How to Find and Recruit Supply Chain Talent
When searching high and low for supply chain talent, companies employ tactics such as using multiple channels to reach candidates, offering opportunities for training and advancement, and focusing on development and retention.
When recruiting job candidates, it can be tempting to seek those who check every box in a job description and are subject matter experts in multiple functions.
That approach, however, often proves as effective as looking for “purple squirrels,” says Rodney Apple, founder and managing partner with SCT Talent Group, a supply chain talent solutions firm.
Conversely, simply “posting and praying” is rarely effective either, Apple says. Given the current imbalance between open supply chain positions and candidates, many qualified individuals are employed and not actively looking for other jobs.
“Companies that just post openings tend to miss out on the majority of candidates,” he adds.
What’s more effective? “Knowing what you can get, what you can’t get, and having flexibility and an open mind,” Apple says.
While compensation remains important in attracting candidates, it’s not the only factor. “Top talent today isn’t just looking for a job,” says Timothy Noble, president and managing partner with Avery Point Group, an executive search and recruitment agency.
A defined career path, development and training opportunities, and a corporate mission that aligns with employees’ values also are essential, he adds.
The investment of time, energy and resources required to offer these programs can pay off. “If your organization is willing to make an investment in talent, it will attract talent that wants to continue to grow,” Noble adds.
This is good news, given the currently tight labor market. More than three-quarters of supply chain and logistics leaders surveyed are experiencing notable workforce shortages, finds a recent Descartes study. In addition, 58% say the shortages have impacted customer service.
Knowledge workers and managerial positions are hardest to fill, given the increased emphasis on data analysis and artificial intelligence across many sectors, which heightens competition for these candidates, says Chris Jones, executive vice president with Descartes.
Despite the statistics, supply chain organizations can attract qualified candidates. That includes early-career candidates, or those just starting out.
Paths to Advancement
Members of Gen Z, or those born roughly between the mid-1990s and the early 2010s, are very interested in paths for advancement, says Tom Clark, partner and supply chain and logistics leader with Direct Recruiters, Inc. Companies that can demonstrate clear career paths and advancement opportunities for entry-level employees tend to have an edge.
This can include acknowledging employees who’ve left for other opportunities. Many organizations hesitate to highlight employees who did well and then took another job. However, doing so can boost a company’s appeal.
Most candidates today know how to research successful role models and learn where they got their start. “If they got their start at XYZ company, that company looks more attractive,” Clark says.
Career Rotations
Rotating early career employees through different areas and roles can be an effective talent development strategy. Not only does this build a talent pipeline, it also boosts workforce versatility.
While a rotational program doesn’t necessarily need to add to headcount, it should be thoughtfully planned. Employees who complete their rotations should reasonably expect advancement opportunities going forward.
“The pieces have to fit together and be part of a broader talent development and retention strategy,” Noble says.
Tryon University
Tryon University is a program offered to entry-level employees and new engineers at Tryon Solutions, a provider of services for supply chain execution systems. The program is helping the firm attract and retain qualified candidates.
“The process balances academic learning with labs that allow participants to practice what they have learned as if they were working on a project,” explains Kelly Little, human resources manager at Tryon Solutions.
The recent college graduates start by studying warehouse operations. Eventually, they’re able to build out a warehouse, including zones, bays, and inbound and outbound flows. A warehouse tour helps make real all that they’re learning.
The students—typically, a group of four or five—also dive into technology. Among other topics, they study the proprietary coding language used in Blue Yonder’s supply chain applications. (Tryon is a Blue Yonder top service provider.)
The Human Touch
In addition to providing supply chain-focused information, Little and her team “want to make good humans positively contributing to society,” she says. To that end, classes include subjects like communicating as a professional and mental health awareness.
The students regularly interact with Tryon’s leadership team, who become resources for them. More than two dozen Tryon employees were professors during a recent university session.
A program like this requires an investment. “Especially in consulting, it is a little frightening to have humans on board who are not billable while they’re in training,” Little notes. However, the training helps new Tryon employees work productively with clients just weeks after they graduate. As a result, they’re “immediately impactful,” she adds.
TryonU also helps keep turnover low. In fact, Little recently promoted five engineers.
An Omnichannel Approach
Supply chain companies such as Ryder use multiple channels to reach and recruit prospective employees. Ryder has long been active in college recruiting and hires about 350 graduates each year.
Many companies use multiple channels to reach customers. The same approach can help when reaching out to prospective employees.
Ryder, a provider of supply chain and transportation solutions, has long been active in college recruiting and hires about 350 graduates each year, says Lesley Kerr, vice president of human resources. It’s currently building its pipeline in digital and analytical capabilities.
“These are needed skills in supply chain and logistics, as well as across the business, as Ryder adds technology and looks to use the data collected,” Kerr says. This also provides a talent bench for succession planning in key management roles, and has helped Ryder hire more diverse candidates, she adds.
A recruitment team also focuses on reaching candidates through social media, which allows Ryder to showcase itself and its careers in different ways. TikTok and YouTube videos help reach younger audiences and provide a visual of the Ryder workplace.
One employee even created a hip-hop video about his role. “Creating authentic content and distributing it through social media channels has allowed us to reach a younger audience that might not know much about Ryder, outside of the trucks they see on the road,” Kerr says.
Along with these initiatives, Ryder’s Pathways Home program focuses on military members who have completed service and are starting their civilian life. Ryder works directly with military installations to identify, hire, and train successful future employees, Kerr says.
A Talent Focus
Companies’ talent focus should be properly resourced with attention to acquiring, developing, and retaining talent. The companies that do well have all three down pat, Apple says.
Candor Expedite, which handles time-sensitive and white-glove shipments, is working in multiple ways to attract, develop, and retain quality employees, says Nicole Glenn, founder and CEO.
Candor recently launched THRIVE, a six-month program for continued education and self-growth that’s designed to empower employees. The program is open to anyone, but they have to apply and commit to coursework in addition to monthly all-day sessions. Participants also have to partner with accountability buddies.
Participants receive monthly lessons based on Candor’s core values: determination, collaboration, integrity, thrive, and deliver. They’re challenged to step outside their comfort zones, at times with the assistance of a professional coach. For example, two employees in administrative roles engaged in role-playing exercises to help them hone their speaking and presentation skills.
Candor also allows employees to customize their benefits. “While we don’t have the deep pockets of mid-market or enterprise businesses, we do have the ability to personalize benefits,” Glenn says.
For instance, employees who don’t enroll in traditional insurance and retirement benefits might choose to add vacation days or bonus compensation. They keep this choice for a year, unless they experience a life-changing event.
Tailoring benefits in this way requires consulting with an attorney to ensure continued compliance with regulations, Glenn says. It also requires some numbers-crunching to determine how to structure the options so they’re fair and reasonable.
Together these programs are helping to keep turnover to a minimum, Glenn says. Over the past several years, just one person has left, and that was to pursue a career in real estate.
Making an Impact
A new recruiting challenge: Many enterprises find themselves competing with the FAANG companies—Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix and Google—for supply chain candidates.
As the supply chain function has become a part of general conversation, more people understand “there’s a bevy of challenging problems that we can solve,” says Keith Moore, CEO of Autoscheduler.
Many roles within Autoscheduler blend white collar and tech work. That means the company is more likely to compete with Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix and Google (FAANG) for candidates than it does with, for instance, consumer products companies.
The FAANG companies are well-known, prestigious, and often pay well. At the same time, candidates want to know about the problems they’ll be solving, Moore says.
Autoscheduler shows candidates how their work can transform the warehousing and distribution industries. “You sell candidates on the 10-year vision of what you’re doing in the industry, and make sure they can translate that into their day-to-day work,” Moore says.
The potential of technologies like artificial intelligence to change the industry is what attracted Michael Perdue, a solutions engineer, to Autoscheduler. “The company is one of the front runners in this new world,” he says. “I wanted to be a part of that shift.”
Technology and Flexibility Attract Workers
Like Perdue, many candidates are interested in the technology they’ll use in their roles. According to a recent Descartes’ study, What Are Companies Doing to Survive the Supply Chain and Logistics Workforce Challenge?, adopting the latest technology was the second most commonly reported tactic for attracting workers, cited by 34% of respondents.
Organizations are using tools like generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) to tailor learning plans, helping workers quickly gain skills, says Alex Alonso, chief data and insights officer with the Society for Human Resource Management.
Technologies like AI and virtual reality cut the time employees need to become proficient at different skills, he says. That helps keep employees engaged. It’s also becoming critical, given how quickly workplace skills are changing.
And while candidates are interested in career paths, they’re also focused on flexibility, which was mentioned by 35% of respondents to the Descartes study.
“Candidates, particularly younger ones, are looking for companies that can better accommodate their lifestyle and help advance their skills,” Jones says.
Just as companies market themselves to their customers, they need to articulate their value proposition to prospective employees as well, Noble says.
This can include describing to candidates the impact their role will have on the organization and its customers, and other business partners. “Many younger candidates want to understand the purpose, values, and culture of each company they’re considering,” Apple says.
Leveraging Social Media
Proactively communicating this across the company’s website and social media postings can catch the attention of candidates researching potential employers.
“Establishing an employer brand is key when you don’t have name-brand recognition,” says Addy Robinson, head of people operations with Verusen, a provider of maintenance, repair and operations materials optimization and collaboration.
One step to establish an employer brand is being intentional when engaging in social media. For instance, posts to LinkedIn that showcase Verusen’s personality and values can help attract talent.
Stay on Target
Also key is targeting specific audiences when posting jobs. For example, some candidates are interested in start-up and growth-stage companies. Often, they want to feel they’re putting their thumbprint on their work and influencing the organization, even early in their careers, Robinson says. Verusen uses Otta, a tech career website, to reach these candidates.
The Startup Runway, which connects investors to under-represented founders, attracts people interested in the thriving startup ecosystem in Atlanta. It’s a great way to gain name recognition for Verusen and connect with potential talent, Robinson adds.
As candidates look for meaningful work, supply chain roles can have an edge. During the pandemic, when many of today’s newer job seekers were still in school, the impact of improving supply chain inefficiencies became paramount.
“The relevancy of working in supply chains is very attractive to today’s jobseekers,” Robinson says.
No College? No Problem
College enrollment peaked back in 2010, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Reasons for the drop include declining birth rates, the pandemic, and concerns about college costs.
Given the decline in college-educated candidates, companies need to consider career paths that don’t require college degrees, says Tom Clark, partner and supply chain and logistics leader, Direct Recruiters. Some might encompass job-specific certifications.
Among the steps companies can take to reach these candidates:
1) List a college degree as “Preferred” rather than “Required” when it’s not critical to a role.
2) Check that job descriptions for non-degreed roles highlight how candidates without college degrees can qualify. For instance, the descriptions might discuss transferable versus direct experience, military experience, or community college degrees.
3) Ensure current employees are aware of openings that don’t require degrees. They’ll know they can refer non-degreed candidates for these roles.
4) Participate in community events such as charity events or food drives. Becoming the employer of choice within local communities helps to attract candidates.