Questions and Answers for a Supervisor Poistion at Greggs
After 75 years in the business, Greggs is one of the most famous bakery chains in the UK. Greggs not only provide affordable food, they also have a mission to make a difference. On the ‘about’ page of Greggs, they explain and discuss their commitment to making a difference with the Greggs foundation scheme, charity fundraisers and other community programmes.
When applying for a Greggs managerial role, candiates need to be aware that Greggs isn’t simply on organisation that is interested in profit – and how your interview answers have to reflect their vision, mission and values.
We have collated a list of commonly asked supervisory and managerial questions for a position at Greggs, and explain the type of answer the employer is looking to hear from a potential Greggs supervisor/manager.
Greggs Interview Questions and Answers
Each question is broken down into the reason the question has been asked and the appropriate interview answer, designed to be marked high on the interview scorecard.
Tell me why you have applied for a position at Greggs?
Opening job interview questions, no matter how they are worded, are designed to see if you have the experience, attitude as well as an understanding of the organisation.
Often this interview question is split into two; ‘tell me about yourself’ and ‘what do you know about Greggs?’
The approach to answering the ‘why have you applied for a position at Greggs’s’ question is relatively easy. The goal is to reference what you know about the organisation; there mission and values, while highlighting your supervisory skills and experiences with confident communication – creating a positive interview identity
A strong opening line can be worded similar to: “When applying for new roles I look for organisation that gives something back to the community, I was really interested in the foundation scheme that Greggs is committed to….” This type of opening line shows
1) a shared interest in helping the community (crossed values)
2) that you have researched the organisation (employee commitment)
3) that you applied for Greggs for a particular reason, not just for ‘any old job’ (staff retention)
With rapport being build from the initial answer, you next need to highlight what you can bring to the team “…as a supervisor with over 8 years experience working in busy retail outlets I am highlighly skilled at…..”
This middle section of the job interview answer showcases the interviewee’s knowledge and experience within a few simple lines – remember, in the following interview questions the applicant will have an opportunity to go into detail, explaining their unique selling point. Here though, the goal is to hook the interviewer’s interest.
Finally, end the interview answer with a strong summary wrapping up the reply “…so, to end, I know I have the skills and experience to be a valued team member of the Greggs family, and I know that I would excel in an organisation that has the community at the heart of its business”
This final line shows confidence by the assertiveness of the summary while reminding the interviewer that you have the shared values of the organisation (which hints at retention and commitment)
What is your approach to managing a teams working pattern to ensure that the store can be operational during opening times
When asked any interview question about the day to day operations of the job role, you know that from the employer’s perspective that they deem this skill as essential.
For Greggs, employing a supervisor or manager who can manage the working patterns of a mixed team (full, part and seasonal staff, and employees with different skill sets), is essential to ensure that stores are open for business.
When answering this interview question, you need to reply to the question with confidence. First, explain that you are aware of the complexity of staffing: “supervising staff in a Greggs store can be a little complicated. It’s not the same as a clothing store where all staff can cover all roles; stocktaking, tills, etc, In Greggs, we need to ensure that we have staff in the store who can operate the ovens, serve customers and those who have the relevant food safety training. In addition, extra staff are required during busy periods such as Christmas….”
By stating each problem the applicant is showing an awareness of the business. Once each barrier has been explained, a solution, the candidate’s approach, needs to be explained. “When starting a new supervisory position I first review the staffing; who works what shift patterns, with staff members have restrictions to working certain hours, having childcare as an example, the common busy periods of the store and the employees skill set and qualifications. A rota can then be created to ensure that each shift has the required team members included, such as a baker and an employee with the authorization to take the cash at night. Finally, I have back up staff members who I know can cover shifts is employees are ill. This way all eventualities are covered for.”
How do you ensure that all employees adhere to health and safety and hygiene regulations?
The food sector, more than most other industries, will always ask questions regarding health, safety, and food hygiene regulations due to the number of government guidelines an organisation has to adhere to.
As a supervisor, the successful applicant is responsible for ensuring that staff follows policies and procedures relating to this. Some interview questions are best answered with an example, and others more analytical. Questions regarding procedures, such as this one, come across stronger with a step by step explanation;
“There are 3 steps required to ensure that all staff adheres to H&S regulations. The initial step is ensuring that each member of staff attends company training and/or refreshers there training in the appropriate time frame. To monitor this I record staff training requirements in a training log. “
“Next, I ensure that all guidelines, regulations and company policies and procedures are on display in the store, as a visual reminder. And finally, I make spot inspections to check that all staff are implementing the legislation, and if required support staff to follow them.”
Give an example of motivating an employee?
Most interview questions are best answered with the use of an ‘example’. When asked to give an example, be certain to use a real-life story.
A manager ensures processes and procedures are followed, a leader motivates staff to work at their best.
With any ‘example’ answer; start by stating a problem or barrier “when I started at X organisation as a new manager, it was clear that there was a motivational issue with the whole team that was effecting customer retention…”
Next, the interviewee has to make it clear the steps they took to overcome the problem “to overcome the lack of employee motivation I…A, B and C…”
And finally, state the positive outcome “this resulted in …..”
How would you increase store profits?
Even though Greggs bakery has a positive attitude towards supporting the local community, it is still a business that is required to make a profit. As a Greggs supervisor or manager, you will need to prepare an answer to interview questions relating to profit margins.
Ideally using a real-life example of how you have previously increased store profit will help you gain extra points on the interview scorecard, but alternatively explaining what you would do in the future also highlights the applicant’s competencies.
Two ways to answer this question is either focus on decreasing overhead cost – explaining how to cut down on waste or over-ordering on goods is an established way to save cost or to discuss income generation through, as an example a promotion linked the national events; young carers day, Olympics, Christmas, etc
What questions would you like to ask us?
At the end of each interview, interviewees have an opportunity to ask the employer a question(s)
Ask about how the local Greggs store supports local charities to show that you have an interest, as Greggs does, in the local community.
Inquire about internal training and promotional opportunities to highlight that you are keen to work for Greggs, not just any old employer.
And finally, ask about the store manager’s managerial style to ensure that you would work well in this environment.
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