How to secure a more senior supply chain role
When looking to move into a more senior position, it is important to emphasise your key successes in your current or previous roles. All too often, candidates fail to fully express the impact they had on their previous organisations, when this is all the hiring manager really cares about.
Ultimately, when looking to move up in the world of procurement and supply management, you need to outline how you can really add value to the organisation at which you’re interviewing. We explore five key ways in which you can impress the hiring manager and secure a more senior position.
Five top tips to secure a senior position
Know the product or service
When interviewing for a senior role, it’s integral that you do your research. Learn everything you can about the organisation’s products or services so that you can refer to them within your interview and show that you can hit the ground running once in the job.
Demonstrate your ability to think laterally
Supply chain roles are becoming more complex and require further analysis and interpretation in order to offer solutions-based answers to operational problems. As such, you need to be able to showcase you ability within the interview. Draw upon your previous experience and guide your answers towards these points to highlight your skills in this area.
Be passionate about the job
It goes without saying that you have to show your enthusiasm for the job during the interview. Make sure you understand exactly what will be required of you in the new role and read between the lines in the job description. Being able to say why you’re so interested in the position and tie it to what they’re looking for will give you the extra edge.
Highlight any management experience
Whilst a more senior role may not necessarily require you to manage people, highlighting your ability to do so will appeal to the hiring manager and demonstrate potential. Supply chain roles often involve a lot of interpersonal skills and the ability to manage others can help demonstrate that.
Outline your experience
Last but by no means least, make sure you outline how your experience relates to the current role. Demonstrate, with real-life examples, how you can help grow the bottom line, save costs or deliver against business goals so that hiring managers recognise the value you could bring to their organisation.
The above advice doesn’t only apply to when you are interviewing. Demonstrating the above in your CV and cover letter will help your application reach the top of the pile.
