Getting a Background to Qualify for Supply Chain Jobs
For certain supply chain jobs, such as that of a dispatcher, a high school education and some on-the-job training is required; in some cases, technical school or an associate degree may also be required. However, for supply chain management jobs, you'll also need a college degree. Popular degrees for supply chain manager jobs include those in physical distribution, logistics, traffic management, or another related field. However, not everyone who becomes a supply chain manager has a background in these fields. They can also have degrees in business law, management, economics, marketing, or transportation. If you’re a traffic manager, for example, you may also want to earn a master's degree.
When you begin working in supply chain jobs, usually you'll start as a clerk or tracer in traffic offices or shipping rooms. As you continue, you can assume more responsibility and take on more technical work such as freight claims supervisor, rate supervisor, rate analyst or a senior rate clerk. These positions can all lead to being a traffic manager or to another position in supply chain management. In most cases, you'll need several years of experience with supply chain jobs before you can move into a managerial position.
What Does It Mean to be a Supply Chain Manager?
Your job is basically to oversee some part of the supply chain, such as the transportation of raw materials and/or finished goods to where they need to go. For example, you may be responsible for transporting raw materials into factories, and you may be responsible for transporting finished goods to where they need to go in the marketplace, such as department stores. You may also have to take into consideration the kinds of things companies ship and figure out details such as weight or size requirements, safety factors, and schedules, so that things get where they need to go on time. Oftentimes, you'll also be considering how to get things shipped most cheaply and yet safely so that the product or material doesn't get ruined, and so that safety remains the main consideration. You may be using computer software to make these types of compilations.
Time
Time is of the essence when you work in supply chain management. For this reason, one of your main concerns (besides safety and cost) is going to be that time delays don't occur. If they do, you have to figure out why they occurred and how to keep them from occurring the next time. In addition, you may be responsible for handling things when goods get lost or damaged during delivery so that you must handle claims and make necessary arrangements with those placing the claims, such as customers or carriers. You also want to be concerned with making traffic flow as smoothly as possible, so there aren't bottlenecks in a system that could delay shipments.
Because shipping is closely related to storage (and the time considerations warehouse locations can sometimes affect), you may also be responsible for helping decide where plants or warehouses should be built to manufacture and house materials and finished goods.
Federal, State, or Local Considerations
Your area is likely going to have local, state, or federal regulations that you'll need to keep in mind. If something you do is found to be lacking, you're going to have to be prepared to go before government regulatory agencies and explain why it was done.
Applying for Supply Chain Jobs
The Internet has made applying for supply chain jobs or supply-chain managerial jobs easier than ever. If you have a resume in hand and the proper background or education, it's pretty simple to apply for jobs in supply chain. Go online and access a search engine, then type in specific keywords that to know the type of position you're looking for, such as "supply chain managerial jobs." You will come up with a number of job sites that list supply chain managerial jobs. You can specify these jobs by skill set and/or location, so that you can narrow down your search and make it easier. Once there, submit your resume and follow up on any interview offers you receive.
If you're just out of school, your school as well should have job placement information available for you to help you get your first job.
A Note about Your Resume
Your resume should be polished and as professional looking as possible. It should also be as concise as possible while still listing all the information an employer is going to be looking for. It's a good idea to include a synopsis on the first page, in which you list your contact information, skill set (in bullet format, listed), and then a brief educational and work history. On the subsequent pages, as necessary, you can go into your work history or educational background in greater detail.
Salary and Outlook
Depending on the supply chain jobs you apply for, salary ranges from about $30,000 a year to over $70,000 year. Jobs in supply chain management, especially those with advanced degrees, pay more. Job outlook remains fair to good, with some effect from the slowing economy. Fewer goods are being bought, and therefore, fewer goods and raw materials are being shipped, which affects jobs in supply chain, too. Nonetheless, as the economy picks up, this sector will pick up, too.
Conclusion
Applying for supply chain jobs has become easier than ever with the advent of the Internet. With the right background and/or education, a polished resume in hand, and access to the Internet, you should be able to come up with companies in your area that are looking for people to fill supply chain jobs of various kinds. Even though the slowing economy has made this sector, too, somewhat tighter than usual, it should improve as the economy does.
