Supply chain management, a huge industry that involves coordinating the storage and transportation of goods and components from creation to final delivery, is a growing industry. It’s become particularly relevant as companies have outsourced some of their operations, and as consumers have demanded products from all over the world. So if you’re looking to get into a new industry, this is a good one to focus on for your job hunt. But how can you get a job in supply chain management? Here are the three most important tips you can follow:
- Emphasize the Right Qualitative Skills
If you have education specific to supply chain management or previous experience in the field, then that’s obviously what you’ll want to highlight on your resume. But even if you haven’t specifically worked somewhere along the supply chain before, you probably have numerous applicable skills. In your cover letter and resume, emphasize your ability to problem solve, to think on your feet, to adapt, to work well under pressure, and to coordinate with numerous people or departments. If you can provide concrete examples of how you’ve excelled in these areas before, it won’t necessarily hurt you that your experience has been in another industry.
- Work With a Supply Chain Recruiter
There are actually specialized supply chain and logistics recruiters (logistics recruiters are essentially the same as supply chain recruiters), and they have access to more job listings than you ever will, even if you scour the Internet from top to bottom every single day. It’s thought that only around 70% of job openings are posted online, and often those listings don’t include the very best positions. And since these supply chain recruiters are paid by companies based on their ability to submit qualified candidates for consideration on a very tight timeline, you’ll probably also be able to get working sooner, too.
- Be Willing to Start at the Bottom
Unless you have an advanced degree and a great deal of experience (in which case you should probably be working with executive search firms), you can thrive in supply chain management by being willing to work your way up from the inside, rather than jumping into a leadership position. Because supply chain management involves so many different functions, it has a built-in structure for internal promotion. Knowing that, you may want to be open to taking a slightly lower-level position than you’d hoped for, just to start off.
Do you have any experience working in supply chain management? Use the comments to share your advice on getting started in the field.