How Do You Handle Conflicts With People You Supervise
You should say that you try to avoid conflicts. But if there is no way to avoid a conflict, or if you fail to avoid it, you will try to understand the perspective of the other person. Eventually you will find a solution that will be good for the entire teamand not only for you.
You can also say that you always try to maintain the authority of your position, since if you lost it in a conflict with one of your subordinates, other people from the team might not respect you anymore.
You can even elaborate on your answer, saying that you try to organize small team building events for your subordinates ), to strengthen a team spirit, which should lead to fewer conflict situations in the workplace.
Special Tip: If you are not sure how to answer these questions in your interview, have a look at an eBook I wrote for you, the Supervisor Interview Guide. Multiple premium answers to 25 interview questions for supervisors, including difficult behavioral questions, will help you stand out from your competitors, and basically say exactly what the hiring managers want to hear from you. You will find some great sample answers directly on the eBook page, so it makes sense to check it out even if you do not plan to purchase anything. Thank you!
I: Job Interview Preparation
Each step below will prepare you for the actual interview. None of this is very time consuming but it will set you apart from everyone else applying for the job, making it easy for the company to decide who to hire
Here are the basic interview preparation steps to remember. Ive put the estimated time next to each one.
Prepare To Describe Your Work History Briefly
Most interviewers will ask you to give a quick walkthrough of your background at the start of the interview. Thats why I mentioned reviewing your resume beforehand. Its a pretty commonly overlooked but its one of my favorite job interview tips and its so easy to do!
If youve prepared a good, brief narrative of your career, you can impress them right off the bat. What got you interested in this field? What have you accomplished recently?
But it has to be concise. Nobody wants to hire somebody that rambles on or sounds scattered, and thats the biggest mistake people make with this relatively open-ended question.
Spend most of your time on the recent portion of your career. Go through the beginning rather quickly. 2-3 minutes total should be your target.
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Question #: What Three Factors Improve Teamwork And Success
When you ask a question like this, you give the applicant a chance to demonstrate critical thinking and analysis skills as well as to provide you an idea of how they would manage a team. A great candidate will describe clear roles for each team member, the importance of maintaining a positive work environment, the need to listen to feedback from team members, and other factors focusing on regular, clear, and open dialogue and communication.
Tips For Passing The Supervisor Interview
TIP #1 In order for Supervisors to be effective in their role, they have to work hard to achieve the goals and objectives of the company they are working for. During the Supervisor interview, we recommend you give details of when you have achieved positive things both in your life and professional career to date. If you have a track record of achievement, then you are far more likely to excel in your role as Supervisor for your chosen company.
TIP #2 During the Supervisors interview, utilise positive keywords and phrases at every opportunity. The following keywords and phrases will portray you as a strong and effective Supervisor who is capable of achieving great things for the organisation you are being interviewed for:
- Highly-motivated and can be relied upon to deliver
- Able to motivate my staff to enable them to be the best they can be
- I am open to and positive about change and will always embrace new products, new services and new ways of working
- I can work under pressure effectively and you can rely on me to perform in every type of situation
- Apart from being accountable myself, I will also motivate and lead my team to ensure they are accountable for their actions too.
TIP #5 At the end of your Supervisor interview, we recommend you ask the following two questions. These will ensure you come across as positive, motivated and also that you care about their company and its future performance:
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Why Do You Want To Work For This Company
This is where your prior research of the company comes into play. What attracts you to the business?
It could be:
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Company culture, such as encouraging flexitime, desk-sharing and working from home
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What the company does and how they do it for example, a charity for the elderly who specialize in companionship services
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The opportunities that the company offers over and above its competitors, which could include mentorships and funding for training
Make it clear that you are knowledgeable about the company.
For more information, see our article on ‘Answering the Interview Question: “Why Do You Want to Work Here?”‘
Additional Questions That You Should Be Comfortable Answering
- What date are you ready to start your new career?
- What are your location preferences?
- If you had to give me a 5K range, what would your annual salary expectations be?
- Have you interviewed with any companies in the past 6 months? If so, which ones and for what locations?
- Do you currently have any offers to work for any companies? If so, which companies and for what salary?
- Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?
- Where do you see yourself in the next 10 years?
- Name three of your strengths.
- Name three of your weaknesses.
- How do you deal with stress?
- Are you open to shift work?
- Are you open to working overtime?
- How many days in a month are you willing to travel?
- What is a long day to you?
- How many hours a week are you open to working?
- Describe a time that you had to sell something to someone else.
- Tell me about a project you led from start to finish.
- Have you ever had a mentor? If so, what did he or she do for you?
- What was the last book that you read, and why did you choose it?
- How would you characterize your leadership style?
- Describe a time when you had to deal with a poor performer.
- How do you deal with conflict?
- How do you motivate people?
- When was the last time, place, and situation that you had an idea you tried to sell, but were met with resistance? Did you ultimately prevail?
- Why should I hire you?
- What do you know about our company?
- What makes you qualified for this position?
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How Would You Motivate Your Team Members To Produce The Best Possible Results
Trying to create a competitive atmosphere, trying to motivate the team as a whole, organizing team building events, building good relationships with the workers, ensuring they feel good in work and receive an appropriate reward for their labor, is a great answer to this question.
Show your interviewers that you know how to work with the laborers, and understand what motivates them to work hard every day.
Showcase Your Ability To Stay Calm & Collected
Part of being a manager is multi-tasking with ease and displaying a sense of calm control during times of uncertainty. This is important to both your future direct reports as well as your boss-to-be. The employer will want a candidate who is low maintenance and who doesnt come with a lot of office politics and baggage, says executive coach and career transition expert Cynthia Corsetti. Its important to use examples in your answers that demonstrate that you remain positive and focused on the results as well as building trusting relationships with co-workers, supervisors, and clients.
Often times, this courage under fire comes down to what many people call emotional intelligence or EQ. Emotional intelligence and self-awareness are important management skills, adds Corsetti. It would behoove a candidate to have examples of times when they were self-aware and were able to influence others by using excellent communication skills.
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Is A Second Interview A Good Sign Will I Get The Job
First of all, getting a second interview is always a good sign. Obviously not all candidates get a second interview so clearly the company is showing interest in you. Having said that, it depends on what exact stage of the interview process youre in and what kind of position youre interviewing for. For example, getting a second in person interview is more impactful than getting an in person interview after a phone interview Whether youll get the job after the second interview really depends on the position and company youre interviewing with. For important roles in large companies you could have a series of interviews.
Managerial Skill #5 Handle The Pressure That Comes With Being A Manager
In todays world, managers have to handle more pressure than ever. Often this pressure will come from operational challenges, customer service issues, supply chain problems, staffing issues, and from the need to balance multiple responsibilities within a set number of hours each working day. To handle the pressure that comes with being a manager make sure you:
Keep a list of the things you have to do, including timeframes. This will help you to maintain focus.
Always take time to speak to your team members praise them whenever they achieve something of significance, and provide them with training and support to do their jobs properly.
Always remain calm. Whatever happens as a manager, you are no use to anybody if you become flustered, you panic, or you get angry. Always be in control of your emotions, and focus on your end goal.
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Why Do You Want To Leave Your Current Job
This can be a difficult question to answer while remaining positive and not criticizing your current employer.
Instead of expressing the negatives of your current job, concentrate on the positives of the job you are applying for.
An example answer:
Im ready for the next stage in my career progression. I feel that I have developed my skills to a level that I could effectively supervise a team. While I have enjoyed working for my current employer, they cant offer me that opportunity.
For more on this, read ‘The Top 10 Reasons to Leave a Job‘ and ‘Answering the Interview Question: “Why Do You Want to Leave Your Current Job?”‘.
Describe Your Daily Routine As A Postal Supervisor
Here the interviewer is focused on determining how conversant you are with the daily schedule associated with a Postal supervisor, including how you organize your work. Listing the duties in accordance with their suitable times is essential. A quick check of how other professional postal supervisors conduct their business could be helpful.
Sample Answer
As expected I usually have busy days in my role. I start my day by checking my emails for any updates. I then proceed to my workplace where I check on my team and listen to any developments. During the day I ensure that work proceeds uninterrupted by checking the type of mail deliveries in the process. I also ensure that any unfinished reports are completed.
At the end of the day if there are no pending issues I leave work for home.
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Revisit Topics From The Interview
A great way to impress hiring managers with your email is to revisit topics from the interview. The interview process isnât over until youâve officially been hired , and you can still show that youâre a good candidate in post-interview communications. Your follow-up email is an opportunity to demonstrate your enthusiasm for the job.
For example, if they recommended a specific book or resource, you can mention that you found it and started to use it. If they mentioned an industry influencer, tell them that you followed them or found their class. If there was a topic that you focused on in the interview, bring it up again.
This shows that you were paying attention and that youâre still working to develop your skills.
Tips For Passing The Manager Interview
TIP #1 Managing in any organization, large or small, requires a unique set of skills and talent. As a manager, you need to lead, make effective use of resources, manage, inspire and motivate. You also have to take full responsibility for the performance of your team. During the management interview, when asked what makes you a good manager, utilize all of these skills and be prepared to give specific examples of when you have successfully demonstrated each one of them in a previous role.
TIP #2 Manager interview panels often make good use of behavioural and competency-based interview questions. Questions such as, When have you managed an underperforming member of staff?, and Describe a time when you used effective negotiating skills in a management role? are commonplace in this type of interview. When answering questions of this nature, we recommend you use the S.T.A.R. technique for structuring your responses.
TIP #3 At every opportunity during the manager interview, we strongly recommend you use evidence-based answers to the questions posed. Do not fall into the trap of giving generic answers , but instead give answers that show the panel what you have already done in a previous situation. Evidence-based responses are far more powerful and will win you the interview!
QUESTION Who is your greatest competitor and how could I help you in this role to better them?
QUESTION What are the strategic plans for the company over the next few years?
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What Kind Of Strategies And Mindset Is Required For This Role
Here the interview seeks to evaluate how you approach and the methods you employ to obtain positive results in your job. Set about explaining your approach and the desired mindset to succeed in this role.
Sample Answer
As postal Supervisor the strategies and mindset required for this role include patience since our work requires dealing with a number of customers and long queues, are a norm.
Organizing work by setting a specific schedule will ensure punctuality. Hard work is also of the essence as it ensures output is maximized.
Proper planning and directing of activities within the workplace is also crucial in succeeding in this profession.
Use A Relevant Subject Line
Include the job title or application code in the subject line of the email. This way, there will be no confusion about what interview you are referring to or what job youâre applying for.
If you canât include it in the subject line, include it in the body of your email, ideally at the top. For example:
âThank you for the opportunity to interview for the Customer Support Specialist positionâ¦â
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Tell Me About A Time You Disagreed With A Decision At Work And How You Handled It
The purpose of this question is to find out how well-developed your communication skills are, how you deal with conflict and your level of maturity in the workplace.
When answering this question, do not criticize the other party. State the reasoning for your disagreement, how you expressed that disagreement, any action you took to reach a resolution and how you reacted to the outcome.
Share Some Examples Of The Ways In Which Youve Impacted Worker Safety
What They Want to Know: Occupational health and safety is a major concern of employers, especially in high-hazard workplaces like factories, chemical labs, and construction sites. Describing how youve positively impacted worker safety is a good way to add value to the impression youre providing of your management skillset.
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How Do You Plan To Go By An Example For Your Subordinates
Sticking to the rules, working hard, and even helping with manual labor is a good answer to this question. Another way of going by example is saying that you plan to actively participate in everything the team does, including the manual labor.
Your participation will help you to understand the ins and outs of their work, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of your team members. People always respect a boss who is not afraid to take on manual labor .
How Do You Think People That Don’t Know You Would Describe You
Responding to this question requires a level of self-assessment. It asks you to see the world through the eyes of another person, which is a valuable skill for a supervisor.
As with question 24, your response should be honest, positive and relevant. For instance, you might say that a stranger would see you as approachable, a good listener or authoritative.
This article on how to describe yourself may be useful to begin your self-assessment.
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Potential Second Interview Questions
The biggest difference between first interview questions and second interview questions really lies in the type of question that you are asked.
Generally speaking, in the first interview the company will want to get a feel for the type of person you are, and the questions they ask will emulate that desire.
But in the second interview, you can expect there to be more specificity regarding the position itself as well as a bit more prodding to determine how well you will fit the culture of your potential new team.
Having said that, this is not set in stone.
Every company goes about the questions a little bit differently, so you really need to be prepared for any type of question in both the first and second interview.
Having fun yet?
One thing is for sure at this point in the game employers are really trying to make sure youre a good fit, so expect that these are going to be tougher than the first round.
Read through these questions and come up with your answers. Weve given an example answer for the first two to get you started. If you need some more help learning how exactly to formulate a perfect interview answer, head over to our blog post Job Interview Questions and Answers 101.
- Why should we hire you?
