Hire an SCM Recruiter
Your wife needs brain surgery and today is the big day. Don’t worry, the hospital where you are scheduled just used their local IT Recruiter to fill the most recent brain surgeon position. WHAT? The Hospital Administrator hired an IT Recruiter to find the hospital a new surgeon?
Now, it’s doubtful that this would happen. If it did, I’d rethink your surgery plans. Hopefully, you can see the absurdity here but now I want to ask you, “Why would you hire a recruiter who doesn’t understanding logistics or supply chain to fill your complicated supply chain role”?
How important is your supply chain?
Pretty darn important, right? It’s your entire business. It’s complex. It’s global.
Today, let’s review these points:
How to find a logistics and supply chain recruiter.
What to look for in recruiters you are considering.
Why is it important to partner with an industry expert?
Getting Started
You need a logistics and supply chain recruiter to help you find and hire the best Supply Chain Director in the industry. Where do you start? There are several places where you can find recruiters who specialize in our industry.
Perform a LinkedIn Search on “Supply Chain Recruiter”
Search at NAPS in their recruiter database
You can always find recruiters searching Google
Most savvy recruiters also use social media
What To Look For
If you are hiring for a logistics or supply chain position than it makes the most sense to hire a recruiter knowledgeable in those areas. Have you ever been to a weekend BBQ and tried to explain what you do for a living to someone you’ve just met only to see their eyes glaze over because they have no idea what you are talking about? That is the equivalent of asking a general recruiter to find you a Demand Planner or a Procurement Specialist with a CPM from ISM.
Finding a recruiter who specializes in these positions makes it much easier on you, the candidate and the hiring process. Best case scenario is that the recruiter spent time actually studying and/or working in the industry. An added bonus is that they hold industry certifications themselves.
Contact And Review
After you have a short list of possible recruiters, give them a call to discuss their background and industry knowledge. Discuss their searching and interviewing process and how you can incorporate your own hiring process for best results.
We use tools at Small World which we feel help to find the best cultural fit for our clients. We utilize video interviewing, skill based reference reporting and DISC assessments which provide a much clearer picture of the candidate during the hiring process.
Ask the recruiter what tools they use and how those tools can speed the time to hire and increase the likelihood of making a strong hire for your organization.
Once you’ve found the recruiter who best matches what you are looking for in a partner, sign the contract and get to work.
It is necessary to have a very solid job description and to have an honest conversation about which skills are a MUST and which are a WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE. Discuss whether this is a new role or a replacement and what additional career opportunities this person would have within your organization.
It is very important that you also share an accurate picture of your management style, company culture, benefits package, perks and any thing else that helps the recruiter to understand your company. They use this information to sell your position to potential employees.
The last recommendation I have is that you make sure your own HR team is comfortable in working with the independent recruiter whom you have hired. It is often the case that HR can be a big part of the problem if they themselves don’t have a strong understanding of logistics and supply chain. You can read more in my post Does Your HR Team Speak Logistics.
Now that you are ready to hire a Supply Chain Recruiter, we would love for you to partner with Small World Recruiting but if you find another recruiter who suits you better than that is OK too. All I ask, for the betterment of the industry, is that you make it a recruiter who understands our business and appreciates the education, certifications and skills necessary to get the job done.
You can find more information about Small World on our website. If you have any questions or need advice please call us at 330.391.7913.