How Do I Become a Line Supervisor?

A line supervisor generally is responsible for overseeing employees who work on some form of production line, whether that line is in a manufacturing capacity or in a business such as a restaurant. It takes skill and experience to become a line supervisor, and many people often are promoted to the job from within the company. A line supervisor has to have good interpersonal skills, as well as management and business skills.

After working at a company with a production line for a few years — many times working on the production line — you may be offered a chance to become a line supervisor. You will need to have a high school diploma or its equivalent, at the very least. Some companies also may require that you have a bachelor's degree before they will consider letting you become a line supervisor.

For many people, the promotion to line supervisor is their first promotion. You may think you will have less to work to do as a supervisor, but you should instead be ready to do even more work. In addition to other job duties, you could spend anywhere from 15 percent to 35 percent of your time directly supervising a line, and you may supervise more than one. There may be more demands placed on your time, which may require you to go to work early or stay late.

To become a line supervisor, you have to display skills that show you can handle the job. You should be dependable, enjoy working with others, and be able to work independently. Stress can be high for a line supervisor, so you need to be able to deal with high-stress situations. Leadership skills are important to a supervisor, and you likely will need to show that you can be a team leader.

Part of the job if you become a line supervisor is training others, coaching them to be their best, and helping them develop their skills. You need to have good interpersonal skills to work with your team and to be the liaison between the workers under you and the people who are your supervisors. You will have to be able to give constructive criticism, take criticism and possibly correct situations with workers.

Management skills are important if you want to become a line supervisor, and these skills include more than just managing subordinates. You must be able to manage projects to ensure that they are finished on time and within budget. A supervisor has to manage schedules to ensure that there are enough people to work at any given time and that a replacement is found if someone is absent. You will have to be able to prioritize what is most important and plan accordingly. It is important for a line supervisor to be able to see the big picture and determine what the company needs, not just what the supervisor's team or department needs.