Logistics is a people-focused industry, according to graduates at supply chain organisation Gist.
Nationwide supply chain and logistics organisation Gist has to evolve constantly in order to meet new challenges and deliver better service to customers and clients. Graduates new to the company are discovering the industry is as much about people as it is organisation and innovation.
Sam Berry joined Gist's Operational Graduate Management Trainee Scheme after completing a Business and Management degree at Lancaster University. He was surprised to learn the extent to which supply chain and logistics organisation relies on team work.
"It was only upon commencing my career with Gist that I came to appreciate that what makes Logistics so great an environment is the people," he says. "Working together with people from different backgrounds and of varying levels of experience and seniority ensures that no two days are ever the same."
Chris Smith, a Financial Management graduate from the University of Hull, also found dealing with people to be one of the most challenging aspects of the scheme.
"I am currently working in the Warehouse at Faversham either managing the ambient or the fridge department where all our products are picked and moved to different Marks and Spencer stores," he says. "The biggest part of my job is the management of 100 employees, which can be very challenging at times."
Sam, who now manages a warehouse Faversham, Kent, says likeability is a key trait for graduates hoping to go into the scheme.
"The most effective managers are those that can engage their people and can capture their attention. Do your best to persuade [Gist] that you are capable of doing so."