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You opened an ecommerce company and you have it all down to the last detail. You have a distribution channel ready, a website up and running, and even a warehouse and have already spoken to manufacturers and vendors. But you still haven’t hired a warehouse manager. You are not clear about the requirement, and it has got you stumped.
Introduction
When hiring a warehouse manager, you will have so many things to assess, it can quickly get tiring and a very demanding exercise. A warehouse manager must be a good manager, have a knowledge of warehouse processes and have a great deal of focus and a keen eye for detail. To align all this when looking to hire someone for a single role can seem like a challenge. In this article, let us demystify it for you.
What Does a Warehouse Manager Do?
A warehouse manager manages the staffing in the warehouse and the storage and distribution of goods. He is also supposed to manage the operations of the warehouse and ensure that they are going smoothly. He must also have an eye on productivity targets and ensure that the KPIs are met without much stress or effort.
One other thing the warehouse manager must keep tabs on is the technology that supports the warehouse and if it is doing its job properly. The warehouse manager must recommend periodic upgrades to technology so that the warehouse activities are not affected and remain highly efficient.
Lastly, you would also need someone to ensure the health and safety of everyone in the warehouse. This is where a warehouse manager plays a crucial role and could help decide what to do so that the occupational safety is not affected. This is especially the case in warehouses with forklifts moving regularly on the floor and other robots assisting people.
Why Hire a Warehouse Manager?
Sometimes as a seller, there is a lot of responsibility to adhere to timelines and to avoid any errors in shipments. A warehouse manager can help you overcome these issues easily. Sometimes communication with customers can be inadequate. This also can lead to problems which hiring a warehouse manager can easily solve. Worried about inventory issues as well? It is indeed time you hired a warehouse manager.
How to Hire a Warehouse Manager?
Hiring a warehouse manager is no easy task. As HR, it is a responsibility of great proportions because he is the one managing the core base of the business, the warehouse. When hiring for a warehouse manager role, here are the things you can do as an HR.
Analyze the resources on hand
Who are the stakeholders involved in recruitment and how much time do you have on hand to recruit for the warehouse manager role and is it part of a bigger recruitment drive? What technology do you use for hiring and how effective is it for this role? Are there any additional resources you would need when hiring for this role? These are some questions you would need to answer.
Crafting a Compelling Job Description
Example 1
(Job Description Begins)
ABC Company is looking to hire a warehouse manager who can supervise the staff, organizing the merchandise and ensuring that they are stored in the best manner possible. The warehouse manager will also oversee the security and sanitization of the facility. You will oversee the technology that supports the warehouse and protect and maintain any other assets that belong to the company. Dedication and leadership skills and the ability to multi-task and act quickly in a dynamic and challenging environment is expected of the ideal candidate.
Responsibilities
- Strategically plan and manage inventory, operations, and logistics efficiently
- Manage day-to-day operations of a large warehouse and take charge of daily targets
- Support the Head of Logistics in various day-to-day monitoring and administrative activities
- Manage large teams of outsourced staff without additional assistance
- Generate and manage reports (such as IN/OUT status report etc.) regularly
- Keep track of stock levels, quantity, quality and other metrics that matter
- Arrange and plan the warehouse layout and manage routes and shipments
- Resolve complaints within the team or from the customers or vendors
- Supervise and train a team of delivery executives and floor workers
- Continuously look to optimize operations and increase their efficiency
Skills
- 5 years of proven working experience as a Warehouse Manager/ Operation/ Station/ Hub/ Last Mile Manager
- Excellent communication skills
- Expertise in warehouse management and best practices and procedures
- Proven ability in implementing initiatives for process improvement
- Strong knowledge of KPIs that affect warehousing
- Hands-on knowledge of databases and other software
- Strong decision-making, leadership and problem-solving skills
Job Type:
Full-time
Salary: ₹20,000.00 – ₹40,000.00 per month
Benefits:
Vehicle fuel allowance
Medical cost reimbursements
Paid sick time: 20 days (about 3 weeks) a year
Paid time off: 25 days (about 3 and a half weeks) a year
Schedule: Day shift
Supplemental pay types:
Overtime pay
Performance bonus
Experience: Distribution & Warehouse Managers: 3 years (Preferred)
Total work: 3 years (Preferred)
About ABC Company
ABC is a kitchen cookware manufacturing facility that has a pan-India footprint consisting of 4 manufacturing facilities, 10 distribution centers, a supplier network of over 600 and an employee base of about 400 dedicated professionals. To support the manufacturing, ABC focuses on R&D in-house to increase quality and reduce costs, minimize wastage and reduce environmental impact.
Speak with the [phone number]
(End of Job Description)
Use Effective Recruitment Strategies:
- Maintain a candidate database. Whenever a candidate reaches out to you, you can keep their information in a database. This information is saved so that even if you do not select the candidates, the name and information remain in the pool of passive talent that you can go back to later when you are scouting for talent.
- Use professional networking. Network with talent from supply chain though sites such as LinkedIn and establish connections. Also attend conferences and webinars and get introduced to talent from this sector.
- Listen to employee referrals. The existing staff on your logistics team can help you find a suitable hire very easily and guide you on what must be done.
- Post your job online. Post your job online on popular job posting websites such as LinkedIn, Indeed, etc. and add assessment and interviewing routines as well to provide them with a complete experience.
Conduct Thorough Interviews:
Ask the following types of questions when hiring for a warehouse manager role:
Situational Awareness Questions
Question: A shelf has collapsed, and its contents are all over the floor. How would you mitigate such a situation if half the employees are not at the office due to an illness?
Answer: I will first assess the impact of the shelf collapsing by deciding how soon the contents are to be dispatched, if there is any shortfall on the shelf’s contents. Make use of unallocated resources to clear up the contents on the floor. If the content needs to be delivered sooner, I will assign one or two more people to manage it so it gets done faster. A reactive method works best in such a case.
Soft Skills Interview Questions
Question: How do you handle miscommunication on the warehouse floor?
Answer: I will encourage collaboration through mail and other written communication. I will avoid skirmishes or ineffective verbal communication. I will encourage employees to keep a record of all communication safely and securely.
Role-Specific Interview Questions
Question: How do you handle warehouse safety procedures?
Answer: I follow the rules set down by regulatory and statutory bodies on how to handle safety, especially in a warehouse setting. I ensure that conditions within the warehouse are hygienic and work friendly. When I detect that the conditions are not conducive to maintenance of the warehouse, I will try and alter them, such as using a humidifier when humidity is low or an air conditioner when temperature is high.
Conclusion
Hiring a warehouse manager is not an easy task. The path to a perfect hire is ridden with difficulties and confusion, if there is a lack of clarity and communication. You might end up hiring a warehouse manager without the requisite skills for the job or someone who doesn’t have the situational awareness that is such an important requirement.
And from then on, it’s an arduous task just to ensure that nothing goes wrong. Do you want to fix your hiring process? Talk to Alp Consulting, a company with nearly 25 years of experience in recruitment and staffing. Hire the manager best suited to run your warehouse.
