How to Hire a Supervisor

Why hire a supervisor?

A great supervisor hire can help your business increase its productivity and decrease costs. A supervisor will ensure your employees are working to the best of their abilities. They can: 

• Increase the efficiency of your team
• Help your company reach new goals
• Organize workflow to benefit employees

Deciding between a full-time vs freelance supervisor

Supervisors are available for hire in both freelance and full-time capacities. A business might consider hiring a freelance supervisor if they have a sudden influx of work for the current manager. The freelance supervisor can take on the manager’s day-to-day responsibilities of overseeing the team until the manager is caught up. A company may also look into a freelance supervisor hire if they need someone to fill the role while they look for a full-time replacement. 

Large companies that require someone to oversee their team at all times typically hire full-time supervisors to fill the role. 

What are the ranks of supervisors?

In many types of retail stores and restaurants, there are a few titles that have supervisory responsibilities. These titles are organized into a well-defined chain of command. 

• Shift leader: A shift leader can have some of the responsibilities and permissions that a manager often has. They can delegate tasks to other employees working the shift while performing many of the same tasks themselves. 
• Supervisor: Supervisors oversee the work done by their team. They set short-term goals for the team to accomplish, schedule employees and ensure each day’s tasks are done.
• Manager: Managers focus on background responsibilities. They may handle reports and budgeting and set long-term goals. 
• General manager: General managers oversee the entire location. They develop financial and performance reports for upper management and delegate tasks to department managers.
• District manager: In chain companies, a district manager is responsible for several stores in an area. They travel to each store to assess the quality of its work and ensure compliance with corporate policies and federal regulations. 

Where to find supervisors

To find the right supervisor for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

• Promote from within. One of the most common ways to hire supervisors is to promote an established employee. This can be cheaper than making an outside hire, and the employee may require less training than someone who hasn’t worked for your company.
• Post help wanted signs. There may be members of your community who have experience in leadership positions. Post help wanted flyers to let the community know about the position and encourage candidates to apply. 
• Network. By maintaining relationships with other companies, you may obtain information about potential candidates who recently left their supervisor jobs. Reach out to these individuals to offer interviews. 
• Post your job online. Try posting your supervisor job on Indeed to find and attract quality supervisor candidates.

What are the ranks of supervisors?

In many types of retail stores and restaurants, there are a few titles that have supervisory responsibilities. These titles are organized into a well-defined chain of command. 

• Shift leader: A shift leader can have some of the responsibilities and permissions that a manager often has. They can delegate tasks to other employees working the shift while performing many of the same tasks themselves. 
• Supervisor: Supervisors oversee the work done by their team. They set short-term goals for the team to accomplish, schedule employees and ensure each day’s tasks are done.
• Manager: Managers focus on background responsibilities. They may handle reports and budgeting and set long-term goals. 
• General manager: General managers oversee the entire location. They develop financial and performance reports for upper management and delegate tasks to department managers.
• District manager: In chain companies, a district manager is responsible for several stores in an area. They travel to each store to assess the quality of its work and ensure compliance with corporate policies and federal regulations. 

Writing a supervisor job description

A thoughtful description is important to finding qualified supervisor candidates. A supervisor job description includes a compelling summary of the role, a detailed list of duties and responsibilities and the required and preferred skills for the position.

When writing your supervisor job description, consider including some or all of the following keywords to improve the visibility of your job posting. These are the most popular search terms leading to clicks on supervisor jobs, according to Indeed data:

• Supervisor
• Manager
• Management
• Airport
• Retail
• Respiratory therapist
• Retail management
• Hiring immediately
• Roofing

Interviewing supervisor candidates

Strong candidates for supervisor positions will be confident answering questions regarding:

• Using software to manage output
• Engaging with employees about their efforts
• Reporting to bosses

Need help coming up with interview questions? See our list of supervisor interview questions for examples (with sample answers).