John Robertson ⋅ San Diego, CA Contractor/Consultant ⋅ 30 years experience

I am going to add to the excellent guidance and reinforcement from the previous respondents by pointing you in the direction of APICS. This organization has a lot of information online, including Bodies of Knowledge that will help you see how much you already know and can do. I suggest this as a starting point to help translate you experience and expertise into language that HR teams and Recruiters can understand. Never play down your experience and expertise, just because it was from the military. If there was ANY organization to be studied and benchmarked by private business, when looking to improve its supply chain and logistics, it would have to be our Armed Forces. That said, please look into glassdoors.com. Salary info is there for those who will drill down, and as was said before, you need to know the market for your skill set in the location you are considering and in the industry. FDA-regulated manufacturers, especially Pharmaceuticals, LOVE former military because we are disciplined and follow SOPs. We also understand the critical importance of the almighty paper trail. Pharma and Medical Device manufacturers, food and cosmetics are all regulated and usually offer noticeably higher pay for the say job in non regulated industries.

Michael Del Cima ⋅ Woodbridge, CA Deloitte ⋅ 20 years experience

Hi Natasha,

First, thank you for your service! I agree with the previous responses, certifications are helpful but not often required. I would emphasize your experience in working with or leading teams to solve problems or achieve specific outcomes in the supply chain management or logistics arena. I would also emphasize the specific areas within supply chain management and logistics that you have experience in. Based on your experience you would be considered an experienced hire, so I would emphasize your leadership attributes and skills in organizing and leading teams.

Best regards,
Michael

Christine Nay ⋅ Arlington, VA Deloitte ⋅ 8 years experience

Hi Natasha - while certifications are often very helpful, they are not required for every type of job in supply chain management. The certifications you listed may be helpful, but often we see very strong candidates with a lot of experience in industries instead of qualifications. If you have operational experience in supply chain, those skills usually translate nicely to our clients. There are many common elements and challenges across industries. I work in supply chain at Deloitte and find that the "thinking" behind the solutions and challenges is what is critical and we have people at varying levels of experience who are interested in solving supply chain problems working on our engagements. I would think about what specific aspects of supply chain management you are interested in (sourcing and procurement, supply chain strategy, etc) and determine if you have knowledge in that area before specifically pursuing a certification to determine if you would truly need it. Good luck!

Matt Zarracina ⋅ Minneapolis, MN Deloitte ⋅ 6 years experience

Natasha, I think you would be qualified as an experienced hire at many firms. The key for you would be researching what the right level for you to come in at would be and if the firm is the right fit for you. Regarding level, you don't want to come in too high (Partners have sales targets) and you don't want to come in too low (that could be frustrating). Many firms have experienced hire positions posted online and I would start there. The biggest challenge you will have is translating your military experience to typical client challenges and how you will be able to address them.