Anyhow you look at it, people are the most important stakeholders in your supply chain operations. As customers, they are all that matters; as resources in the supply chain, nothing works without them. Getting it right is important.
In this article, we will focus on getting the right people as resources in your supply chain operation. Modern technology is very much technology driven. And it has paid its dues.
The single difference between modern and traditional technology is its integration of tech solutions. However, the people in the supply chain control and navigate these for efficiency.
Getting the right people in place can spell all the difference for your supply chain management. It can determine the success and effectiveness of your supply chain operations for a while.
Hiring these people can be tricky. How do you know the right ones, and how do you find them?
What are these tips for hiring the right people in your supply chain?
HereWe will explore five critical tips for hiring the best people in your supply chain. We will also explore mistakes to avoid.
1. Allign with the organization’s strategic goals
Sounds simple enough, right? However, not many businesses or organizations hire with the company’s goals in mind. This often leads to redundant hires, costing the supply chain more money.
Aligning with the organization’s goal will entail finding what direction the organization is moving into and then hiring people with specific skills who can help out.
For instance, more African supply chains are embracing tech. It makes sense to hire people inclined to technology if your supply chain will succeed with it. It also reduces the cost of training programs.
When your hiring goals align with the organisation’s, you will have a staff that can get the supply chain to achieve its goal. And you do not have to keep repeating the hiring experience because it will last.
2. Emphasize soft skills
As much as supply chains can get very technical, it is still important to ensure that the people you hire have the required soft skills to match. Technical and operational expertise is all good, but what happens when these people cannot work with the team on the ground?
Your supply chain becomes difficult to manage, and having enough of them will lead to disruptions throughout the supply chain.
The best way to avoid this is to hire people with technical skills while focusing more on soft skills such as communication, teamwork, and multitasking.
Another thing you should note in the hiring process is that technical and operating skills are more teachable than soft skills. This should be enough to prioritise soft skills in your hiring process.
3. Assess cultural fit
Every decent business has a certain culture that everyone coming on board buys into. The culture can be laid back, more youthful, or target-oriented.
Whatever the culture is in your organization, it is important to get people who will fit with that culture. That way, they can hit the ground running as soon as possible. The team can also enjoy the benefits of cohesiveness, which allows everyone to put in their best effort.
Hiring people with the right cultural fit makes communication, teamwork, and other soft skills easier to extract, amplifying the productivity of the team and each individual.
4. Test for technical and industry knowledge
Although this is not as important as soft skills, it is also a nice have for your supply chain professionals. Getting people with soft skills, technical skills, and industry knowledge is a win-win for your supply chain.
Depending on the level of hire, having technical skills and industry knowledge is a pointer to the professional’s ability to improve themselves. Hiring people with technical skills is also a cost-saver for your supply chain.
You don’t have to invest much in training the individual. When you are in a pickle between technical and soft skills, pick the person with the soft skills and a basic understanding of the technical skills.
5. Clearly define job roles and responsibilities
Putting up a job board across multiple platforms is normal when hiring people. You will have difficulty finding the right people if the roles, responsibilities, and expectations are unclear.
It will attract multitudes of qualified and unqualified candidates, making it difficult for your supply chain to select the right people. Today, AI helps with these, but some unqualified candidates still manage to slip through.
Always ensure you have the right information on the boards to prevent an over-application. You will streamline the entire process and make it much more easier.
What are some mistakes to avoid when hiring people in your supply chain?
There are mistakes hiring officials typically make when getting the right people into the supply chain. This eventually causes problems for the entire process.
1. Paying attention to office politics:
This often impacts how people get hired into the supply chain. Hire-ups may have people they prefer for no tangible reason and try to pressure the hiring official to get them. The problem with this is when things don’t work like they tend not to, the hiring official is to blame.
2. Rushing the hiring process:
People tend to rush the hiring process when there is a sense of urgency. This will often lead to the supply chain taking the wrong person and having to repeat the process soon enough. It will affect the resources and time of the supply chain.
3. Focusing solely on one pillar rather than a well-rounded approach:
There are several pillars to the hiring process, especially in the supply chain. You want to focus on technical, soft, and industry skills. With these three in place, you have the perfect candidate.
However, many hiring managers tend to focus on just one of these pillars, which makes it difficult to get the right person.
4. Ignoring red flags:
When hiring managers feel like they have the opportunity to land a really good talent, they tend to ignore red flags. This eagerness or excitement usually comes back to hunt them.
FAQs on hiring the right supply chain professionals
𝗤𝟭: 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝘀𝗼 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘀?
Hiring the proper experts ensures a competent and successful supply chain team, which boosts operational excellence, cost-effectiveness, and general business performance.
𝗤𝟮: 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀?
Proficiency in supply chain management, analytical abilities, problem-solving, flexibility, communication, and a solid grasp of market trends and technological advancements are all necessary.
𝗤𝟯: 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲’𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁?
You may gauge a candidate’s understanding through focused interview questions, case studies, and conversations regarding their experience managing supply chain issues and process optimization.
Conclusion
Hiring the right people is important to the supply chain, and the tips listed here will help any hiring team make the most of the experience. The right professionals will always have the positive impact you desire on your supply chain.
Countries:: Nigeria, Ethiopia, Ghana, Sierre Leone, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Togo, South Africa, Mozambique, Egypt, Niger, Senegal, Tanzania, Madagascar, and Cameroun.
Obinabo Tochukwu Tabansi is a supply chain mastro and writer with a decade of experience working in different facets of the supply chain. Today he is living his passion for writing on all things supply chain. His blog, Supply Chain Nuggets, is Africa’s fastest-rising supply chain blog, helping professionals, business owners, and curious minds navigate the supply chain complexities on the continent.
