Supervisors have a super-important job (didn't see that one coming, did you?). From setting goals for employees to organizing the workflow in the office, supervisors oversee all operations.
In the same breath, supervisors are a great resource for employees to look to. Supervisors are always trying to figure out how to do things more efficiently while making sure everyone is staying on top of their goals.
Unless you're needed to stay later, typically you'll only work a 40-hour week as a supervisor. The majority of employers will only hire supervisors who have a bachelor's degree. Sometimes there are options for those with only a high school diploma, you just have to find the right employer.
How to Become a Supervisor
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a supervisor. For example, did you know that they make an average of $22.8 an hour? That's $47,430 a year!
What Does a Supervisor Do
When it comes to the most important skills required to be a supervisor, we found that a lot of resumes listed 8.1% of supervisors included customer service, while 6.5% of resumes included company policies, and 6.3% of resumes included safety procedures. Hard skills like these are helpful to have when it comes to performing essential job responsibilities.
How To Become a Supervisor
If you're interested in becoming a supervisor, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 43.6% of supervisors have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 6.1% of supervisors have master's degrees. Even though most supervisors have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Choosing the right major is always an important step when researching how to become a supervisor. When we researched the most common majors for a supervisor, we found that they most commonly earn bachelor's degree degrees or high school diploma degrees. Other degrees that we often see on supervisor resumes include associate degree degrees or master's degree degrees.
You may find that experience in other jobs will help you become a supervisor. In fact, many supervisor jobs require experience in a role such as cashier. Meanwhile, many supervisors also have previous career experience in roles such as sales associate or customer service representative.
Supervisor Career Paths
In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of manager you might progress to a role such as operations manager eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title senior operations manager.
Supervisor
Senior Operations Manager
9 Years
Food Service Director
9 Years
Manager, Assistant Vice President
7 Years
Terminal Manager
9 Years
Food And Beverage Manager
5 Years
Regional Operation Manager
9 Years
Show More
Average Salary for a Supervisor
Supervisors in America make an average salary of $47,430 per year or $23 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $84,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $26,000 per year.
Average Supervisor Salary
$47,430Â Yearly$22.80 hourly
$26,000
10 %
$47,000
Median
$84,000
90 %
What Am I Worth?
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Top Colleges for Supervisors
1. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-State Tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-State Tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
4. Maine Maritime Academy
Castine, ME • Private
In-State Tuition
$13,478
Enrollment
979
5. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
6. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$7,309
Enrollment
9,142
7. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
8. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
In-State Tuition
$53,308
Enrollment
6,819
9. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
10. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
In-State Tuition
$49,880
Enrollment
4,177
Choose From 10+ Customizable Supervisor Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Supervisor templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Supervisor resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Supervisor Demographics
Supervisor Gender Distribution
Male
56%
Female
44%
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among supervisors, 44.2% of them are women, while 55.8% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among supervisors is White, which makes up 63.4% of all supervisors.
- The most common foreign language among supervisors is Spanish at 67.0%.
Online Courses For Supervisor That You May Like
Advertising Disclosure  The courses listed below are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the course, we may receive a commission.
Supervisor Leadership Skills for a Safe Workplace
Learn safety communication skills to foster safety accountability, responsibility and correct safety behaviours...
OSHA Workplace Safety (General Industry 6 Hr Class)
Learn the requirements and standards associated with OSHA and workplace safety. Safety best practices for the workplace...
OSHA Safety Pro: Trenching Excavation & Soil Mechanics
A quick yet detailed certification in OSHA safety with a focus on Trenching, Excavation, & Soil Mechanics...
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Best States For a Supervisor
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a supervisor. The best states for people in this position are Connecticut, Alaska, New Jersey, and New Hampshire. Supervisors make the most in Connecticut with an average salary of $64,587. Whereas in Alaska and New Jersey, they would average $63,556 and $60,868, respectively. While supervisors would only make an average of $58,867 in New Hampshire, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. Connecticut
Total Supervisor Jobs:
1,524
Highest 10% Earn:
$108,000
Location Quotient:
1.22 Location Quotient is a measure used by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to determine how concentrated a certain industry is in a single state compared to the nation as a whole. You can read more about how BLS calculates location quotients here
$64,587
Avg. Salary
2. New Hampshire
Total Supervisor Jobs:
669
Highest 10% Earn:
$96,000
Location Quotient:
1.01 Location Quotient is a measure used by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to determine how concentrated a certain industry is in a single state compared to the nation as a whole. You can read more about how BLS calculates location quotients here
$58,867
Avg. Salary
3. New York
Total Supervisor Jobs:
5,162
Highest 10% Earn:
$99,000
Location Quotient:
1.07 Location Quotient is a measure used by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to determine how concentrated a certain industry is in a single state compared to the nation as a whole. You can read more about how BLS calculates location quotients here
$58,524
Avg. Salary
How Do Supervisor Rate Their Jobs?
Top Supervisor Employers
Most Common Employers For Supervisor
| Rank  | Company  | Average Salary  | Hourly Rate  | Job Openings  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | JCPenney | $49,023 | $23.57 | 530 |
| 2 | Best Buy | $48,767 | $23.45 | 495 |
| 3 | Kohl's | $47,135 | $22.66 | 495 |
| 4 | Kmart | $44,092 | $21.20 | 1,264 |
| 5 | The Home Depot | $43,435 | $20.88 | 902 |
| 6 | Sam's Club | $42,312 | $20.34 | 610 |
| 7 | UPS | $40,995 | $19.71 | 5,340 |
| 8 | Walmart | $39,978 | $19.22 | 1,875 |
| 9 | Kroger | $39,146 | $18.82 | 543 |
| 10 | Charlotte Russe | $38,900 | $18.70 | 574 |
Supervisor Videos
Supervisor: Job Profile
Career Advice on becoming a Visitor Services Supervisor by Frances P (Full Version)
Career Advice on becoming a Goods Inwards Supervisor by John L (Highlights)
Becoming a Supervisor FAQs
How long does it take to become a Supervisor?
It takes 3 years of professional experience to become a supervisor. That is the time it takes to learn specific supervisor skills, but does not account for time spent in formal education. If you include the normal education requirements to complete a college degree, then it takes 6 to 8 years years to become a supervisor.
How do I become a first-time supervisor?
You become a first-time supervisor by developing your skill sets, leveraging transferable skills, and letting your manager know that you're interested.
There are five categories of supervisory skills to focus on to accelerate your success as a supervisor.
How do I become a supervisor with no experience?
You can become a supervisor with no experience by talking to your manager and having transferable skills. There are several steps you can take to improve your chances of becoming a supervisor with no experience. Also, having an associate's or bachelor's degree in business management or some certification or training can improve your odds.
How much does a production supervisor make a year?
A production supervisor makes $72,223 a year. However, the range typically falls between $60,753 a year and $86,493 a year. Factors such as the company you work for and location can impact how much a production supervisor can make.
Is a supervisor a manager?
No, a supervisor is not a manager. A supervisor is an individual who makes decisions approved by the manager. While managers typically play a more strategic role in a company, making decisions, setting goals, and overseeing a team's success.
What are the duties and responsibilities of a supervisor?
The duties and responsibilities of a supervisor are being responsible for the day-to-day performance of a small group, either a team, a department, or a shift. Supervisors typically have experience in the group's purpose or goal and have earned the position based on management's belief that they can guide the team.
What are the main responsibilities of managers and supervisors?
The main responsibilities of managers and supervisors involve the level of scope of their job duties. A manager typically works at a high level relative to a supervisor in terms of what they manage.
What is a supervisor job description?
A supervisor job description is maintaining staff by recruiting, selecting, orienting, and training employees and developing personal growth opportunities.
Supervisor Job Responsibilities:
Accomplishes department objectives by supervising staff and organizing and monitoring work processes.
Maintains staff by recruiting, selecting, orienting, and training employees and developing personal growth opportunities.
Accomplishes staff job results by coaching, counseling, and disciplining employees.
Plans, monitors, and appraises job results.
Conducts training.
Implements and enforces systems, policies, and procedures.
Maintains a safe and healthy work environment by establishing and enforcing organization standards and adhering to legal regulations.
Completes operations by developing schedules, assigning and monitoring work, gathering resources, implementing productivity standards, resolving operations problems, maintaining reference manuals, and implementing new procedures.
Controls expenses by gathering and submitting budget information, scheduling expenditures, monitoring variances, and implementing corrective actions.
Provides quality service by enforcing quality and customer service standards.
Contributes to team effort by accomplishing related results as needed.
Have more questions? See all answers to common production and manufacturing questions.
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