Supply Chain Interview Questions and How to Answer Them

A supply chain gets goods and services from their raw beginnings to final products or services delivered to the user or consumer. It comprises many professionals, including vendors, manufacturers, warehouse workers, and retailers, all aiming to get the finished products or services to the customer. Coordinating a supply chain so it works smoothly can result in lower costs of products or services and improved value. 

The supply chain is a broad network made up of many moving parts, which contributes to why supply chain careers can be such exciting opportunities. Additionally, if you have the skills, knowledge, and drive to contribute, you’ll likely find various opportunities that fulfill your goals and interests. 

Learn more about the responsibilities of a supply chain professional and check out some of the questions you could encounter in a supply chain job interview, along with tips on how to answer them.

Understanding supply chain management 

Supply chain management describes the lifecycle of a service or product from its raw state to production, transportation, and delivery to consumers. It requires a network and multiple players to harvest raw materials, refine them, create goods and services, interact with users, and handle returns of defective products or anything consumers don’t want.

The supply chain gives you access to global goods and services. The computer you’re reading this on, the coffee you may be drinking while reading, and the chair you’re sitting in all reached you via the supply chain. For consumers, supply chains play a crucial role in ensuring the delivery of necessary products. International suppliers and workers help keep costs lower.   

Why pursue a supply chain career

With the supply chain’s global reach, many different roles are available within this industry. Supply chain professionals of all types are in great demand, which can also improve your salary expectations. This exciting industry is evolving rapidly as well. You can take a job knowing you can impact the economy and help get people the goods or services they want or need. A career in supply chain management can help you build transferable skills that are beneficial in many industries. The leadership qualities you may develop, such as delegation, time management, and communication, can be helpful if you decide to become an entrepreneur.

Roles within the supply chain 

The supply chain has many links, and various jobs play a role within it. These may include positions like the following: 

• Buyer or purchasing managers

• Purchasing agents

• Production, planning, and expediting clerks

• Logistics analysts

• Demand planners

• Information flow specialists

• Procurement officers

• Operations managers

Read more: Supply Chain Manager: What They Do and How to Become One

Achieving supply chain job interview success

To earn a job in the supply chain, you’ll need to demonstrate your expertise and experience in this area effectively. Although every interviewer will have their own set of questions, you’ll typically encounter certain types of questions, each with its expectations. 

Before going into detail with specific supply chain interview questions and answers, consider the common question categories: 

• Technical questions: Prepare for these by reviewing the skills required in the job description. Be ready to discuss how you have learned and demonstrated those skills in the past.

• Behavioral questions: These ask you to draw on your experiences in past roles. You’ll want to anticipate what examples are relevant to the job you seek.

• Personality questions: The employer typically wants to gauge how you will fit into the culture and the company. You’ll want to integrate other professional skills (communication or negotiation) in your answers addressing technical experience and operational knowledge.

• Industry-specific questions: These help you demonstrate industry awareness. They offer an excellent opportunity to highlight what you know about the company and your job-specific knowledge.

Supply chain interview questions

Supply chain professionals can play many different roles, so the questions you may receive can vary accordingly. The following explores some of the questions people typically encounter when seeking a role in the supply chain industry. 

1. What interests you about supply chain management? 

What they want to know: Do you understand supply chain management and its activities?

How to answer: In addition to demonstrating your understanding of the stages in supply chain management, you can use this question to discuss your interest in or experience with some of the following attributes:

• Problem-solving

• Collaborating with others

• Managing change

• Using technology

• Developing relationships

• Reducing financial waste

2. Which skills will support your success in this supply chain job? 

What they want to know: What do you know about the job, and what skills and qualifications do you have to fulfill the role?

How to answer: Be sure to research the job opportunity thoroughly. If you know anyone in a similar role or at the company where you’re interviewing, ask them what is precisely involved. Otherwise, prepare to discuss your technical and workplace skills and how they relate to the supply chain role. For example, you might speak to customer service experience or your project management educational background.

3. What supply chain management software can you use?  

What they want to know: How current are you on supply chain technology, and can you be productive on their systems from day one? 

How to answer: Supply chain software transforms individuals' day-to-day work in this industry. You can expect to work with technology in some way. Outline any experience you have with supply chain software, especially any named in the job description. Discuss how these tools have helped you to connect, communicate, and collaborate with fellow employees, customers, vendors, or others in the supply chain. 

4. How could your skills and experience add value to our business?

What they want to know: Describe your strengths and background, demonstrating your value. 

How to answer: Before the interview, consider the strengths you bring to that job. Take this opportunity to tell a focused story about your contributions in a past role that highlights your positive attributes.

5. Describe your most challenging moment working in a supply chain position and how you addressed it.

What they want to know: Can you efficiently and effectively solve problems?

How to answer: Even if you’re not applying for a supply chain position, you can expect this type of question. The employer’s goal is to learn how you handle difficult situations. They want to hear about how you encountered a challenge and overcame it.

6. Give me the highlights of a recent supply chain management article or book you read.

What they want to know: Are you keeping up with the latest in the supply chain industry?

How to answer: Before going to your interview, read up on the latest news in a popular supply chain publication such as:

• Supply Chain Quarterly

• Supply Chain Dive

• Supply Chain Management Review 

Go beyond simply summarizing what you read. Be prepared to comment on why it was interesting or how it relates to that company.

7. You have a project involving a 100-piece product. How do you find your suppliers?

What they want to know: This situational question aims to gauge your process of finding suppliers.

How to answer: Detail the process you would follow to identify, research, and evaluate suppliers. This question could also offer an opportunity to talk about the company’s environmental, social, and governance goals if you can find them on its website.

8. What do you believe are some critical aspects of the supply chain? Where do you typically see inefficiencies?

What they want to know: How well do you understand the many steps in the supply chain process? Can you think critically about those steps?

How to answer: Your potential role in the supply chain can influence this answer. You’ll answer differently if you’re going into planning, manufacturing, delivery, or returns. Speak to the importance of your job, but don’t overplay it. This question presents an excellent opportunity to demonstrate your understanding of your part in the overall process and what you can do to reduce waste and improve processes.  

Read more: Supply Chain Analytics: What It Is, Why It Matters, and More

Prepare for supply chain interview questions and careers on Coursera.

Preparing for supply chain interview questions may help you land a job in the industry and begin your supply chain career journey. Sharpen your skills and industry knowledge with online courses. Check out Rutgers’ beginner-level five-course series Supply Chain Management Specialization or its Supply Chain Logistics course on Coursera. The Georgia Institute of Technology also offers a beginner’s course in Supply Chain Principles that provides an understanding of what a supply chain involves.