How to answer “Why do you want to be a supervisor” in a job interview

“Why do you want to be a supervisor?”

The question might sound simple, but sometimes the job interview questions that cut straight to the point are the hardest to answer. Unlike complex problem-solving or behavioral questions, this one doesn’t prompt you with any information or clues about what the interviewer is looking for.

But this is your chance to show your passion for leadership and explain why you’re the best candidate for the role. Understanding why the hiring manager is asking and practicing an appropriate response will help you answer with the confidence and sincerity of a good supervisor. 

Why recruiters and hiring managers ask this question

Supervisors are the bridges between management and staff. Managers build strategy and work processes, but supervisors work directly with individual employees to drive performance goals forward. These roles can overlap, but it depends on the company.

Hiring managers increasingly look for job candidates with well-developed soft skills, and for supervisor positions, this goal is no different. They’ll ask for interview answers that demonstrate proficiency beyond hard technical skills

A hiring manager or interviewer wants to know that you can take feedback and transform it into action and motivation for a team. You’ll play an important role in team building, conflict resolution, and communicating company goals, so a hiring manager wants to know you have what it takes to manage people and nurture the company’s human capital. 

Here are some characteristics and supervisor skills that a hiring manager or recruiter is looking for:

• Growth mindset: A good leader understands that learning doesn’t have a finish line and that there’s always room to learn new things. Supervisors should practice a growth mindset and encourage it in their teams. 

• Communication skills: Supervisors have a circular relationship between management and employees. They directly implement new strategies and continue refining operations. A strong management style requires clear direction and constructive feedback, which requires communication skills.

• Responsibility: A supervisor should understand their function within the organization and the importance of interacting directly with their team members. They need to take responsibility for their teams and their role in reaching larger goals. 

• Management skills: People in leadership positions must abide by strict deadlines and best practices to make the company’s goals a reality. A successful supervisory style requires strong time management, organization, and the ability to plan and prioritize tasks. 

• Motivation: Whether supervising a sales, operations, or marketing team, you’re responsible for making sure that team meets short and long-term goals. Good supervisors aren’t only self-motivated. They share that drive with their teams with positivity, shows of gratitude, and teamwork. 

5 tips for a supervisor position interview

Regardless of how you explain why you want to be a supervisor, the whole interview needs to convince the hiring manager that you have the right leadership style, qualifications, and understanding of what it takes to successfully fill a supervisory role. 

Here are a few ways to demonstrate your full potential throughout the interview:

1. Shift the focus

Your instinct might be to explain that the next logical step in your career path is moving into a management position. But this answer doesn’t tell a hiring manager anything about how you’ll tackle the role, especially if you’re a first-time supervisor. 

Focus on the value you’ll bring the organization as well as the value the job will bring you. Pay careful attention to the skills in the job description and the company’s mission, and mention them in your responses to show you’re engaged.

And if you’re passionate about management and helping others grow, share it here with examples of success. 

2. Emphasize your leadership skills

A supervisor is the first step into a larger leadership position within an organization. A hiring manager will already understand that you have lots of space to grow and might need to learn how to be a good supervisor.

But they’ll still want to know you have the necessary soft skills to step into your role as a team leader. 

Highlight the important leadership skills you already have, like a desire to learn, self-motivation, and positivity. Practicing your responses, with examples of how you’ve used these skills in the past, will help you answer with the kind of confidence and clarity a leader should have.

3. Illustrate a manager mindset

A supervisor's job requires accountability and responsibility, so explain how you’ll use those attributes to improve the team. You can illustrate your manager mindset by talking about how you like to lead and manage people, ideas to improve productivity, or tools you’d use to increase employee engagement. 

Even if you’re a first-time supervisor, reflect on past work experience. Recount moments when you rose to the challenge, performed above expectations, and led your team members to success. Describe your management experience in as much detail as possible. 

4. Highlight conflict resolution 

Almost 90% of people are willing to compromise when solving workplace conflict, which means communication is key for resolution. Successful supervisors are skilled people managers who help communicate to resolve conflicts, even if upper management takes the lead. 

Working directly with a large team of people means using skillful communication and problem-solving skills. Take the time to recall examples at your last job or other work experiences in which you helped solve interpersonal challenges.

5. Practice the STAR method

The STAR method — which stands for situation, task, action, and result — is a common interview technique that helps you explain past scenarios in a clear, linear fashion. It gives your responses a clear structure with a beginning, middle, and conclusion, similar to a story: 

1. Situation: Clearly define the problem or situation. 

2. Task: Explain your role in solving the problem.

3. Action: Break down your process into clear steps. 

4. Result: Explain what you accomplished using specific metrics. 

Practicing the STAR method ahead of time can help establish in-depth examples of when and how you’ve demonstrated your skills as a supervisor. Even if you didn’t prepare for a specific question, you can fall back on the framework to avoid giving a circular or meandering answer. 

Benefits of being a supervisor

Before you enter the interview, remember why you applied for the role. Considering some benefits of moving into a supervisory position can help you explain your passion and imagine responses to different interview questions. 

Here are five advantages to becoming a supervisor:

1. You’ll have decision-making responsibility within the organization.

2. It’s a learning opportunity to lead individual workers and teams.

3. You might access mentoring opportunities with more senior managers and leaders.

4. You’ll practice planning, prioritizing, and delegating work.

5. You get to play a more active role in nurturing company culture and values.

“Why do you want to be a supervisor?” example answers

After you’ve taken the time to reflect on past job experiences, important soft skills, and the type of candidate the company is looking for, it’s time to practice some responses. Do a practice interview with a friend or trusted colleague and solidify your answer.

You don’t have to memorize a script, but learning your talking points will help you respond confidently. If you’re unsure where to start, here are three sample answers:

1. If you’re an internal hire

“The company pillar that always spoke to me the most is: we walk together. As a software developer, I sometimes get lost in my independent work. My managers have always made it clear that they’re there to support me no matter where I’m at.

Whether I need someone to bounce ideas off of or help troubleshoot my code, I know I can always lean on them. 

I want to be that person for my team. I already know how to prioritize, understand the function of my job within larger projects, and communicate across departments. I’m ready to play a larger role in the organization and help my team members grow.”

Why does it work? Incorporating a company value is a great way to show an interviewer that you’re engaged with the mission and motivated to lead the company forward. Successful internal candidates leverage their most valuable existing skills with insider company knowledge. 

2. If you’re a first-time supervisor

“I’m enthusiastic about the opportunity to move into a leadership position. I’ve been working as a sales representative for the last three years, and I’m ready for more responsibility.

What I enjoy the most is collaborating with my team members and problem-solving with my manager and customers, and becoming a supervisor lets me do so on a larger scale.

I understand that moving from a rep to a sales supervisor has a learning curve and that leading a team will require a lot of professional development. I’m confident that my experience will help me step into my role as a leader and empathize with my teams.

Since I’ve been in their shoes before, I understand how to lead them in the right direction.”

Why does it work? The answer demonstrates confidence, humility, and a growth mindset –– all of which are fundamental to strong leaders. It frames potential weaknesses positively by showing an eagerness to learn and grow. 

3. If you’re an external candidate

“I worked as a supervisor for my previous company for the last year, and I can confidently say that I helped the team grow. When I came on board with the operations team, the department had difficulty reaching deadlines. 

After working on the ground, I found communication problems across other departments that created unnecessary information silos and setbacks. With my suggestions and feedback, my manager built a new strategy that boosted production by 25%. 

I’m naturally analytical and believe that there’s always room for improvement, and I would bring that approach to this job to help the whole team deliver the best possible results.”

Why does it work? The answer shows important soft skills like initiative and collaboration and backs them with concrete metrics. It gives the hiring manager a clear understanding of your problem-solving process and the ability to implement ideas. 

Lead your interview to success

Whether this is your first time in a supervisory position or you’re applying for a role at a new company, this is the moment to channel your inner leader. Great leaders are strategists and planners — two skills that can help you prepare for a winning interview. 

Take the time to think out why you want to be a supervisor and how to answer common interview questions. Practicing ahead of time will help calm your nerves and answer with the clarity and confidence that hiring managers seek.