The Top Skills to Look For When Hiring Logistics Candidates
The supply chain and logistics industry is one that is complex and constantly evolving. As such, managers must carefully select the employees they choose to represent their company and contribute to a functional and productive place of work.
Finding qualified candidates is the first step in ensuring you run a successful business, and the traits which make the ideal employee stretch far beyond their technical skills and work experience. Personality traits, soft skills and overall demeanor need to be taken into account when evaluating a candidate. Working with an experienced staffing agency with a background in staffing logistics companies is a great way to source a higher caliber of talent.
If you are looking to add some new staff to your logistics operation, there are certain skills that top candidates possess that will add value to your bottom line.
Motivated
The logistics industry is a multifaceted industry with lots of opportunity for upwards mobility and self-improvement. Professionals working in this sector should be focused on their own advancement, as well as the furtherment of the big picture. Logistics expert Alex Lauderdale says “The job is not only to understand logistics and the supply chain, but to also know the scope and dynamics of your company’s goals so you can assist with the processes put in place to achieve them.”
Having someone on your team that is motivated is a good trait regardless of the industry. However, in the realm of logistics, having someone who is passionate and dedicated to learning and growing, not only individually but as part of the overall effort, is someone you definitely want on your roster.
Team Player
A supply chain has multiple moving parts, each essential to the success of the overall execution. In this respect, logistics employees need to be able to work well with others and collaborate successfully with different departments in order to get the job done.
Along with being a team player comes a number of related interpersonal skills, such as communication skills and flexibility. Good logistics employees should be able to communicate effectively and professionally with everyone from warehouse staff to suppliers to management and any role in between. They should also have a certain degree of flexibility to adapt to the frequent changes the logistics industry can often face, all while remaining a strong member in a team effort.
Problem Solving & Decision Making
Like most industries, there will be days where things just simply don’t go as planned. Great logistics employees will remain calm under pressure and use their problem solving skills to creatively arrive at solutions.
The ability to make sound decisions in a timely manner – and the responsibility to hold themselves accountable for making those decisions – is also incredibly important. Great problem-solving skills often come from real-world experience. A great way to elucidate whether a candidate’s problem-solving abilities are up to par is to ask them a series of situational interview questions and see how creatively and confidently they respond.
Attention to Detail
Arriving at the bottom line can’t happen without getting the little details right first. Employees that pay attention to the little things just as much as the big picture are the ones you want on your side.
Considering the complexity of some logistics operations, you want to ensure the employees you bring on have a keen attention to detail. A small mistake in one department could lead to a big problem down the line. Everyone makes mistakes – but workers with a well-developed sense of attention to detail are simply less likely to make them.
It can sometimes be difficult to find reliable candidates that possess even one or two of these traits – let alone all of them! However, working with a staffing agency makes it that much easier. Candidates that are recruited through a staffing agency such as LPC are dedicated, motivated and hardworking – we won’t present you with someone that we don’t truly believe is a good fit for your business. In addition, all of our candidates are pre-screened, drug tested and briefed on safety preparation, so that you can get right to work.
You can count on LPC to provide you the best logistics candidates – contact us today to find out more!
