With the manufacturing industry going through a veritable sea change at the moment, supply chain management roles are becoming increasingly competitive for qualified candidates to land.
Both entry-level and seasoned job seekers need a resume that stands out to recruiters for all the right reasons. Before you start applying to supply chain positions, you’ll need to understand how the manufacturing industry is changing, what that means for the global supply chain, and how to build the perfect resume for the supply chain concentration.
Digital Literacy & Emerging Technologies
Data and automated systems have become the core of most supply chain processes. With real-time changes to the market and the increase in involved parties, like suppliers, outsourced manufacturing, and delivery, advanced tech is more important than ever.
As follows, more and more jobs within supply chain disciplines include a focus on data. Jobs aren’t going away, they’re just evolving. We’re seeing fewer postings seeking manual operators and more for supply chain analysts.
Hiring managers are looking for candidates that understand technology’s role in the supply chain and how to implement optimizations through the process.
The good news here is that when everything is changing, everyone is on the learning curve. Global supply chain technologies have a focus on continuous improvement.
These technologies cover a wide range of applications, from materials management to cross-functional team collaboration.
Make sure you mention the particular PLM, QMS, or ERP systems you’re used to working with so that the supply chain professionals reading your resume know if you have either direct or transferable experience for their own systems.
Applicants are encouraged to have some underlying digital literacy, of course, but the emphasis is really on willingness to expand their skillsets.
Tips For Your Supply Chain Resume
The supply chain job search, much like most other job searches right now, is daunting and oversaturated with competing candidates. A cursory “supply chain jobs” search on LinkedIn is enough to make anyone crawl back into bed. Not to mention a continuously growing list of job titles that may be brand new to the field.
Not to worry, we’ve put together a few tips to make your supply chain management job hunt a success! (Bonus: read to the end for a sample supply chain manager resume you can download to guide your own resume.)
1. Start where you should always start: The Basics
You want to follow the basic building blocks of your resume, including a resume summary, work history, and a skills section. Putting forward the best resume is simply tailoring your information to best match the role and job description you’re applying for.
Speaking of digital literacy, hiring managers are looking for the right keywords and a professional resume template to get you through to the next round.
Looking at other resume samples online can help you find different ways to word responsibilities and give you an idea of where to start.
2. Be specific in your relevant work experience
This is a no-brainer for any resume. You want to show that you’ve worked in a position with experience relevant to the position you’re applying for.
While your years of experience may not explicitly include “supply chain” in your prior job titles, these positions can provide a lot of relevant experience for your future goals. For instance, warehousing management relates directly to a supply chain position.
The key here is to lean on your skills and experience—make sure they highlight your supply chain experience in relation to specific job functions normally required in the field, such as strategic sourcing or vendor management.
But the really important ace in your pocket is emphasizing what you can add. How can you create more efficient workflows or bring process improvement ideas to continue spurring innovation and competitive differentiation for the business?
3. Fill up your supply chain skills section with the right keywords
Similar to highlighting relevant experience, you want to make sure the skills section of your resume is featuring the right keywords.
Many of the top supply chain-related skills will be included in those experiences.
For instance:
Using the same example of warehouse management, procurement would be an integral part of that role. Sourcing raw materials and inventory management within the warehouse facility sets you up to understand a larger supply chain system. Managing pricing and forecasting any changes to the market shows you can practice inventory control and logistics management, which are a required part of supply chain processes.
See what we did there? Pack in those keywords but make sure it flows naturally within your phrasing.
You want to feature more fundamental professional and soft skills as well. Microsoft Excel may seem like a basic skill, but it’s a building block of supply chain management processes.
Soft skills are just as important, especially when roles are going to be working with cross-functional teams. Problem-solving and great communication skills help your supply chain process run smoothly between different departments.
4. Stand out with related accomplishments
Certifications are a great way to show additional skills and experience, especially if you’re a recent graduate.
There are several supply chain certifications that can highlight digital literacy and familiarity with supply chain technologies. The Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM) offers several courses and certifications that give you a leg up in both tech and the globalization of SCM.
Implementing new systems and featuring your accomplishments in a past role is a great way to combine both relevant supply chain experience and related skills.
Project management is a huge part of supply chain management. These projects may include implementation of new technology or the development of entirely new business processes for frontend and backend collaboration. Not only does this show organization, but also the application of supply chain methodologies such as six sigma (another beautiful keyword).
5. Show them the numbers (i.e. be results-driven)
More so than ever before, supply chain management is intrinsically hyper-focused on improving the business end-to-end, including the first phase of manufacturing.
You want to show that you have experience improving business practices with the metrics to back you up. Within your responsibilities and accomplishments bullet points, be sure to include quantifiable data points. This can be margin improvements year over year or improvements to inventory levels.
Download the Supply Chain Resume Sample
Below we’ve provided a sample supply chain resume to give you an idea of how to format and write your own. Click here to download a PDF version.
If you use this template, be sure to follow our tips above to really set yourself up for success! You got this!
Read more about the current state of the supply chain job industry in our blog post, What’s Next for Manufacturing Industry Jobs?
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