How Do I Become a Shipping Supervisor?

Someone who wants to become a shipping supervisor should get practical experience in shipping and receiving, along with other supplementary skills that will prove useful to an employer with logistics operations involving a warehouse or shipping facility. Generally, not a lot of specific education is necessary for a shipping supervisor job. The individual applicant will often present different kinds of practical experience in lieu of long term degrees or similar credentials.

Many experts recommend that those who are looking for shipping supervisor jobs get a high school diploma or equivalent. In some cases, a bachelor’s degree is also useful in helping a job applicant to climb to this level of management, especially if planning on continuing to advance. Employers will often select successful applicants based on a certain number of years of experience in a warehouse or facility, where the level of education may be a secondary qualification. Some who have sought these kinds of jobs or provided them through human resources claim that while experience remains the most common vehicle for promotion, some companies hire outsiders with a college degree, making this a quicker way for an unconnected individual to get into the industry and rise to management.

A person who wants to become a shipping supervisor will often start out as a entry-level warehouse worker and take advantage of promotions from within a company or business. That means that networking skills can be very useful for helping someone obtain this job role. In addition, demonstration of oral and written communication skills is also a key element of proving one’s capability as a shipping supervisor. Being able to write well is a key qualification for any management position, especially a supervisor in a warehouse, where documentation is key to organizing shipments or receipts.

In addition to communication skills, someone who wants to become a shipping supervisor or similar manager should show practical experience in managing teams of people. This includes specific experience in hiring and firing, scheduling, connecting with human resources departments, and all other aspects of employee management. Employers might also ask a shipping supervisor applicant to present specific computer skills when a warehouse or facility relies on software to organize their shipping strategies. The more the individual knows about high level software tools for shipping, the more valuable they will be to an employer, and this may also help the applicant rise quickly in a shipping or warehouse environment.