Author: RodApple
The Proper Way to Respond to Job Applications
Think about the last time you filled out a job application. The stressful process of perfecting resumes and cover letters, searching through job boards for open opportunities, hitting that submit button, and then waiting. Your inbox may look something like this or it’s chock-full of the typical canned auto-replies that most companies send which basically states “thanks, but no thanks.'' So what can companies do to better engage applicants applying to their online job vacancies? And WHY haven’t they been able to advance beyond those highly insensitive “thanks, but no thanks” cookie cutter auto-replies? Just because an applicant isn’t [...]
7 Strategies to Navigate the Trade and Tariff Volatility
Ever since the first tariffs were enacted on imports from China, many retailers, wholesalers and manufacturers have been in a panicked state. The tariffs have increased import prices on various products, leading to the choice for companies to absorb the costs themselves or pass onto consumers. This has also driven down consumer confidence as well, which is contributing to a slowing economy. Even with the talk of rollbacks, both economies have already suffered billions of dollars of losses. One recent study shows the tariffs threaten almost 1.5 million US jobs and more than $180 billion of nationwide economic activity. [...]
10 Competencies to Advance to Supply Chain Executive (Part 2 of 2)
As we discussed in Part 1, there is no magic formula to reach the most senior supply chain executive level. Every company has a unique supply chain thus requiring varying degrees of experience, qualifications and skills. Below you’ll find the next 5 core competencies that supply chain practitioners should aim to acquire in efforts to advance to the most senior supply chain executive level: Technology & Innovation In today’s digital era, customers demand a high degree of personalization and expect a rapid turnaround with every order placed. Supply chain executives need to have the strategic ability and know-how to [...]
10 Competencies to Advance to Supply Chain Executive (Part 1 of 2)
Supply chain leadership roles such as Chief Supply Chain Officer continue to grow in popularity as more companies recognize that supply chain management is central to success and a key differentiator for adding value and sustaining revenue growth. Supply chain leaders of today aren’t just focused on coordinating the company’s end-to-end supply chain and cutting costs. They are also involved with developing and supporting core business strategies, product and service innovations, customer retention programs, leading due diligence and integrations for mergers & acquisitions, margin enhancement initiatives, and more. One of the common questions I receive from rising supply chain [...]
ASCM Career Coach Webinar: Best Practices for Hiring and Building Top Supply Chain Teams
Attend the upcoming "ASCM Career Coach Webinar: Best Practices for Hiring and Building Top Supply Chain Teams" presented by ASCM Career Coach and SCM Talent Group President Rodney Apple and take an indepth look at best practices for hiring and building top supply chain teams. Date: November 5th, 2019 Time: 12pm-1pm CT By attending this webinar, you will receive: Best practices for attracting the right talent for your job openings How to properly vet and assess candidates and mitigate a mis-hire Tips for partnering with your HR / Recruiting Partner to drive hiring success Top hiring mistakes and [...]
Top Skills Employers Look for In Supply Chain Students
A student can never start preparing for the future too early. The top questions that I hear from supply chain management students are “What can I do to prepare myself for my first job?” and “What skills do employers look for in entry-level candidates?”. As supply chain recruiters, we can help pitch in some advice to help. Beyond your university’s core degree requirements, there are a few skills employers look for that I recommend that you fine-tune before walking across the graduation stage. Data Analytics From procurement to inventory planning to logistics, the ability to process and interpret data [...]
How to Kick Off a Supply Chain Search Assignment
What is the best process for kicking off a supply chain search assignment? Are you questioning if you’ve engaged with the right recruiting firm to fill critical supply chain hiring needs at your company? If your recruiting partner primarily focuses on the job description and fails to inquire about other key aspects of your business, especially the make-up of your unique supply chain, you could be setting yourself up for failure. To help you get there, we’re going to dive into SCM Talent Groups’ kickoff AKA intake process to provide insight on how to develop a highly accurate search profile [...]
SCM Talent Group Featured at ASCM 2019
SCM Talent Group is returning to the ASCM (formerly APICS) 2019 annual conference, this year taking place in Las Vegas, NV. The conference brings together more than 2,000 professionals from 50+ countries with over 65 educational sessions that are mapped across six learning paths to cover all aspects of the extended supply chain; plan, source, make, deliver, return, enable. Since 2014, SCM Talent Group President and ASCM Career Coach Rodney Apple has attended the conference to provide one-on-one career coaching to college students and APICS scholars, as well as participated in presentations on topics pertaining to supply chain talent [...]
Revamp Your Procurement Hiring Process
Is your procurement organization suffering because your hiring process is broken? Are your candidates dropping like flies because you’re requiring them to go through too many rounds of onsite interviews? If you answered yes to either of these questions, then it’s time to focus on optimizing your procurement hiring process. To stay on top of your procurement hiring demands, it’s imperative that you focus on doing whatever it takes to remove bottlenecks that delay your ability to make quick hiring decisions and can lead to a poor candidate experience. Here are a few ways you can streamline your procurement [...]
4 Ways to Enhance Your Procurement Resume
Having specialized in procurement and supply chain recruitment for about 2 decades, I’d like to fill you in on a few must-have elements that you’ll want to incorporate into your procurement resume in efforts to optimize its effectiveness. My hopes are that some of these tips will help improve your job application to interview ratio and ultimately lead to the job of your dreams. 1. Showcase Accomplishments within Procurement and Quantify Results One of the most common resume mistakes that you can make is to only state your roles and responsibilities. You must also list out your accomplishments [...]
