The number of applications received for a single position can now easily reach multiples of a 100. To achieve an interview it is necessary to paint a strong, performance focussed, picture of your logistics experience.
The key to any good CV is its ability to convey a tangible picture of your roles, their context and how well they were performed. It is also important to get your strongest suites in first.
Profiles
A personal profile should be 3-4 lines at most. Captivate your audience with a concise description of your skills and strengths relevant to the sector or job role.
*Tip: Tell your prospective employer about the attributes, qualities and experiences that make you suitable for the role without making unsubstantiated claims or opinions of self-performance – let the main CV establish the facts.
Education
Demonstrate academic and vocational qualifications near the beginning of the CV. Outline your A Levels / Highers / University Degree(s) / Baccalaureate(s) allowing a couple of lines for each to detail what you studied, where and when.
*Tips: Listing educational achievements near the top of the CV allows the reviewer to quickly identify them.
Employers
If, for example, you’ve had multiple jobs with unrecognised business since a successful position with a blue chip, ensure this role features on the front page of your CV. You can showcase this by including a summary or table at the top of your experience section, including dates, employers and job title.
*Tip: It is important, particularly when the employer is not a household name, that there is a brief overview of the nature of the business, its products and size; and the size of the business within the territory relevant to your role.
Job Title & Responsibilities
A list of responsibilities can still leave a reader questioning the boundaries of the role. Some Logistics Director positions can be more of a Supply Chain Director with additional responsibility for forecasting and inbound logistics – and vice versa. It is important to convey the full scope of the role being described.
*Tip: It is important to focus on your key achievements. Start each job experience with a brief description of all your work duties, then highlight specific improvements to a company’s operations or how you met specific targets. Try not to include acronyms not recognised outside of your business.
The Business Environment & Skills
In describing your experiences, the following are useful to consider:
- Challenges
- Complexity & metrics
- Risks and assessment
- Analysis
- Judgement
- Competitiveness / benchmarking
Key Areas
Operations
- Provide the metrics for the operation, its challenges and improvements over time.
- Was it managed in the house or by a third-party?
- Number of warehouses or its size, the speed of delivery, number of SKUs and external pressures e.g. long inbound lead times
Commercial
- The analysis, recommendations, and final judgement of significant outsourcing arrangements. Including decision making involvement and level of autonomy
- Developing cost to serve scenarios and influencing arguments and at what corporate level. Outcomes: savings and altered operating models
Strategy & planning
- Detailing your input into the development of future operational models for growth plans. Demonstrating the ability to look 1,3 and 5 years out and recommend courses of action for a range of potential business activity levels. Cost, service levels, CapEx and flexibility for future change and risks
Leadership
- This is not an easy area to evidence in a CV, but the language used and direct references to teams built, attrition rates reduced, promoting from within, all convey the self-awareness of the importance of good leadership for direction and performance of the team.