Inventory managers ensure that the right quantities of items are kept in stock in retail stores, grocery stores, warehouses, and distribution centers. Managers look at inventory levels and sales data to see when new shipments from wholesalers are needed. A person who aspires to be an inventory manager should have excellent communication, organizational, and computer skills. While the specific education and training requirements for becoming an inventory manager vary, most professionals have a bachelor’s degree and prior experience in a related field.
A person interested in inventory management should research the job’s responsibilities to ensure that he or she is a good fit for the position. To take accurate inventories, calculate the costs of new shipments, and determine when more or less of a particular item should be ordered, professionals must have excellent math and reasoning skills. They usually spend a lot of time on computers, creating electronic spreadsheets and filling out purchase orders. When speaking with suppliers over the phone and dealing with employees and customers in person, inventory managers rely on their communication skills.
For someone who wants to work as an inventory manager, an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in business administration can be very useful. As a business student, you will have the opportunity to learn how businesses track sales, determine appropriate inventory levels, and work with shipping companies. In management positions, such knowledge is essential. When a person is nearing the end of a degree program, he or she can begin looking for job openings on online job search sites, in newspaper classified ads, and through the career placement resources available at his or her school.
Some employers place a higher value on work experience than on academic credentials. Many of the skills needed to become an inventory manager are already present in someone who has worked as a store clerk or warehouse associate. Instead of hiring outside help, many companies prefer to promote existing employees who are already familiar with procedures to inventory management positions.
National organizations in many countries offer free training courses and certification exams to help aspiring inventory managers improve their credentials. The Association for Operations Management in the United States, for example, offers test takers the opportunity to become Certified Production and Inventory Managers (CPIM). A person with CPIM credentials or a similar designation in another country has a lot of options when it comes to becoming an inventory manager.