You’re a Supply Chain Expert, So Why is Sourcing Your “Human” Supply Chain so Difficult?
You know supply chain inside and out, so you’d think it would be easy to hire just the right employees to run your supply chain business. But you’re discovering that just isn’t true. Why isn’t your expertise translating to hiring?
Simple. Supply chain and hiring for supply chain are two different things. Hiring, in general, is a specialized talent.
Do any of the following apply to your company?
- Lack of a streamlined (and/or fine-tuned) recruiting process
- Inability to identify your true short-term and long-term staffing needs
- Lack of interviewing experience
- Lack of communication amongst departments/hiring team
One of the best and fastest ways to get around these obstacles and gain access to the best supply chain candidates and potential employees is to work with a recruiter.
How can you find the right supply chain recruiting firm? Here are the top five variables you should consider:
- Functional Expertise – Some supply chain recruiters specialize in only one functional area of the supply chain, such as procurement or logistics. Others cover the full end-to-end spectrum of the supply chain. When researching and evaluating firms, make sure they fit your particular requirements from a functional expertise standpoint.
- Geographic Markets – Some recruiters focus on a single geographic area, such as a city or region, while others cover larger geographies such as a country or multiple countries around the globe. Make sure the supply chain recruiter you’re considering has plenty of experience recruiting within the geographic markets where your hiring needs are located.
- Industry Verticals – Sometimes industry experience is not a factor when evaluating a supply chain recruiter because many functions and skill sets are transferable across industries. But some functions must have industry-related experience such as manufacturing, primarily due to the uniqueness in processing equipment and industry regulations that are typically required.
- Recruitment Service Offerings – Some supply chain recruiters specialize in only one type of recruitment service offering such as Retained Executive Search. Others offer more choices, such as Contingency, Retained or Temporary Staffing. Choose your firm based on your needs. If you need to fill a vice president position, select a firm that has proven experience at recruiting executive-level candidates. If you need to hire temporary contract employees to support a project, you’ll want to use a firm that offers temporary staffing and payroll services. Your best bet is to find a firm that can do both.
- Years of Service & Client Testimonials – Supply chain recruiting is a highly specialized and complex area to recruit for compared to many other industries and disciplines. Make sure the firm you’re evaluating has proven experience and success recruiting within the supply chain discipline.
Looking for a well-rounded, experienced supply chain recruiting partner with national reach? Look no further than ZDA Supply Chain Recruiting! Contact us today to learn more!