Your CV provides a pivotal snapshot of you as a potential employee. Present a well-crafted CV, and meet the job criteria, and you’ve every chance of being called for an interview. Get it wrong and your name could simply be crossed off the applicant list before you even get to meet anyone face-to-face. Make sure you get over that initial hurdle by making a great first impression with your CV – it should look good, provide valuable information and be very well-written.

A CV Fit for A Supply Chain Professional

As a supply chain professional, you are no doubt used to striving for success. You more than likely have a wide range of experience in areas such as planning, purchasing, production, despatch, warehousing and distribution. When you create or update your CV you need to demonstrate your capabilities and skills. Let’s take a look at some of the key elements you will want to include:

Education and Training

The job description should indicate whether candidates require any specific qualifications. Some roles may call for a degree, others may ask for a particular purchasing or procurement accreditation, and a few might not ask for anything specific at all. The level of the position could have some bearing on the qualification required. Make sure you check educational requirements prior to completing your CV.

You will need to provide a list of the courses you have completed. This is usually listed in chronological order (starting with secondary school and moving onto University). As a general rule you will need to include the educational establishment attended/awarding body and you should include associated start and end dates too.

Don’t forget to let prospective employers know what grade you achieved! It’s also important to include any recent courses/training you have attended and make sure you list any professional qualifications.

”Most supply chain professionals within the sector will share common strengths – a commercial mind, a good grasp of numbers, first-class organisational skills and an ability to communicate well with others”.

Skills

Positions within the supply chain field differ from business to business. However, most supply chain professionals within the sector will share common strengths – a commercial mind, a good grasp of numbers, first-class organisational skills and an ability to communicate well with others.

This section also allows you to demonstrate other useful things you have learnt or are good at. Perhaps you have a good working knowledge of particular computer software packages, such as MS Excel, specific ERP systems etc. Or maybe you can speak another language? These special extras could really draw attention to your CV.

Work Experience

This section provides a great opportunity to illustrate what you can do in the workplace. The work experience section should be concise and provide a really useful overview of your past duties and achievements.

Remember supply chain roles can vary from business to business, so don’t assume an employer will understand your past roles and responsibilities just because you provide a list of snappy job titles.

There’s no room for long paragraphs and wordy sentiments here – a potential employer wants to be able to get to the heart of what you’re all about. Bullet points are your friend! Here’s what you might want to include:

• Job roles in chronological order (oldest to current).
• Employment dates (start and end dates – including month and year).
• Company details (name and address).
• A very brief outline of the company (only if desired).
• Job titles.
• Main duties.
• Notable achievements.

More About Notable Achievements

Let’s explore notable achievements a little further for clarity. If you are proud of a particular work accomplishment or success, this is the place to showcase your triumph. What have you done in previous roles that will demonstrate your aptitude?

• Did you lead a large team?
• Did you increase productivity or efficiency?
• Did you instigate savings?
• Did you play a major role in wrapping up an important project?
• Did you come up with any wonderful ideas that your company adopted?

These are just a few examples that can be used to draw attention to the positive contributions you have made elsewhere. Potential employers will be impressed by your acumen – if you can achieve so much in other roles what could you do for them? Where possible, include facts and figures to illustrate and back-up your successes.

Hobbies & interests

Potential employers are seeking hard-working individuals, but they also want to find out what makes you tick as a person. Do you have a passion for skiing or cycling? Perhaps you are an avid reader of autobiographies or enjoy painting watercolours of the picturesque countryside? Maybe you have spent many years perfecting the electric guitar?

If you are a member of any clubs e.g. amateur dramatics, a book club, a football team etc. include this here too, along with any fundraising activities you have been involved in. The hobbies and interests’ section offer a great opportunity to show that you have passion and commitments outside of a work environment.

Things to Avoid

It’s easy to get carried away when crafting a CV. There are so many things you want to tell a prospective employer about your life and career to date! Here are a few things you should try to avoid:

• Gaps in your employment history. Employers may be concerned by obvious spaces, and will wonder where you were and what you were doing. Make sure you explain any gaps in a positive way.
• Too many pages and words will leave a potential employer feeling overwhelmed. They don’t really have time to read a ten-page essay on the life and times of each candidate! Respect their time by keeping your CV concise and covering the key points.
• Irrelevant information can be just as annoying. You don’t need to include every educational establishment and workplace going back years. Simply include the qualifications, courses, training and roles that are applicable to the supply chain position you are interested in. You might be proud of the fact that you worked as a butcher, a baker and then a candlestick maker – but this won’t necessarily showcase your capacity for working in a supply chain role!
• Don’t over-exaggerate! It’s a good idea to blow your own trumpet, but if you start fudging figures, inflating your qualifications or making up past job roles chance are you will get rumbled.

Ready to Craft Your Supply Chain CV?

Your CV offers the perfect opportunity to show off what you have done and what you can do. Potential employers will use it to decide whether or not to call you to interview – so make sure you put the time into perfecting it. The information you provide will spark some of the questions you are asked during an interview, so make sure you know every detail inside out. For more advice and tips on how to write a  high impact supply chain CV, contact us today.