First-Line Supervisors of Personal Service Workers

• Summary

• Details

Work Activities

• Inspect work areas or operating equipment to ensure conformance to established standards in areas such as cleanliness or maintenance.
• Observe and evaluate workers' appearance and performance to ensure quality service and compliance with specifications.
• Inform management about problems, such as employee disputes.
• Direct marketing, advertising, or other customer recruitment efforts.
• Assign work schedules, following work requirements, to ensure quality and timely delivery of service.
• Recruit and hire staff members.
• Resolve customer complaints regarding worker performance or services rendered.
• Train workers in proper operational procedures and functions and explain company policies.
• Take disciplinary action to address performance problems.
• Requisition necessary supplies, equipment, or services.
• Meet with managers or other supervisors to stay informed of changes affecting operations.
• Participate in continuing education to stay abreast of industry trends and developments.
• Investigate employee complaints and resolve problems following management rules and regulations.
• Inspect work areas or operating equipment to ensure conformance to established standards in areas such as cleanliness or maintenance.
• Arrange worker breaks to ensure services are adequately staffed throughout each shift.
• Inform workers about interests or special needs of specific groups.
• Train workers in proper operational procedures and functions and explain company policies.
• Direct or coordinate the activities of workers, such as hotel staff or hair stylists.
• Apply customer feedback to service improvement efforts.

Skills

• Management of Financial Resources
  • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
• Learning Strategies
  • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
• Operations Monitoring
  • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
• Installation
  • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
• Programming
  • Writing computer programs.
• Judgment and Decision Making
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
• Management of Personnel Resources
  • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
• Complex Problem Solving
  • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
• Social Perceptiveness
  • Understanding people's reactions.
• Systems Analysis
  • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
• Instructing
  • Teaching people how to do something.
• Monitoring
  • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
• Equipment Maintenance
  • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
• Repairing
  • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
• Active Listening
  • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
• Writing
  • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
• Mathematics
  • Using math to solve problems.
• Negotiation
  • Bringing people together to solve differences.
• Equipment Selection
  • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
• Operations Analysis
  • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
• Troubleshooting
  • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
• Time Management
  • Managing your time and the time of other people.
• Management of Material Resources
  • Managing equipment and materials.
• Coordination
  • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
• Reading Comprehension
  • Reading work-related information.
• Speaking
  • Talking to others.
• Critical Thinking
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
• Science
  • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
• Technology Design
  • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
• Systems Evaluation
  • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
• Operation and Control
  • Using equipment or systems.
• Quality Control Analysis
  • Testing how well a product or service works.
• Active Learning
  • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
• Persuasion
  • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
• Service Orientation
  • Looking for ways to help people.

Abilities

• Written Expression
  • Communicating by writing.
• Arm-Hand Steadiness
  • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
• Memorization
  • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
• Manual Dexterity
  • Holding or moving items with your hands.
• Speed of Closure
  • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
• Perceptual Speed
  • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
• Dynamic Strength
  • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
• Near Vision
  • Seeing details up close.
• Reaction Time
  • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
• Originality
  • Creating new and original ideas.
• Finger Dexterity
  • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
• Written Comprehension
  • Reading and understanding what is written.
• Rate Control
  • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
• Explosive Strength
  • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
• Static Strength
  • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
• Glare Sensitivity
  • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
• Extent Flexibility
  • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Peripheral Vision
  • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
• Hearing Sensitivity
  • Telling the difference between sounds.
• Control Precision
  • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
• Fluency of Ideas
  • Coming up with lots of ideas.
• Mathematical Reasoning
  • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
• Deductive Reasoning
  • Using rules to solve problems.
• Oral Expression
  • Communicating by speaking.
• Time Sharing
  • Doing two or more things at the same time.
• Auditory Attention
  • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
• Night Vision
  • Seeing at night or under low light.
• Speech Clarity
  • Speaking clearly.
• Trunk Strength
  • Using your lower back and stomach.
• Sound Localization
  • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
• Dynamic Flexibility
  • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Stamina
  • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
• Visual Color Discrimination
  • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
• Speech Recognition
  • Recognizing spoken words.
• Spatial Orientation
  • Knowing where things are around you.
• Inductive Reasoning
  • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
• Flexibility of Closure
  • Seeing hidden patterns.
• Gross Body Coordination
  • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
• Gross Body Equilibrium
  • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
• Far Vision
  • Seeing details that are far away.
• Depth Perception
  • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
• Wrist-Finger Speed
  • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
• Speed of Limb Movement
  • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
• Category Flexibility
  • Grouping things in different ways.
• Problem Sensitivity
  • Noticing when problems happen.
• Visualization
  • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
• Oral Comprehension
  • Listening and understanding what people say.
• Number Facility
  • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
• Multilimb Coordination
  • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
• Information Ordering
  • Ordering or arranging things.
• Selective Attention
  • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
• Response Orientation
  • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.

Knowledge

• Geography
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
• Physics
  • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
• Therapy and Counseling
  • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
• Chemistry
  • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
• Education and Training
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Computers and Electronics
  • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Telecommunications
  • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
• Transportation
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
• Communications and Media
  • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
• Sales and Marketing
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
• Design
  • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• Production and Processing
  • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• Philosophy and Theology
  • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
• Mathematics
  • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• History and Archeology
  • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
• English Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Administration and Management
  • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Medicine and Dentistry
  • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
• Sociology and Anthropology
  • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
• Fine Arts
  • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
• Biology
  • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• Food Production
  • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
• Economics and Accounting
  • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
• Engineering and Technology
  • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• Customer and Personal Service
  • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Building and Construction
  • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
• Administrative
  • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
• Public Safety and Security
  • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
• Psychology
  • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• Foreign Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
• Personnel and Human Resources
  • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
• Mechanical
  • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• Law and Government
  • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

Education

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Work Experience

Less than 5 years work experience

Training

No on-the-job training

Education and Training Opportunities

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Education and Training Opportunities

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Pay

Washington Annual Salary

59830/yr

Washington Hourly Wage

28.77/hr

Washington Employment Trends

Currently Employed

171,700

Yearly Projected Openings

18400

Personality

Enterprising: People interested in this work like activities that include leading, making decisions, and business. They do well at jobs that need:

• Self Control
• Concern for Others
• Cooperation
• Integrity
• Stress Tolerance
• Initiative

Tools

• Desktop computers
• Laser printers
• Mobile medical services automated external defibrillators AED or hard paddles
• Notebook computers
• Personal computers
• Photocopiers
• Special purpose telephones

Technology

• Calendar and scheduling software
• Electronic mail software
• Internet browser software
• Inventory management software
• Office suite software
• Point of sale POS software
• Presentation software
• Spreadsheet software
• Time accounting software
• Word processing software