tell me about your experience working in manufacturing environments. It’s not enough for production managers to just be good managers in general. In addition, they must show that they know how to use standard manufacturing processes, tools, and equipment. Show off your education and experience, and talk about a success that shows how knowledgeable you are in the field. Make sure to talk about the result of your work instead of just the tasks you did. Quantify that result as well. Given answer: I have a master’s degree in mechanical engineering and have worked in factories for more than eight years. During my last job as a production supervisor, I created new and improved manufacturing procedures that raised our overall production efficiency by 6%. These procedures were used to make products for major retailers like Lowes and Home Depot.
- What kinds of manufacturing and management software do you know how to use? You should list some of the most common and important software you know how to use, but you should also say that you’re ready to learn any tools for the job quickly. For example, I use Microsoft Staffhub and Sharepoint to keep track of the schedules of my employees. I’m also very good at AutoCAD, which I use a lot to make model designs for pre-production. Also, I learn quickly and carefully, and I will quickly learn any new tools that are needed.
- One of your employees isn’t wearing the safety gear that’s required of them. What would you do? One of the most important jobs of a production supervisor is to know and follow safety rules. Stress how seriously you take these kinds of cases and how quickly you would act. First, I would make sure that every new employee knows the safety rules and how seriously we take not following them during the onboarding process. If I see or hear that an employee is breaking those rules, I would meet with them right away and ask them to explain. I would use my communication skills to stress how important it is to follow safety rules and encourage them to do so. After the meeting, I would keep an eye on the worker to make sure they changed how they behaved and would punish them if they didn’t.
- What would you do if an employee wasn’t doing a good job on the production line? In manufacturing, deadlines and production goals are often very strict. It’s up to production supervisors to use their own judgment to decide when to focus on improving relationships with employees by training staff who aren’t doing their jobs well and when to fire them and put those production goals first. I always try to meet with employees who aren’t doing their jobs well in person to find out what problems they’re having and how I can help. By focusing on those problems, I can usually come up with and get their agreement on a plan to make things better. Then I keep an eye on their work to make sure they’re fixing their mistakes and doing something about it. If, on the other hand, an employee consistently fails to meet our production goals, I think about more serious decisions.
- Tell me about a time when you improved a process. For all situational or production supervisor behavioral interview questions like this one, you should use the STAR method to answer. The important thing is to talk about how you added value for a coworker. As a production engineer at Jenkins Industrial, it was my job to find a way to speed up the production of one of our contracted goods because we were running behind schedule. I did a thorough analysis of our plant’s operational processes right away and found a number of inefficiencies that were slowing down production. I used what I knew about engineering to come up with better ways to do the same steps in the manufacturing process. I then gave my report to management. The company was able to meet its production goals for 2012 on time and under budget thanks to the changes I suggested.
- Several important machines break down, and you have to meet a strict deadline. How do you answer? Stress how important it is to be ready and show that you’re flexible. Answer: I always plan for what could go wrong ahead of time because I know that nothing always goes as planned. In these situations, it’s important to have extra tools on hand or, if they’re too expensive, make deals with other businesses to borrow each other’s gear.
- Explain the six sigma process. The six sigma process is a common way for manufacturers to make small but steady improvements to their work. The five steps of the six sigma process are: Define the problem; Measure your current process; Figure out where the inefficiency is coming from; Improve your process; Keep an eye on it and keep making it better.
- What does HACCP stand for? Why is it important at work? Example answer: HACCP, which stands for “Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points,” is a way to keep manufacturing industries like food production safe. A single bad batch made with weak safety rules could do a lot of damage to the final consumer. It could also lead to lawsuits and do a lot of damage to the company’s reputation.
- How important do you think reports are? Are they just more paperwork? Good production supervisors know how important data is for figuring out how to make operations run more smoothly. Example answer: I think it’s important for any production facility to have detailed and correct reports. I always hire engineers and data analysts to find ways that our processes could be better. Their reports help me make better choices about how to run our business so that it is as efficient as possible and goes above and beyond what our clients expect.
- How do you make sure that a team meets the quality standards for production? One of the most important jobs of a production supervisor is to manage quality. In your answer, show that you have both leadership skills and a technical understanding of the best ways to ensure production quality. When I make goods, I always make sure they go through several internal quality assurance steps before they are considered finished. If even one unit doesn’t meet the standards, you should look into the whole batch to find out what went wrong. To keep quality high all the time, you must always take flaws seriously and never ignore what might be causing them.
- Tell me about your experience with lean manufacturing. As a production supervisor, you need to know how to use lean manufacturing practices to get the most work done with the least amount of waste. Make sure to go over the main points and stress how important it is. As a production supervisor at John Deere, one of my main jobs was to put lean manufacturing practices into place. I did this by looking at how we work and making a map of our value stream. I used what I learned to set up a pull system that I improved over time using kaizen. It was finally possible for me to raise productivity rates by 2017% across five different plants while simultaneously lowering our waste by 2012%.
- How do you make tough choices when you don’t have enough information and still meet production goals? You’ll often have to meet very tight deadlines, which means you won’t have as much time to make important choices as managers in many other fields. Make sure you have a range of leadership skills, such as the ability to be flexible, think critically, communicate clearly, and make decisions. For example, when I have to make a choice, I try to gather as much information as I can to help me make it. This means talking to experts and asking the right departments questions, then sharing the information that is most useful. If it doesn’t work out, I quickly look at what went wrong and figure out how we can make things better.
- Question: What are some of the benefits of contract manufacturing? Answer: Some of the main benefits of contract manufacturing are: lower energy, tax, and overhead costs; easier product entry into other countries; more dropshipping options; and more.
- How do you get your team to stay focused when the company has to meet tight deadlines? Being able to effectively encourage team members is an important leadership skill for any manager to have, especially in manufacturing where production goals are very strict. Display to the hiring manager a range of skills and an understanding of how to connect with different types of workers. Answer: I always listen and learn about my employees to get a better sense of what drives them. To reward great work, I’ll offer things like vacation time, promotions, and bonuses when we have to meet tight deadlines. I always make sure to thank top performers in public for setting a good example for others.
- What changes in industry trends have you seen and how did you handle them? Being able to adapt is important because as a production supervisor, you’ll have to deal with a lot of unplanned events that would normally slow down work. Example answer: The most recent and most important change I had to deal with was how the coronavirus pandemic affected manufacturing. My last plant had to shut down every day, which cost the company more than $400,000. I spent the whole night studying the reopening guidelines and coming up with new operational procedures to make sure they were followed as soon as they were made public. The next day, I told my team about the changes right away and showed them how to use them. Because I took decisive action, the plant opened in two days and was producing as much as it did before within three weeks. Its estimated that this saved the company over $9 million.
SUPERVISOR Interview Questions and ANSWERS! (How to PASS your Supervisor Interview!)
FAQ
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