A supply chain planner oversees a company’s good production process. Tasks include, but are not limited to, identifying and coordinating with suppliers of raw materials, strategizing to ensure the production process is efficient, overseeing the company’s inventory, ensuring the company’s goods are appropriately distributed, etc. To thrive in this position you need to be a strong project manager and problem solver. As you will be coordinating with various stakeholders both within and outside the company, excellent communication and negotiation skills, both written and verbal, are also essential.
When looking at supply chain planners’ resumes, recruiters will be looking to see a bachelor’s degree in supply chain management, logistics, or an equally related field. Beyond that, recruiters will be interested in your experience and how knowledgeable you are on the supply chain process. So ensure you give a detailed history of the tasks you have completed in the supply chain process, as well as the industry-standard technologies you are experienced with.
Here we will examine different types of supply chain planners, show you some successfully crafted resumes, and give you some tips to help you make your resume equally successful.
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A supply chain planner ensures a company has all the raw materials it needs to manufacture products, forecasts demand, oversees the warehousing of manufactured products, and oversees the transportation of the goods to the clients/customers. It is a multi-functional position requiring excellent project management, interpersonal skills, and leadership skills.
Most recruiters expect to see at least a bachelor’s degree in supply chain management or a closely related field, while others will also expect certification in the field like CPIM training from APICS. Make sure your qualifications are highlighted in your resume. Beyond qualifications, recruiters will be looking to see a history in the supply chain side of a company so focus on that for your experience section. Here is a strong resume sample.
Making sure the supply chain cycle stays within the allocated budget is a critical part of your job. Use metrics like percentages showing how you reduced resource wastage or reduced costs, to maximize the use of allocated budgets.
You need to show recruiters that you are skilled in managing all areas of the supply chain from planning and forecasting to purchasing and inventory control. This is especially important in this position because you will be in charge of planning for all stages in the supply cycle.
A supply chain planner, also called a logistician, is responsible for ensuring that a company’s inventory is produced, stored, and distributed in the most time and cost-efficient manner. Tasks you can expect to complete include, forecasting customer demand, ensuring a timely and adequate supply of raw materials, analyzing the supply process to find points of improvement, and monitoring and managing the company’s inventory. This position requires excellent project management, communications, and management skills. Educationally, you will be expected to have a degree in supply chain management, logistics, or a similar field. Any further education in the field will serve to further bolster your resume.
This resume does a great job of listing a directly relatable educational background as well as listing the quantifiable success of their work in maximizing the efficiency of the supply chain process.
Companies are always looking to increase efficiency and lower costs in all their departments. As a supply chain planner, you are in a position to make the decisions that would accomplish this. So if you have saved your previous employer money, or otherwise increased efficiency, be sure to highlight it on your resume, with actual figures.
If you have held a position in another industry that was very logistics or project management heavy. Include it in your resume. This is especially if you do not have a lot of experience in the supply chain industry. The more closely related the industry is to the supply chain, the more we recommend you include it in your resume.
A supply and import planner deals specifically with all importation in the supply chain. This could include the importation of raw materials or machines for producing the company’s goods, or the importation of company goods that were manufactured abroad. Your tasks will include working with the relevant stakeholders and also strategizing on how to make any supply importations more efficient. Vital for this role is an expert understanding of customs regulations and relevant laws in both the sender and receiver countries. Attention to detail, as well as strong communication skills, are also important, as you will be communicating with government entities (customs officials), transportation entities (shipping or airline companies), and other stakeholders.
A strong supply and import planner resume will highlight your successes working with international stakeholders as well as your successes in streamlining the importation process. Highlighting your communication experience would also be highly beneficial, so use action verbs like ‘liaised’, ‘communicated’ etc. as this resume has done.
Supply and import planning is a very specialized position. It would be beneficial to show recruiters your progression to becoming a specialist. It helps them understand your interests and strengths in the position and also shows your extended experience in the field.
If you know any extra languages, be sure to list them on your resume. Because you will be dealing with imports, you will definitely be dealing with international stakeholders. Knowing additional languages will be a huge benefit to you and your employer. Make sure you list your level of proficiency for each language listed.
While a supply planner will ensure a company has adequate inventory to supply to customers, a supply chain demand planner focuses on ensuring a company has a customer base and explores how to increase the customer base. You will be in charge of creating relationships with potential customers, including retailers and online marketplaces. You will work closely with supply planners to ensure the company’s goods get to the customers. You will make forecasts of demand needs, and like the supply planners, you will constantly interrogate the system to look for places to maximize efficiency.
To thrive in this position, you will need strong communication skills, and an acute knowledge of the industry you are working in and the demand and sales trends of the goods your company is selling. Project management skills are also essential. This resume succeeds in highlighting all of the above.
Because this position is the bridge between the company and its customer base, any previous experience in sales and/or marketing is particularly relevant. So include that experience in your resume to impress recruiters.
As with any position that includes sales or converting customers, numbers and money speak the loudest in showing recruiters your abilities. So be sure to highlight just how much money you made your employers or how many new customers you secured for the company.
A planning and supply chain specialist oversees and manages the production, transportation, and storage of a company’s goods. This is a logistics-heavy position and requires strong project management and quick problem-solving skills. You will also need strong communication skills as you will be coordinating multiple teams and departments.
Recruiters will expect your resume to reflect an educational background in supply chain management or a related field like economics or business. In addition, they will be looking to see extensive experience in supply chain management and experience using supply chain management software. This resume does all the above successfully.
It is common for applicants in this position to have similar educational backgrounds and experience levels. Listing any supply-chain-management-related certification is a sure way to differentiate yourself from your competition. It shows recruiters that you are committed and willing to invest in your profession and indicates your skill set and abilities.
There are specific tools that are used in the supply chain industry. You need to ensure that your skills section reflects the industry standards. So do your research to find out what the newest tools being used are and update your resume skills section accordingly. If you are not experienced using any of the tools, do a crash course to learn how to use them.
As a hiring manager who has recruited supply chain planners at companies like Amazon, Apple, and Walmart, I've seen countless resumes for this role. The best resumes effectively showcase the candidate's skills, experience, and impact in supply chain planning. Here are some tips to help your resume stand out:
Emphasize your proficiency in key supply chain planning skills such as:
For example, instead of simply listing 'Inventory management' as a skill, showcase your expertise with a bullet point like:
A resume summary for a Supply Chain Planner is an optional section that can be beneficial if you have extensive experience or are making a career change. It provides a brief overview of your most relevant qualifications and helps to contextualize your experience for the hiring manager. However, it's important to avoid simply repeating information that's already in your resume or using generic buzzwords and phrases.
Instead, focus on highlighting your unique value proposition and the specific skills and experiences that make you well-suited for the role. Use objective language and quantify your achievements with metrics whenever possible. Keep your summary concise, ideally no more than a paragraph, and tailor it to the specific Supply Chain Planner role you're targeting.
When writing the work experience section for a supply chain planner resume, it's important to showcase your ability to manage inventory, optimize logistics, and improve efficiency. Use specific examples and metrics to demonstrate your impact in previous roles.
Here are some key tips to keep in mind as you write this critical section:
Strong action verbs tell a recruiter your role in a specific task. Supply chain planner resumes should use action verbs that are relevant to the supply chain process. Action verbs like "Communicated", "Resolved" or “Monitored" are strong action verbs that effectively showcase supply chain planning skill sets.
For a full list of effective resume action verbs, visit Resume Action Verbs.
Supply chain planning is a very specialized industry. When we speak of skills, most importantly, you will want to list communication, analytical, project management, and logistics skills. You will also want to include any supply chain planning technology you are experienced with.
Here are some hard skills suggestions from supply chain planner job postings.
Add these skills to the skills section on your resume.
You can include the above skills in a dedicated Skills section on your resume, or weave them in your experience. Here's how you might create your dedicated skills section:
This word cloud highlights the important keywords that appear on Supply Chain Planner job descriptions and resumes. The bigger the word, the more frequently it appears on job postings, and the more 'important' it is.
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.
