What are Hiring Managers Looking For?

One of the most common things I hear from people trying to break into Supply Chain is some version of: "I don't know the tools." "I don't have SAP experience." "I've never used a TMS." "I don't know how to build a dashboard yet."

And I understand the worry. You look at job postings, see a list of systems you've never touched, and it feels like a 50-foot wall you can't climb over. But after hiring for these roles, I can tell you: the technical know-how isn't as important as you think.

When I'm hiring a coordinator, I'm not looking for someone who already knows our exact systems. I'm looking for someone I can hand those systems to and trust that they'll pick them up. The reality is that we can teach you how to click the buttons—you'll be able to do that in your sleep within a few weeks. What matters is that you understand what those systems are for and why they exist.

If you can speak intelligently about what a TMS does, what an ERP pulls together, and why inventory accuracy matters, you've cleared the bar. That's the floor. That gets you into the conversation.

Now, what actually decides the conversation is something else entirely.

Those three things are what separate top candidates: the intangibles, the preparation, the stories, and demonstrating that you're going to add value on day one.

Here's what I want you to think about this week:

Everything I just described is completely within your control.

You can't add three years of TMS experience before Monday morning's interview. But you can spend twenty minutes reading deeply about the company. You can prepare two or three questions that demonstrate genuine curiosity about their operation. You can practice your introduction until it's crisp, focused, and two minutes long instead of ten minutes and scattered. And you can walk in with energy that makes people want to work with you.

That's the part a lot of candidates leave on the table. Not because they aren't capable, but because they spend all their prep time agonizing over technical gaps and none of it on the factors that actually drive the decision.

Keep learning the tools—Excel, Power BI, and understanding how data flows across teams. That work matters, and it will pay off. But don't let the technical gap convince you that you aren't ready, and don't let it crowd out the preparation that truly moves the needle. Hiring managers hire people, not resumes. Show who you are and why you want to be there—that's the part that can't be taught.

Until next Saturday,
– Mark