How To Become A Field Supervisor: What It Is and Career Path

What is a field supervisor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

A field supervisor is an individual responsible for overseeing and managing workers in the field, ensuring that tasks are completed efficiently and according to company standards. Field supervisors are typically found in industries such as construction, oil and gas, and utilities, where work is performed outside of an office. Field supervisors must have strong communication skills to effectively communicate with workers and management, as well as the ability to make quick decisions and problem-solve.

ScoreField SupervisorUS Average

Salary

3.4

Avg. Salary $42,894

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

8.6

Growth Rate 8%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.03%

Asian 1.40%

Black or African American 5.06%

Hispanic or Latino 24.15%

Unknown 3.84%

White 64.53%

Gender

female 17.74%

male 82.26%

Age - 46

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 46

Stress Level

8.6

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

7.4

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

4.1

Work Life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a Field Supervisor?

Pros

Competitive salary and benefits package
Ability to work independently and make decisions
Opportunity to develop leadership and management skills
Chance to make a tangible impact on projects and teams
Flexibility with scheduling and remote work options

Cons

High levels of stress and pressure to meet deadlines
Need to maintain strict budgets and timelines
Balancing competing demands from clients, employees, and management
Potentially high turnover rates among field staff
Occasional need for extensive travel or relocation.

Key steps to become a field supervisor

Explore field supervisor education requirements

Most common field supervisor degrees

Bachelor's

41.7 %

High School Diploma

21.2 %

Associate

20.1 %

Start to develop specific field supervisor skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Service	11.81%
Quality Standards	8.20%
Emergency Situations	7.72%
Payroll	6.96%
Direct Supervision	6.77%

Complete relevant field supervisor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New field supervisors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a field supervisor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real field supervisor resumes.

Gain additional field supervisor certifications

Field supervisor certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific field supervisor certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for field supervisors include OSHA Safety Certificate and EPA Amusement Operators Safety Certification (EPA).

More About Certifications

Research field supervisor duties and responsibilities

Manage well site personnel and all lease operators, completing records, ensuring certifications and maintaining personnel data when require.
Project manage and monitor all print job requests via TRAC (RICOH web base job requesting and reporting tool).
Manage logistics and implementation of an experiential marketing campaign in a mall setting - including on-site management.
Operate vehicles and power equipment, such as trucks and trailers, mowers, snow blowers and power tools.

Prepare your field supervisor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your field supervisor resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a field supervisor resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Field Supervisor Resume templates

Build a professional Field Supervisor resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Field Supervisor resume.

Apply for field supervisor jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a field supervisor job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do field supervisors rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Field Supervisor reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Feb 2020

Cons

the dragged out long hours required to meet deadlines

A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2019

Pros

to execute all the work inquality and to take visits and audits with managers and auditors