Transport and logistics is one of the biggest sectors in the entire world, with a host of very different types of career on offer. You don’t have to be on the open road (or sky, or ocean). There are so many office jobs involved in moving things from A to B, too, and plenty of career opportunities because the UK has the biggest transport industry in Europe. You could be working with your hands, or honing your sales skills, or planning ways for operations to work smoothly – and that’s just for starters.
Swotting up on your possible future employers always helps with job interviews, but research doesn’t give you the whole story. What personal skills do you need to be a transport manager, sales manager, HGV vehicle technician or anything else in the transport world?
Young Professional skills:
You’re familiar with the Young Professional (you’ve completed the quiz right?)! We’ve explored how you can use your Young Professional skills in your transport & logistics career:
Problem solving
What is problem solving? It’s taking the right approach to find solutions to any problems that come your way. Every role has its unique challenges, so being able to show transport employers you know HOW to solve problems – even if you’ve never come across them before – could help land you the job. Keeping a cool head under pressure, digging down to the root of the problem, and exploring different solutions – and their pros and cons – is how you can turn problems into solutions.
Example of problem solving in transport careers: transport manager
Oh no! You’re got a transport manager problem!
The problem: You’ve just been given a big new delivery contract and you need to hire a lot of drivers on a short term-basis in a hurry. Uh-oh.
Solution 1: Hit up your little black book of contacts and hire new drivers through an agency. You may have to research a few agencies to find one which can help you recruit all the drivers you need in time.
Solution 2: Pick an agency that says they can 100% guarantee shift delivery, even in emergencies. Suddenly, your problem is their problem – and they don’t even mind because it’s their job. Because you’ve taken time to find the agency that’s best for your company’s needs, you will never have this problem again – fingers crossed!
Top tip: There is often more than one solution to a problem. Once you know the root of a problem, you can often find a solution that isn’t just a quick fix but makes things better in the future too.
Communication
What are communication skills? It doesn’t matter if you’re a transport apprentice or a transport sales manager, you are always working as part of a team. If you can communicate what you need to do your job well – in a way that makes people want to listen – you’re helping to make that team rock solid.
Some communication skills include:
- Leadership (can you mentor your team, help them trust you, listen to what they need, and clearly explain what jobs you want done?).
- Transparency (can you be clear about what activities you’re doing, how a project is going, and where you need help… without being defensive or rude? Transparency is important for bosses, newbies and anyone working with clients or customers).
- Interpersonal skills (you don’t have to be the class clown but have you got enthusiasm, a positive attitude and a can-do approach to life? This is always going to help with building team spirit and getting positive results!).
Example of communication skills in transport careers: vehicle technician apprenticeship
Oh no! You’ve got a vehicle technician apprenticeship problem! How can communication help?
The problem: You’ve been asked to fix a broken HGV component and you’ve already been shown how to fix it but you still don’t get exactly what you’re meant to do. You feel embarrassed because you don’t want to slow things up and make yourself look silly. What next?
Solution 1: Take a breather, clear your head and try again from the beginning. You don’t need to panic. Resilience is all part of learning and growing in a new job. First, check your notes. Is the answer there? Remember, communication is both verbal and written, so it always pays to take good notes to help you remember the little details. Follow any written or verbal instructions to the letter. You may discover you missed out one bit of the process, or weren’t using your repair equipment in exactly the right way.
Solution 2: When you’re new, you’re allowed to ask someone for help. In fact, it’s considered good and useful if you do. If you’re doing an HGV vehicle technician apprenticeship you’ll be learning about all kinds of different vehicles and it’s understood that with so much new information to cram in you might not catch it all the first time round. Health and safety is 100% important when it comes to getting trucks on the road, so it’s much better to ask for help than stay quiet and hope someone doesn’t notice your mistake. To be honest, your mentor will find out anyway, because they’re so experienced. Asking them for help saves them time and energy, and you’ll feel better about communicating your issue because now you can finish up and do a good job!
Top tip: Communication is both written and verbal. When you’re new to the job and doing classroom learning or an induction, take lots of notes. Read through any literature they give you – don’t just shove it in a bag and forget about it. And always ask questions to help you understand things better, because a transport apprenticeship is a chance to feed your brain and store up pearls of wisdom from your mentors!
Self-management
What are self-management skills? Before you start managing others, you should be able to manage yourself – and your time – productively. Examples include turning up to work on time, and not forgetting meetings or lessons because you’ve planned it all out in a work diary.
Self-management also means being able to work without always being told what to do by your manager. They can’t watch you every second of the day. If you can get on with things on your own, it’s much better than sitting idle and checking your mobile phone.
Example of self-management skills in transport careers: transport sales manager
Oh no! You’ve got a transport sales manager problem! How can self-management skills help?
The problem: As a sales manager, you head up a sales team. You’re already fantastic at managing your own time, which is one of the reasons you’re a great manager! You’ve got your mobile calendar synched with your work diary. You always come to work early so you can be 100% ready for the day ahead. Your well-run team knows what to do if you’re off sick, and you never miss a call or meeting with clients. You’re a shiny and chrome self-managing machine! The problem is that your sales team are struggling with a new phones system and they’re sometimes getting cut off in the middle of sales calls. They are also struggling to use the office work planner and say that meetings aren’t getting recorded properly. Help! You’re the manager, so what are you going to do to make sure your team is as organised as you are?
Solution 1: Your team works hard but they need to manage their time better or you could lose sales. In this case, the team doesn’t know how to use the new phones and needs your support. Make some official time for them to get trained up in using the new phone system. By thinking ahead to plan their training you can make sure they schedule client calls with confidence. That training isn’t time wasted. It’s time invested to save rescheduling missed calls in the future.
Solution 2: Research the work calendar software to see if staff are using it correctly. If they are, there may be a problem with the software and you’ll need to speak to the IT team to fix or upgrade it. You may also decide to look into getting cheaper and more reliable software. In this case, planning ahead and doing the research means you haven’t just fixed a temporary solution, you’ve helped your staff save time and effort when they use the work calendar in future.
Top tip: Once you’re a manager, you’re not just planning your own time – you’re making it easier for staff to plan their own time, too.
When you’re just starting out in your transport career, self-management is still very important. As a LGV driver you may need to commit to working evening shifts, early mornings or weekends. As an apprentice or junior you should always come to work on time and keep a list of things to do (along with their deadlines) in your work planner. Whoever you are, whatever you do, make it your mission to respect that time matters, and you shouldn’t waste it.
Good time-keeping is just one part of self-management skills – click the link to find out more.
Team work
What are teamwork skills? There’s no “I” in “team”, and that’s a fact. Can you get on with other people, help them in a tight spot and follow instructions from your team leader? You may think getting ahead in your career is like a Formula 1 race with only one winner, but employers and team-mates notice when you are there for them. Teamwork is a great way to give you a feelgood glow, enjoy your working day and shine in your job.
Example of teamwork skills in transport careers: transport planner
Oh no! You’ve got a transport planner problem! How can teamwork skills help?
The problem: It’s your job to plan transport routes, and you’re planning a change to the bus route network in an area of town. Your problem is that the local council still aren’t completely sold on the changes going ahead and neither is the local community. They are worried about how these new bus routes will affect the area where they live, work and play. Will there be more traffic jams? Can they still get a bus to work?
Solution: It’ll take great communication skills, but you want to help your company, local people and the council all feel like they’re part of the same team. You’re all on the same side. You want the same thing – a bus route that is better for traffic flow, doesn’t put schoolchildren at risk on the roads, and helps people get around.
Together with the transport planning team you’ll help to arrange well-advertised local meetings so people in the area know they can come along and ask important questions about the new route, as well as giving their insights. There will be local council meetings too. By making everyone feel part of the same team, you’ll help the project go ahead. By making people feel included, you’ll help the new bus routes be supported by everyone without an ‘us and them’ atmosphere brewing. You might even get some great suggestions from the audience too. In a strong team, a good idea could come from anyone!
Top tip: Teamwork is about creating a positive attitude and helping people feel like their contributions matter. Good teamwork can mean asking your team questions, helping them if they’re stuck, contributing ideas to a team project or even bringing in a cake when it’s someone’s birthday!
Self-belief
What are self-belief skills? Self-belief is about confidence, and confidence isn’t something you have to be born with. It can grow with time. It’s the confidence to try something new. The confidence to learn from mistakes and keep going.
Example of self-belief skills in transport careers: freight forwarder
Oh no! You’ve got a freight forwarder problem! How can self-belief help?
The problem: As a freight forwarder it’s your job to plan travel routes for goods using IT systems. You’ve only ever planned UK routes before, but you’ve just got a job as a freight forwarder for an international company. The pros? You might get to travel abroad as part of your job. The cons? You’ve been asked to plan a route from London to Berlin, Germany – and you’ve never even been abroad before!
The solution: Tell yourself YOU CAN DO THIS. They gave you the job because they believe in you. Remember all the times you planned routes successfully all over the UK. Remember how once you thought planning routes was impossible, but time and experience made you great at it. Now approach this new challenge with curiosity. Trust in your skills. Allow yourself to have a positive attitude, and be willing to make minor mistakes (and ask for help) as part of the process. What do you need? Do you need German information translated into English? Do you need to organise sea travel for the very first time? Do you need to know the currency exchange rate for German and English money? You may not have the knowledge – not yet – but remind yourself that you have the skills. It may all seem new and strange right now, but you’ll look back on this with a smile.
Top tip: Approach new tasks you’ve never done before with a positive attitude. Break them down into little chunks so you can see what parts of the new activity you already have experience in and where you might need to learn something new. Ask for help if you need it, and enjoy the thrill of the unexpected. Finally? DON’T GIVE UP. YOU’VE GOT THIS.
