Wall Street Stockbroker seeks Logistics Sales Position - Career Advice

Reader Question:

For the past ten years, I have been working as a stockbroker at Wall Street firm. Before that, I worked as a sales agent at a small freight forwarding company for two years. I have been interested in going into Third Party Logistics as a salesperson. Currently I am working on a getting a Customs Broker license and a professional certification in Transportation and Logistics by the American Society of Transportation & Logistics. I also have a four year degree in Public Administration from the University of Southern California. By getting the broker license and ASTL certification, will my chances improve in landing a sales job in the logistics industry?

Recruiter’s Advice:

It looks as if you have had a very diversified background…freight forwarding to Wall Street; not bad! Now you are interested in getting into the 3PL world and are wondering if your certifications are going to help you get your foot in the door. The short answer to your question is education never goes overlooked. Getting the certifications you are speaking of will certainly aid you in getting your foot in the door. What you really need to do is spin your stockbroker role to look as much like a sales role as possible and also leverage your sales experience from the forwarding company you worked for. Supply chain is a hot topic among the world’s largest companies and you need to know what you are selling and what the impact of your potential solution offerings will be to these companies. The only way to do this is through education, so get all that you have access to!