Improve recruiting for your supply chain jobs

It may not always be easy for companies in the supply chain to properly pursue all their staffing goals, simply because there's so much competition for capable candidates in the sector these days. For that reason, if you need to add people to the payroll in an effort to meet the demand your company now enjoys, you may need to do a bit more to boost your recruitment efforts.

Perhaps the easiest way to make sure you're able to continually connect with high-quality candidates is to determine what you think that just-right worker looks like at every level of your organization, according to Inbound Logistics. Obviously, you will have different needs for pickers and packers versus managers or executives. If you can clearly define what makes an ideal candidate for any given position in advance of starting your actual hiring process, it will allow you to advance through that period more quickly - and come out the other side with a better hire.

However, given the intense competition for talent in the sector, you also need to make sure you stand out to candidates just as much as they stand out to you, and that starts by making sure your offerings (salaries, benefits, perks, etc.) are more attractive than what's generally available, the report said.

Hiring the right people for supply chain jobs takes planning.

What to avoid
When you're conducting your candidate search, knowing what you want is only part of the battle, according to Optimum Supply Chain Recruiters. You also have to guarantee you've effectively communicated those standards, or you may find that there are more candidates applying who don't fit the role - and it's a waste of time both for your hiring managers and those applicants.

That may be especially true if you've involved numerous people in the candidate review process, or you've planned for a longer-than-normal recruiting period, the report said. All of these are classic pitfalls of hiring for in-demand roles, because the best candidates will tend to be scooped up by the companies that most clearly define what they're looking for, both internally and externally.

The question of experience
While there are plenty of talented supply chain managers that have been in the sector for years or more, the level of demand for such workers is incredibly high. As such, you may need to go outside the industry to find people on occasion, according to The Balance Small Business. Many firms may be loath to do so, simply because it's always going to be preferable to bring in people who know your specific industry - no matter what that industry is - but when it's not necessarily feasible, you need to have a backup plan.

While you will obviously require at least related experience, there may be numerous ways of having obtained it, regardless of the industry in which they did so, the report said. If, for instance, an applicant has never worked on supply chain-specific projects, if they have dealt with making organizations more efficient from the top down, or managed partner relationships, that person could be a solid addition and grow into the role.