subject: Look Before You Leave: Tips To Ensure A Successful Succession [print this page] For CSCMP members, nothing is more important than managing their careers and maximizing their opportunities in the supply chain management (SCM) field. That's why one of CSCMP's main goals is to support members' professional development, and it's one of the primary reasons SCM professionals join the organization.
Longtime CSCMP member Roger Zetter believes that the most successful SCM professionals are the ones who are open to new ideas, are receptive to change, are equipped with "people skills," and set high goals for themselves. Most importantly, those who skillfully map out their careers have the most potential to make it to the executive suites.
Zetter speaks with authority: He owns a personnel firm that specializes in helping companies recruit supply chain management talent and assisting candidates to secure the optimal SCM positions.
In that role, Zetter is doing exactly what he's always wanted to do. But he also understands the needs of his clients from personal experience. Before becoming a recruiter, he held director level positions in transportation and logistics for companies such as Transport International Pool and Burlington Industries.
Zetter says that planning your career path is possible, even in a difficult economy. In fact, he believes that there are more opportunities in the supply chain field now than ever before, because leaders at companies of all sizes are beginning to recognize the impact of SCM on their bottom lines.
Here are some of Roger Zetter's tips on how to work with recruiters, along with his observations on the state of supply chain management jobs today.
How do the qualities that companies are seeking in a supply chain manager today compare with their criteria when you first started in the business?
Companies today are seeking candidates who understand comprehensive supply chain systems, have polished, persuasive presentation skills, and work well within a team structure. The days of separate supply chain disciplines-transportation and traffic, warehousing and distribution, inventory control, customer service-are over. Twenty-first-century companies are looking for candidates who can improve processes, not only along the supply chain but also within the organization as a whole.
