Prompt 3: Professionals In Supply Chain

This past week I interviewed two women who graduated from Michigan State University and both majored in Supply Chain management. Before they had officially graduated they had many job offers and had signed with a company. I asked them questions relating to supply chain and I learned that there are many things a person can do with a supply chain major.

The First person I interviewed was Gabby. She was an excellent student and had internship every summer during her time at MSU. Once she graduated she signed a contract with Raytheon in Washington D.C. where she works in the purchasing department. She collaborates with members of her team to create projects to maximize purchasing power of products. She has meetings with her acquaintances then goes to individualized work. She then meets with her team again to discuss all of their findings and determine the best solution. Once her and her team have decided on the best solution, they create a presentation for their boss, who then critiques their work and helps them optimize purchasing power. She emphasized the importance of having data to support her claims and findings when showing her boss information. Communication is primarily face to face during meetings or through email. She also communicates with the operations team to keep them up to date on her findings. Gabby mentioned that supply chain is very analytical, but there are many jobs that offer hands-on work.

I also interviewed Julia, who is a supplier relationship manager at IBM in Raleigh, North Carolina. She is part of an international team with members in China, Japan, Budapest, and Brazil. Email is a vital source of communication for her because most of her team is in a different country and time zone. She creates presentations of the progress she has made for a project. Her team's main goal is to consider the best way to purchase and distribute products from different companies. Once her team has optimized their findings they present it to their boss who then evaluates their work and determines if it is the best way to go. Not only does she communicate with members of her team, she also communicates with other departments, such as the purchasing department. With the fast pace environment of the company, information is constantly changing, which she must take into consideration while working on projects. She affirmed that there are many job opportunities in supply chain that range from an abundance of fields.

-Lauren Jankowski