Lead lifeguard interview questions & answers

Tell me a time a customer got angry with you?

The first thing I would do is listen to the customer. Let them speak and tell you what the problem is. While they are speaking, use effective listening skills to show the person that you are paying attention. The second thing I would do is ask them probing questions. I would do this to find out what the issue is and also find out what are their needs. During the conversation I would try to build up a connection. If you build a connection with a customer then that allows you to come out with a successful solution. Lastly, I always try to build a positive rapport with the customer and make them feel valued and happy.

How would you resolve a dispute with a work colleague?

The first thing I would do is to talk to my coworker privately. I would ask if we could both search for ways to resolve our differences and possibly become friends or at the very least be civil coworkers with each other. I think it is natural that we cannot get along with everybody but when we are at work we should put our differences aside and work towards the company's goals. I would do everything in my power to resolve any conflict and always remain professional.

If you are successful and become our supervisor what will you do in the role for the first few weeks?

I would start off by briefing with upper management to include what's the exact objective and goals that is required for my position. I would then spend time getting to know my team and also analyzing their performance so I can note their strengths and weaknesses. Moving forward, I would then inspire, motivate, and support my team to achieve the objectives of the initial brief I had with upper management.

how much experience do you have with diversity community?

I've have been working with a diversed community since I was volunteering as a swim instructor. All individuals are entitled to be treated with dignity and respect at all times. This means no form of discrimination, harassment, or any other form of unwanted behavior. It is my top priority to show respect and dignity to everyone regardless of their gender, race, or culture.

Why do you want to be a supervisor and why do you think you are suitable for this role

Over the years I have been developing myself personally and professionally so that I am suitably equipped to become a qualified and a professional supervisor. I want to become a supervisor because I want to be the person who has responsibility for a team of people and also achieving the goals and objectives of my employer. I believe I am suited for a role to be a supervisor for three reasons: firstly, I am always professional and set myself and other people high standards. Secondly, I am able to motivate, inspire, and support a team while completing tasks. And thirdly, I am someone who can take on lots of work and achieve the required tasks while working under pressure. If you hire me in this position, I will not let you down and I feel confident that you will be impressed with my work ethics and my high standards.

What's your biggest weaknesses?

Yes I do have one weakness. If somebody is late for work I usually have to say something to them when they arrive. This can sometimes be taken the wrong way. I personally don't like lateness, but I am trying to understand that circumstances happen and people will be late so I am working on to be more accepting with others.

Why do you want this job?

ive worked at the fwwcc for 6 years. I am extremely familiar with the pool rules, regulations, and company policies. I am extremely familiar with your lesson program as well. To me, fwcc is a home. Not only have I worked there for a long time but I also lap swimmed on a regular basis since I was 10. I even remember Jen giving me private lessons. I think the fwcc is a wonderful facility with amazing people and it would be an honor to work here as a lead lifeguard.

Tell me about yourself

I have been a lifeguard since I was 15 and have been a senior guard at the fwcc for 4 years. As I got more expereinced being a lifeguard, I started to take in leadership was responsible for supervising and organizing the staff to ensure safety standards were met. I also led the team when there was an emergency. I'm known for having excellent communication, adaptable, teamwork skills, and have a plan of action. When it comes to teaching, I am a experinced swim instructor. I have been teaching swim lessons for nearly a decade and been a swim coach for two years. My passion started at the age of 14 and accomplished 600 volunteer hours teaching swim lessons at the fife pool and YMCA. I am overall a really passionate person when it comes to this type of job field and I am excited for this opportunity.

5. What prior supervisory experience do you have?

I have been a senior guard at the FWC for many years. I was responsible for supervising and organizing the staff to ensure safety standards were met. I also led the team when there was an emergency. As you can imagine, being able to communicate effectively in this environment was critical. I was also a natural leader at western state hospital when there was a crisis. Whenever there was a fight happening or someone injured I would take charge in the heat of the moment. It was crucial for me to be adaptable, have teamwork skills and have a plan of action in the middle of the emergency

2. How do you go about solving conflict between team members?

It would depend on the situation. If it's something small, like a work miscommunication, I will call them both into my office and we will hash it out. However, if it's something bigger, like personal drama, I would approach them separately and ask them to keep this outside of work. If possible, I would not have them scheduled in the same shift. It is important for me to have staff remain professional and civil with each other at work.

How would you support and motivate your team

Motivating my team is on of my greatest joys. I treat my team as I would like to be treated. I give positive feedback to those that did a good job. At the same time, I do not punish failures. Everybody makes mistakes, so I focus on the lesson rather than the mistake. Lastly, I set clear directions and expectations and I spend a lot of time mentoring them so I can pass my knowledge and develop team members.

What is your management style?

My management style is a combination of different key elements that are designed to achieve results. I am firm when needed and am someone who sets high standards. I have excellent decision making skills and I focus on supporting and motivating my team. Lastly, I respect in my staff and set good examples.

Tell me about a time when you managed a difficult team?

One of the hardest team I had to manage would be at western state. We had all new staff and I was the only senior staff on the unit. We had many incidents were there were patients attacking staff or other patients and people would get seriously injured. When there was a crisis, my team would be in full panic mode and would not know what to do. It was crucial for me to remain calm, adatable, have a plan of action and communicate effectively to my team.

When have you failed while working as a manager and what did you learn from the situation?

There was a time at western state when we had a dangerous patient who was normally in restraints completely free. He was in the TV room with the other patients and we had numerous staff monitoring him to make sure he wouldn't attack anyone. The patient requested that he wanted to use the bathroom so I had two people sent out to get the bathroom ready. Unfortunately, this was a trap and the patient used this opportunity to attack another patient. The patient was pretending to be tired and weak in which lead me to believe that our current staff numbers had the situation under control. My mistake in this was not utilizing my full team. We had several people on break and I could've waited for them to be done then get the bathroom prepared. I must say that I have learnt a lot from this experience and my management skills improved drastically I will always take full responsibility for my actions and will continually improve myself and my team to be the best what we can be.

Confront a serious argument with another staff and how you handled it

When I worked at western state, I had a situation where a patient attacked me. While I was restraining the patient, a coworker disagreed and wanted to let the patient go. After the event was over I decided to talk to her privately and resolve our dispute in a peaceful manner. I asked if we could both search for ways to resolve our differences and possibly become friends or at the very least be civil with each other. My co-worker admitted to me that she got upset because that was her favorite patient and it was hard to see him getting restrained. We both talked it out and continued to remain friends after that. I will do everything in my power to resolve any conflict and be professional.

As a supervisor what would you do with a underperforming employee?

first and foremost I would tackle the problem right away. The last thing I would want to happen is for other staff to see another member of the team getting away with underperformance. To resolve the issue, I would speak to the individual in private to see why they are underperforming. Then once I had established the reasons why they are underperforming I would put in a plan of action to get them back up to speed as soon as possible. I would then monitor their performance regularly and provide ongoing support along the way.