Resume and Cover Letter Tips, Tricks, and Examples

Land a Production Supervisor Job With These 5 Resume Tips

Marcie Wilmot

Certified Resume Writer, Career Coach, and Business Owner


Have you been working as a team lead on a factory floor or in a manufacturing plant for several years? Do you consider yourself a leader who excels at managing and coaching others? Can you monitor and optimize production processes? Do you recognize the importance of employee safety and compliance? If you’re answering yes to all of these questions, then you’re definitely in the right place.

This article will teach you how to create an impactful production supervisor resume so you can score the perfect job. With this in mind, let’s delve into some information about the production supervisor role and valuable tips that will help you build an effective manufacturing supervisor resume.

What Does a Production Supervisor Do?

Before we get into the nitty gritty of writing an amazing production supervisor resume, let’s talk more about what a production supervisor does. This is important because these are the relevant tasks and skills you’ll want to emphasize on your resume. See below for a list of typical job responsibilities:

a production supervisor hard at work with other employees
  • Oversee the job performance of factory or manufacturing plant workers.
  • Coordinate scheduling, establish priorities, and communicate expectations to staff.
  • Recruit, train, and discipline employees and develop growth opportunities for them.
  • Manage production processes, staff, and resources while ensuring that goals are met.
  • Maintain workflow and foster cooperation between internal departments.
  • Uphold safety and quality standards while simultaneously promoting efficiency.
  • Initiate, organize, and enforce new and improved policies, procedures, and systems.
  • Educate staff about equipment and how to keep a clean and safe working environment.

Employers usually prefer a candidate with a bachelor’s degree in business, management, or electrical engineering. However, experience without a degree will suffice.

How Do I Create an Impactful Production Supervisor Resume?

The key to landing an interview with your desired employer is to submit a resume that’s head and shoulders above the others. Refer to and implement the five tips below as you create your manufacturing supervisor resume so you come out ahead of your competition.

Tip #1: Organize Your Information

First things first. Make sure your resume is organized, easy to read, and visually appealing. You can achieve this by choosing a layout that properly showcases your qualifications, skills, and experience. With this in mind, people tend to select a chronological layout, with alternatives being functional and hybrid. In addition, using a standard, 12-point font and proper spacing helps make it legible and scannable.

To find templates that suit your needs, you can search online for ‘production supervisor resume examples‘. Microsoft Word also offers a variety of templates, or you can simply start from scratch.

See below for a production supervisor resume sample with a format that is uncluttered and professional.

Tip #2: Write the Production Supervisor Resume with Powerful Words

You’ve heard it before, and we’ll say it again. Use strong action verbs in your resume (especially in the production supervisor job description for resume, which refers to the work history section). You’re only doing a disservice to yourself if you choose to start your bullet points with weak words like performed, helped, and assisted. Instead, begin all of your bullets with impactful verbs like:

  • Oversaw
  • Directed
  • Facilitated
  • Orchestrated
  • Coordinated
  • Fostered
  • Optimized
  • Initiated
  • Established
  • Negotiated

In addition, make it a point to emphasize how your actions have benefited your former employers by using numbers, statistics, and percentages throughout your resume. Resumes for production supervisors stand out to recruiters and HR when their language is specific, action-oriented, and filled with numbers.

Here are two bullet examples that include numbers and strong action verbs:

  • Orchestrated 10 to 15 training sessions per month for over 120 factory employees.
  • Initiated and implemented 80+ safety, quality, and cost improvements in the past year.

Tip #3: Mirror the Production Supervisor Job Description

Beyond using powerful and results-focused language on manufacturing supervisor resumes, it’s also imperative to tailor your language to the target job ad. First, take note of the keywords and phrases that are frequently mentioned in your target job ad (including any qualification or skill that is mentioned). Then, incorporate them into your work experience and skills sections. This will help ensure that your resume beats ATS barriers, and it also shows the hiring manager that your background is an ideal fit for the role.  

Tip #4: Incorporate Key Skills

In any resume, including skills is an essential part of your attempt to impressive the hiring manager. Your skills list should include a good combination of hard and soft skills. Additionally, you should include skills mentioned in the job ad, as well as relevant skills that aren’t mentioned. The purpose is to highlight how your diverse skill set not only sets the pace for success, but it also introduces a new perspective.

So, below is a list of soft and hard skills that are commonly found on manufacturing supervisor resume examples. These are the kinds of skills you should include on your resume (if they pertain to you):

  • Communication skills
  • Conflict resolution
  • Problem solving
  • Decision making
  • Employee management
  • Production line management
  • Safety auditing
  • Inventory management
  • Assembly protocols
  • Microsoft Office
  • Timekeeping programs
  • Oracle Database

Tip #5: Eliminate Any Errors

The last thing you want to do is submit a resume that hasn’t been proofread. After you’ve put together your resume, have someone you trust look it over to fix any mistakes. If you don’t know anyone who can help, then find an online tool that will proofread your resume for you. Only then will HR see that you are detail-oriented and serious about getting the job. Go out of your way to impress them!

If you follow the tips above, then it’s only a matter of time before you get your foot in the door with a desired employer. Your resume will beat ATS software and wow HR with its impact, relevance, preciseness, organization, and professionalism. Good luck!    

Top Companies Hiring for Production Supervisor Jobs

If you’re ready to tackle the application process with a pristine resume, then here are 8 companies hiring production supervisors.

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