Maintenance Supervisor Interview Questions & Answers

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A Maintenance Supervisor coordinates the installation, maintenance and repair work in buildings or large complexes. They manage a team of workers, regularly inspect sites, execute work as necessary, maintain equipment and assign workers to various projects.

Whether you're a job seeker preparing to be interviewed for the role of Maintenance Supervisor or an employer preparing to interview candidates for Maintenance Supervisor position, these Maintenance Supervisor interview questions will help you prepare yourself for the job interview session.

Maintenance Supervisor Interview Questions

Below are a list of some skill-based Maintenance Supervisor interview questions.

1. We want to improve our response time for emergency repairs. As a Maintenance Supervisor, how would you implement a strategy to do this?
2. Describe the most difficult installation or repair you worked on.
3. As a Maintenance Supervisor, what is your process for evaluating the needs of your facility and budgeting for maintenance and repairs?
4. Imagine a manager asks you whether it’s better to replace or repair a certain machine. How would you determine the answer?
5. Do you have experience working with vendors to negotiate prices and terms?
6. If there was a very important repair to be done that might exceed the allocated budget, what would you do?
7. Imagine you need to create a training plan for new employees. What should they be trained on?
8. Do you have any certifications?
9. Do you have any leadership responsibilities in your current position?
10. How can a supervisor set a good example for their subordinates?
11. If a contractor you hired had an accident while working, what would you do?
12. How often should maintenance workers perform routine checks on equipment?
13. What do you enjoy most in this job?
14. What would you do if a technician continuously ignored your instructions?
15. What would you do if you need to complete an installation on Friday, but multiple technicians called out and you do not have enough people to finish the task?
16. As a Maintenance Supervisor, how do you go about allocating work to subordinates?
17. How do you ensure others have understood your instructions?
18. What kind of maintenance duties did you undertake in your previous position?
19. What does ISO 14001 refer to?
20. What’s your experience with HVAC systems?
21. If one of your employees made a mistake that caused damage to equipment or property, how would you handle it?
22. How familiar are you with Preventive Maintenance Regulations?
23. What’s your experience with PLC?
24. Describe your experience with computerized maintenance management systems.
25. Have you done electrical system repairs in the past?
26. Tell me about a time you successfully coached a maintenance technician
27. Describe a time you failed to provide good leadership. Why did that happen and what did you learn from the experience?
28. Recall a time when you had to solve a problem without input from a manager. How did you handle it and what happened in the end?
29. Give an example of a time you managed to identify and fix a problem before it became urgent
30. Tell me about a time you hired personnel (e.g. maintenance technicians). How did you go about it and what qualities did you look for?
31. How do you handle completing multiple tasks under tight deadlines?
32. What methods do you use to manage disagreements between workers?
33. What is the biggest challenge that you are faced with in the maintenance process?
34. What process do you follow when conducting safety inspections?
35. What are some of the pieces of equipment you’ve worked with in the past?
36. What would you do if you noticed a recurring problem with a piece of equipment but no one on your team could identify the cause?
37. How well do you communicate with upper management about the status of ongoing maintenance projects?
38. Do you have experience working with hazardous materials?
39. When is it appropriate to call a repair service instead of trying to fix the problem yourself?
40. How do you ensure the safety of your workers working with heavy machinery?

Maintenance Supervisor Interview Questions and Answers

Every interview is different and the questions may vary. However, there are lots of general questions that get asked at every interview.

Below are some common questions you'd expect during Maintenance Supervisor interviews. Click on each question to see how to answer them.

1. Why Do You Want To Leave Your Current Job?
2. What is Your Greatest Strength?
3. Tell Me About Yourself
4. Why Do You Want This Job?
5. Are You a Leader or a Follower?
6. What Is Your Greatest Accomplishment?
7. What is Your Salary Expectation?
8. Do You Have Any Questions for Us?
9. Why Should We Hire You?
10. What is Your Greatest Weakness?

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