It’s Not What You Do, It’s How You Do It and Why.

Preparing for an interview is always an interesting time for candidates and recruiters. One that can be filled with excitement, joy, confidence, nerves, guilt, apprehension, among many other feelings. The first port of call when preparing for an interview is for the candidate to discuss what they do. This tends to be a long list of roles and responsibilities, very similar to what’s on their CV. This is great at showing that they are capable of following a process, however, when asked how and why they are doing these tasks, they tend to freeze or panic and then go into an incoherent babble explaining what they do once again.

As a Recruiter to the Supply Chain sector, I understand the importance of my candidates being able to explain how they can add value to an organisation. Supply Chain is a very fluid structure, so the ability to constantly change, adapt and find new ways of improving efficiency and commerciality, and ultimately increase profitability for the business as a whole is what my clients are looking for in a new hire.

In order to succeed in an interview, a candidate must understand this and be able to demonstrate not just their ability, but also their method and motivations. Essentially you will need to view supply chain as your own business unit, which it is, and then take a step back and understand how what you do impacts on the business as a whole. What this then allows you to do is to start thinking more entrepreneurially; what changes you can make to improve efficiencies within your business unit and ultimately the whole organisation.

Due to the vast impact supply chain can have on profits, businesses are no longer seeking “doers” but are looking for “thinkers” and “drivers”; people who can spot changes that need to be made and come up with various ideas to implement them and ultimately deliver value and impact.

Organisations are currently pumping a large amount of their budget into the supply chain and this is expected to continue for some time. This will result in a lot of movement in the supply chain market, with companies looking to gain a competitive advantage over their rivals, therefore it is vital that you as a candidate can explain how you can provide them with a competitive advantage. So…

It’s not just what you do, it is how you do it and why.