5 supply chain management skills to boost your resume
Getting ahead as a supply chain manager requires particular skills plus a deep understanding of how this essential field operates and how it's evolving.
COVID-19 put a spotlight on supply chain professionals and the important role they serve.
Those considering a role in supply chain management would do well to, first, consider the supply chain management skills they will need to enter the field or move up into positions of leadership. Here we've listed the top five skills to succeed in a supply chain management career.
Once you've identified the ones you still need to hone, the next step is to create a skill-sharpening plan. Check out the reading list that follows this article to deepen your knowledge and get more tips on how to boost your resume and stand out in the supply chain management field.
5 supply chain management skills to know
Here are five supply chain management skills every supply chain professional will need.
1. Good communication skills
Good communication skills are important in many lines of work. Supply chain professionals must communicate well because they work with multiple departments at their own company and with suppliers to get a product made and shipped to a customer. They need to keep communication lines open and running smoothly.
"You have to be able to talk to people of different professions, different responsibilities, different organizational areas, [and] different operational areas," said David Blanchard, author of Supply Chain Management Best Practices. "You have to be able to communicate … quickly, efficiently, effectively, and you need the respect from people that understand, this person knows what they're talking about."
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2. Strong sense of ethics
Like any business leader, a supply chain professional must possess a strong sense of right and wrong and demonstrate that moral compass to colleagues and business partners. They must treat each supply chain partner fairly.
"Take the mentality that we're all in this together so that you're not beating down your suppliers for the very last nickel on the price that you can get," Blanchard said. "You want to keep them in business."
3. Commitment to quality
Customers will quickly stop buying from a company that is producing subpar products. A supply chain professional must hold their company to the highest possible standards to ensure success.
"You [must demonstrate that you] recognize the difference between shoddy and high-quality and that you are committed to [the latter]," Blanchard said. "Companies will tend to live or die by their reputations and companies that make bad products don't tend to stick around for very long."
4. Time management
Getting tasks done in a timely manner is an important skill for any worker, and that's no exception for a supply chain professional. Anyone who works on a supply chain has many demands on their day, and they must be skilled at juggling all those demands.
"You've got to be really organized," Blanchard said. "[You must be] somebody who's well able to get everything done in a day that needs to be done and not [have] wasted that time."
5. Up-to-date tech knowledge
Technology has a huge effect on the supply chain. Supply chain professionals must stay on top of the latest developments like AI and be able to speak knowledgeably about how those developments could help the company.
Be well aware of what the latest and greatest in supply chain technology is right now.
David BlanchardAuthor, 'Supply Chain Management Best Practices'
"Not every supply chain person needs to be a technical wizard," Blanchard said.
The important thing is to appreciate and understand what technology can do to support supply chain improvements and business goals, especially as it relates to emerging supply chain technology, he said.
"Be well aware of what the latest and greatest in supply chain technology is right now," Blanchard said. "That's a skill that companies are definitely looking for."
Other steps to furthering a supply chain management career
As you map out your plan for launching or furthering your supply chain career, think beyond this immediate segment of IT and consider other areas that overlap with it, starting with cybersecurity.
To deepen your knowledge of supply chain as a whole -- and smooth your way to a successful supply chain management career -- check out our comprehensive guide to the supply chain field. Then absorb the career guidance the articles listed below, under Next Steps, offer.
Molly Driscoll is a site editor at Informa TechTarget.
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