Here are the keywords and skills that appear most frequently on recent Supply Chain Specialist job postings. In other words, these are the most sought after skills by recruiters and hiring managers. Go to Sample Templates ↓ below to see how to include them on your resume.
Remember that every job is different. Instead of including all keywords on your resume, identify those that are most relevant to the job you're applying to. Use the free Targeted Resume tool to help with this.
Does your resume contain all the right skills? Paste in your resume in the AI Resume Scan ↓ section below and get an instant score.
Paste your resume below and our AI will identify which keywords are missing from your resume from the list above (and what you need to include). Including the right keywords will help you get past Applicant Tracking Systems (i.e. resume screeners) which may scan your resume for keywords to see if you're a match for the job.
Go through the Supply Chain Specialist posting you're applying to, and identify hard skills the company is looking for. For example, skills like Logistics Management, Warehouse Operations and Procurement are possible skills. These are skills you should try to include on your resume.
The following word cloud highlights the most popular keywords that appear on Supply Chain Specialist job descriptions. The bigger the word, the more frequently it shows up on employer's job postings. If you have experience with these keywords, include them on your resume.
Here are common soft skills that appear on Supply Chain Specialist job postings. Unlike hard skills, which refer to tools, software or techniques, soft skills focus on character traits and interpersonal skills. Instead of listing these phrases on your resume, try to show them through your bullet points like in the examples below.
Tip: Do not list these words or phrases on your resume, and instead focus on the hard skills we described above.
Here are examples of proven resumes in related jobs and industries, approved by experienced hiring managers. Use them as inspiration when you're writing your own resume. You can even download and edit the resume template in Google Docs.
Supply chain analysts are specifically concerned with product inventory and supply, with a goal of ensuring their company is able to run efficiently. Hiring managers will therefore want to see that you are familiar with quantitative analysis. Any internal promotions can be a boon to include, too.
Analysts need to have the ability to quantitatively compare vendors, routes, and inventory, as a few examples, and that means having a strong capacity for numbers. Your data points should be backed by numerical data to show hiring managers that you have a background in working with figures.
If you have been promoted within the same company at previous positions, be sure to list your earlier positions (especially if they informed your work as an analyst). Doing so gives the hiring manager the impression that you have performed your duties well enough to earn the position of analyst.
At the entry level, you can demonstrate your familiarity with the supply chain field by referencing specifically relevant courses you completed as part of your degree. Additionally, including volunteer work or extracurricular clubs will show hiring managers that you are committed to the field and have applied it in real life settings.
If you’re an entry level supply chain specialist with an academic background, you should aim to include the name of the program you graduated from as well as relevant examples of courses you completed. Since degrees can change over time or between universities, it can be helpful for hiring managers to know you have studied Inventory Analytics, for example.
Even without significant field experience, you can demonstrate your capacity for supply chain work by including notable class projects or student clubs that relate to supply chain activities. Outside of school scenarios, you should include any relevant volunteer work you've done (such as finding new vendors for a local company).
Logistics and supply chain analysts are primarily focused on assessing the shipment and delivery of goods and identifying ways to improve efficiency. You should aim to keep your accomplishments on point, along with utilizing strong verbs that are relevant to the position.
As your goal is to demonstrate your capacity as an analyst in the logistics and supply chain field, you should aim to specifically include accomplishments that support it. While it is important to reference any personnel management you’ve done, the bulk of your bullet points should be along the lines of handling tickets or improving delivery speeds.
Every bullet point should lead off with a verb that relates to a logistics and supply chain analysis skill (“analyzed”, “devised”, “determined”, “expedited”) when possible. This helps reinforce to the hiring manager that you have a solid background in the field, and makes it easier for your resume to get past applicant screening programs.
Supply chain directors hold more responsibility within a company and will be expected to ensure smooth inventory operations at each step. You’ll want to emphasize your leadership ability in past positions and to demonstrate that you have the ability to positively impact your employer at a company wide level.
As the director of your company’s supply chain department, you will be expected to have a significant background in working with personnel. You should highlight your work leading teams, conducting trainings, or managing employees in any fashion to indicate that you have sufficient leadership skill.
Hiring managers want to see how much of an impact you’ve made in affecting a company’s bottom line, particularly if you’ve been a supply chain director before. You should include any accomplishments that indicate how much you’ve reduced risks, improved performance, or increased award fees, for example, noting specific numerical values each time.
Supply chain managers are responsible for overseeing the daily operations of inventory flow. Focus on including relevant skills throughout your resume to emphasize to hiring managers that you have an understanding of various supply chain activities and have successfully handled them in the past. Any additional certifications or volunteer work you can include will further improve your credibility.
Along with referencing skills that are appropriate for supply chain managers in the summary and throughout the body of the resume (such as managing, forecasting, reducing costs), you can include a list in a skills bank at the bottom or side. This helps hiring managers see that you are proficient in Inventory Management, for example, or that you have a background in Fast-Moving Consumer Goods.
If you have certifications in the supply chain field, or as a manager (such as being Six Sigma certified), you should also list these at the side or the bottom of your resume. Additionally, any volunteer work that you’ve done in the field should be included. By including certifications and outside work efforts, you’ll be demonstrating to hiring managers that your affinity for supply chain management goes above and beyond.
A supply chain business analyst is specifically experienced with business processes. You can show that you have an understanding of the business analyst field by starting your resume with a short summary and including any projects that you’ve worked on that led to improved operations.
As a supply chain business analyst, part of your job may involve writing reports with a goal of conveying information rapidly and accurately. By including a summary at the top of your resume that encapsulates your background, it provides the hiring manager with a scannable introduction while simultaneously demonstrating your ability to write efficient reports.
If you have put in additional time at a previous employer to devise a method of improving efficiency at a company wide scale - or any comparable efforts - you should include it. Even if the project was completely internal, it indicates your ability to take a broad perspective of a company’s inner workings and improve them.
Some effective Supply Chain Specialist skills you can add to your resume include:
While the keywords above are a good indication of what skills you need on your resume, you should try to find additional keywords that are specific to the job. To do this, use the free Targeted Resume tool. It analyzes the job you are applying to and finds the most important keywords you need on your resume.
It is personalized to your resume, and is the best way to ensure your resume will pass the automated resume filters.
Thank you for the checklist! I realized I was making so many mistakes on my resume that I've now fixed. I'm much more confident in my resume now.
