Most department supervisors list "store management," "product knowledge," and "plumbing" as skills on their resumes. We go into more details on the most important department supervisor responsibilities here:
What Does a Department Supervisor Do?
A department supervisor's role is to oversee and ensure a business operation's efficiency in a particular area. Acting as a leader, it is their responsibility to develop strategies on meeting goals within a timeline and ensure that the workforce is functioning effectively in a harmonious environment. Furthermore, a department supervisor is in charge of setting goals such as budget and results, evaluating employees' performances and activities, training new members of the workforce, handling and resolving issues, and enforcing the company's policies and regulations.
Department Supervisor Responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real department supervisor resumes representing typical tasks they are likely to perform in their roles.
- Achieve a high degree of customer relations, in-stock, and store appearance.
- Manage geotechnical aspects of an EIR/EIS for a coastal development in an environmentally sensitive lagoon.
- Maintain an ISO certify department.
- Home depot sales associate , 2/2012 to7/1012
- Obtain good working knowledge of EDI.
- Assist customers, complete callbacks and diamond counts
- Mop floors and clean windows and wipe down rooms.
- Repair and fabricate screen and storm windows according to specs.
- Enter training histories into training database and maintain training records to adhere to ISO standards.
- Set all sale ads when need, process items to be ship out for repairs or callbacks.
- Inspect DVD and VHS products prior to scanning them in, via RF scanner, for quality control.
- Supervise a team of 6-8 employees, set merchandise to plan-o-grams, daily diamond count from safe each morning.
- Maintain daily cleanliness, merchandising and promotional standards.
- Monitor in-stock levels and research products not receive.
- Organize warehouse and maintain general cleanliness of work area.
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Department Supervisor Skills and Personality Traits
We calculated that 21% of Department Supervisors are proficient in Store Management, Product Knowledge, and Plumbing. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Leadership skills, and Management skills.
We break down the percentage of Department Supervisors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Store Management, 21%
Merchandised incoming inventory into the department in a timely and organized manner according to company standards and store management's expectations.
- Product Knowledge, 19%
Collaborated with other department supervisors and store managers for enhanced and more competent salesmanship with employees to instill better product knowledge.
- Plumbing, 18%
Provided daily interaction with customer assisting in the resolution of a myriad of residential plumbing challenges.
- Math, 8%
Instruct students in the use of Microsoft Office technologies to enhance achievement in core subjects such as English and Math.
- Customer Satisfaction, 6%
Designed and implemented a unique and effective training program promoting a one-team mentality and boosting revenue generation and customer satisfaction results.
- Store Sales, 6%
Trained in all available aspects of store sales, product maintenance, equipment use/repair, loss prevention, and customer service.
The three companies that hire the most prestigious department supervisors are:
- The Home Depot3,090 Department Supervisors Jobs
- The TJX Companies1,010 Department Supervisors Jobs
- Bed Bath & Beyond113 Department Supervisors Jobs
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What Assistant Manager/Merchandises Do
Assistant managers for merchandise are employees who oversee the supplies in the company's stores. They are usually employed in companies that run retail stores. Assistant managers for merchandise are responsible for their stores' supplies, stocks, and inventory. They ensure that their inventories are well-stocked. They are also responsible for approving purchase requisitions to ensure that the store never runs out of supplies. They plan for the daily needs of the store. They also prepare for high volume or peak days and anticipate the needs of the store. As such, they order enough supplies to cover for such days. They also manage store employees and ensure that they are properly trained.
In this section, we take a look at the annual salaries of other professions. Take assistant manager/merchandise for example. On average, the assistant managers/merchandise annual salary is $9,978 higher than what department supervisors make on average every year.
Even though department supervisors and assistant managers/merchandise have vast differences in their careers, a few of the skills required to do both jobs are similar. For example, both careers require product knowledge, store sales, and sales associates in the day-to-day roles.
As far as similarities go, this is where it ends because a department supervisor responsibility requires skills such as "store management," "plumbing," "math," and "basic math." Whereas a assistant manager/merchandise is skilled in "front end," "cleanliness," "retail store," and "cash handling." So if you're looking for what truly separates the two careers, you've found it.
Assistant managers/merchandise tend to reach similar levels of education than department supervisors. In fact, assistant managers/merchandise are 0.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.4% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.
What Are The Duties Of a Dept Manager?
A department manager is responsible for monitoring the operations of the assigned department, ensuring the maximum productivity and optimal performance of the staff. Department managers also coordinate with business partners, clients, and customers, as well as identifying business opportunities to drive more revenues and increase profitability. They handle department budgets and maintain the proper allocation of resources to support project management and deliverables. A department manager must have excellent communication and leadership skills, managing the staff's needs, and providing excellent support.
Now we're going to look at the dept manager profession. On average, dept managers earn a $2,922 higher salary than department supervisors a year.
Not everything about these jobs is different. Take their skills, for example. Department supervisors and dept managers both include similar skills like "product knowledge," "sales associates," and "sales floor" on their resumes.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences that are worth noting. For example, department supervisor responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "store management," "plumbing," "math," and "basic math." Meanwhile, a dept manager might be skilled in areas such as "pallet jack," "jewelry," "cycle counts," and "iso." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Dept managers may earn a higher salary than department supervisors, but dept managers earn the most pay in the retail industry with an average salary of $38,046. On the other side of things, department supervisors receive higher paychecks in the finance industry where they earn an average of $56,861.
In general, dept managers study at similar levels of education than department supervisors. They're 1.0% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.
How an Assistant Department Head Compares
An assistant department head is responsible for monitoring the operations of the department, together with the department head. Assistant department heads' duties include managing clients' inquiries and complaints, developing strategic solutions to improve clients' satisfaction, and identifying business opportunities to increase revenues and the business' profitability. They will also work on monitoring the staff's performance and addressing their concerns, creating sales reports, maintaining budget goals, and organizing training. An assistant department head must have excellent leadership and communication skills to help in achieving the department's objectives.
The assistant department head profession generally makes a higher amount of money when compared to the average salary of department supervisors. The difference in salaries is assistant department heads making $18,009 higher than department supervisors.
Using department supervisors and assistant department heads resumes, we found that both professions have similar skills such as "product knowledge," "sales associates," and "sales floor," but the other skills required are very different.
There are many key differences between these two careers as shown by resumes from each profession. Some of those differences include the skills required to complete responsibilities within each role. As an example of this, a department supervisor is likely to be skilled in "store management," "plumbing," "math," and "basic math," while a typical assistant department head is skilled in "ladders," "curriculum development," "financial statements," and "stock shelves."
Assistant department heads make a very good living in the energy industry with an average annual salary of $54,439. Whereas department supervisors are paid the highest salary in the finance industry with the average being $56,861.
Assistant department heads typically study at higher levels compared with department supervisors. For example, they're 9.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 3.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.
Description Of an Assistant Department Manager
An assistant department manager is responsible for supporting the assigned department operations under the supervision of the head department manager. Assistant department managers oversee the performance of the staff, ensuring the highest productivity with quality services. They also assist in budget allocation, coordinating with the senior management for expenses reports, and suggest cost reduction strategies. An assistant department manager must have excellent communication and leadership skills, especially on coordinating with business partners for project deliverables and maximize the staff's potential by arranging department training and programs.
Assistant department managers tend to earn a lower pay than department supervisors by about $3,614 per year.
While their salaries may vary, department supervisors and assistant department managers both use similar skills to perform their jobs. Resumes from both professions include skills like "store management," "product knowledge," and "sales associates. "
While some skills are shared by these professions, there are some differences to note. "plumbing," "math," "basic math," and "customer satisfaction" are skills that have shown up on department supervisors resumes. Additionally, assistant department manager uses skills like standard operating procedure, work ethic, cleanliness, and retail sales on their resumes.
The average resume of assistant department managers showed that they earn similar levels of education to department supervisors. So much so that the likelihood of them earning a Master's Degree is 0.2% more. Additionally, they're less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.2%.
Types Of Department Supervisor
Supervisor
Average Salary: $53,902
Bachelor's Degree
Available Jobs: 426,301
How To Become a Supervisor
Shift Supervisor
Average Salary: $34,141
Bachelor's Degree
Available Jobs: 116,265
How To Become a Shift Supervisor
Department Manager
Average Salary: $67,160
Bachelor's Degree
Available Jobs: 97,695
How To Become a Department Manager
Sales Supervisor
Average Salary: $40,860
Bachelor's Degree
Available Jobs: 22,109
How To Become a Sales Supervisor
Floor Supervisor
Average Salary: $27,963
Bachelor's Degree
Available Jobs: 21,341
How To Become a Floor Supervisor
Case Manager Supervisor
Average Salary: $51,023
Bachelor's Degree
Available Jobs: 17,874
How To Become a Case Manager Supervisor
What a Department Supervisor Does FAQs
How Much Does A Department Supervisor Make At Lowes?
A department supervisor at Lowes makes, on average, $40,098 a year ($20 an hour). This can range from as little as $19,500 a year to as high as $80,000 a year. Factors such as location and department impact how much a department supervisor makes at Lowes.
What Are The 5 Roles Of A Supervisor?
The five roles of a supervisor are educator, sponsor, coach, counselor, and director. Every supervisor role utilizes some combination of these five roles when leading a team.
A supervisor acts as an educator when their employees and team members are new, when processes or conditions change, or when discussing performance expectations.
What Is A Margin Department Supervisor?
A margin department supervisor is someone who oversees the operations of the margin department. This can mean approving or denying credit to clients and monitoring account activity. A margin department supervisor is there to ensure compliance with all relevant government regulations.
Have more questions? See all answers to common sales questions.