Supply chain and warehouse

What interviewers look for

• Records you can trust: every movement in or out has a document, and the card or system matches the shelf on any day.
• Careful receiving: you count, check condition, batch and expiry against the documents, and write shortages or damage before you sign.
• A clean, safe and organised store: pallets, labels, FEFO on the shelves, pest control, temperature control and clear fire exits.
• Honesty about loss: damage, expiry and differences are reported in writing the same day, never hidden and never fixed on the card.
• Planning ahead: you watch consumption and stock levels and warn the team weeks before a stock-out, not on the day.
• Practical Excel or stock software skills: balances, simple formulas, expiry alerts and a clear monthly report.

Questions they ask

1. 1“Walk us through receiving a delivery from a truck.”

   Why they ask: Receiving is where most losses start. They check that you control the documents, count with a second person and record problems before signing.

   How to answer

   • Check the waybill against the PO or release note first, so you know what should be on the truck.
   • Offload onto pallets and count every item with a second person; check condition, batch numbers and expiry dates.
   • Write shortages and damage on the waybill before the driver leaves, take photos, and both of you sign.
   • Complete the GRN for what you actually accepted, update the stock card the same day and shelve by FEFO.

   When a truck arrives, I first check the waybill against the purchase order, so I know what should be there. We offload onto pallets, and with a second colleague I count every carton and check batch numbers and expiry dates. Once a delivery of oral rehydration salts had several wet cartons. I wrote the damaged quantity on the waybill before the driver signed, took photos and informed procurement by email. The GRN showed only the good cartons we accepted, and I updated the stock card that afternoon. The damaged cartons stayed separate until the supplier replaced them.

2. 2“What is the difference between FIFO and FEFO, and when do you use each?”

   Why they ask: A basic technical check. For food and medicines, using FIFO instead of FEFO can leave an earlier-expiring batch on the shelf until it expires.

   How to answer

   • FIFO, first in first out: the stock that arrived first goes out first. Fine for items without an expiry date.
   • FEFO, first expired first out: the batch with the earliest expiry goes out first, even if it arrived later. Use it for food, medicines and anything that expires.
   • Explain how you make it happen: expiry on every label, earliest batch at the front, a check at every issue.

   FIFO means the stock that arrived first leaves first. FEFO means the batch that expires first leaves first, even if it arrived later. In the pharmacy store where I worked, we used FEFO for all medicines and nutrition products. Every shelf label showed the batch and expiry date, the earliest batch was always at the front, and I checked the expiry on the issue voucher before anything left the store. For items without expiry, such as tarpaulins and jerrycans, we used FIFO so older stock did not stay at the back.

3. 3“How do you plan and run a full stock count?”

   Why they ask: They want to know if your count can be trusted: movements stopped, documents posted first, counters working in pairs, and differences reconciled with approval.

   How to answer

   • Plan the date with your manager and finance; stop receipts and issues and post every document first.
   • Use blind count sheets without the system balance, so counters count instead of copying.
   • Count in pairs, one counting and one writing, section by section, then recount every line that differs.
   • Write a reconciliation report and enter adjustments only after written approval.

   For the year-end count at a hospital store in Burao, we agreed a date with finance and stopped all issues for a day, except emergencies, which I recorded separately. I posted every open document the evening before. The count sheets had item names and locations but no balances. Two people counted each section, one counting and one writing. Then I compared the sheets with the stock cards, recounted every line with a difference and wrote a reconciliation report with the explanation for each one. The manager signed the adjustments before I entered them.

4. 4“How do you store medicines, food and fuel safely in the same compound?”

   Why they ask: They check that you know storage conditions and safety rules, and that you keep dangerous goods away from food and medicines.

   How to answer

   • Follow the label or the manufacturer's storage conditions: temperature, humidity, light and stacking height.
   • Keep goods on pallets, off the floor and away from walls, with aisles clear and fire extinguishers checked.
   • Store fuel and chemicals in a separate, ventilated area, with no smoking and sand and extinguishers nearby.
   • Keep the cold chain for vaccines and some medicines, with a temperature log checked twice a day.

5. 5“How do you know when to reorder, and how do you avoid stock-outs?”

   Why they ask: They check planning skills: consumption, lead time and safety stock, and whether you tell the team early enough to act.

   How to answer

   • Work out average monthly consumption from the issue records, and months of stock as stock on hand divided by that figure.
   • Compare months of stock with the lead time plus a safety margin; that gives your reorder point.
   • Share a short monthly stock or pipeline report: stock, consumption, orders in transit, expected arrival, items at risk.

   Every month I calculate average monthly consumption for each item from the issue vouchers. Stock on hand divided by that figure gives months of stock. For items with a long lead time, such as supplies coming by sea through Berbera, I compare months of stock with the lead time plus a safety margin agreed with the programme. Anything close to that line goes in red in my monthly pipeline report to programme and procurement, with the quantity I suggest ordering. That way the order is placed while there is still stock on the shelf.

6. 6“You find a pallet of expired medicine at the back of the store. What do you do?”

   Why they ask: They check honesty and procedure: separating the stock, reporting it with facts, disposing only with approval, and fixing why it happened.

   How to answer

   • Move it to a quarantine area, label it 'do not issue', and record the move on the stock card.
   • Report it in writing the same day: item, batch, quantity, expiry date, estimated value and photos.
   • Dispose only with written approval, following your organisation's procedure and the health authority's requirements, and keep the disposal record.
   • Find the cause, such as FEFO not followed or too much ordered, and say what you changed.

7. 7“How do you dispatch goods to a field site and make sure they arrive?”

   Why they ask: Dispatch is the other place goods go missing. They check the approval, the waybill and that you follow up until the signed copy comes back.

   How to answer

   • Dispatch only against an approved request or release note; pick by FEFO, then pack and label clearly.
   • Fill a numbered waybill: items, quantities, batches, vehicle plate, driver, date, and signatures at loading.
   • The receiver counts, signs and returns a copy; you follow up until it is back, then close the waybill in your tracker.

   Nothing leaves my store without an approved release note. We pick the items by FEFO, pack them and label each carton with the destination. I fill a numbered waybill with the items, quantities, batch numbers, the truck plate and the driver's name, and the driver signs at loading. At the other end, the storekeeper counts, writes any shortage or damage on the waybill, signs and sends a copy back with the driver or as a scan by email. I keep a waybill tracker in Excel, and any waybill not returned after a week gets a phone call.

8. 8“Which stock software or Excel functions have you used?”

   Why they ask: They check your real level, because many of these posts have an Excel test. Honest, specific answers score better than a long list of tools.

   How to answer

   • Describe what you built or used: a receipts sheet, an issues sheet and a balance using SUMIFS, and expiry alerts with conditional formatting.
   • If you have used an ERP or stock system, name it and say which part you used; if not, say so.
   • Show that you understand the logic: every movement comes from a document, and the balance must match the shelf.

   I have kept stock in Excel for three years. My workbook has one sheet for receipts, one for issues and a balance sheet that uses SUMIFS by item code, so the balance changes as soon as I enter a document. Conditional formatting turns items red when they are within three months of expiry. I have not used an ERP system at work, only seen one in a training session, but I understand the logic is the same: every movement comes from a document, and the balance must match the shelf.

Example answers are in English, the language most panels use. Say it in your own words.

Topics to revise

• GRN (goods received note)The document that records what actually arrived and in what condition, signed by the receiver and a witness. Finance uses it before paying. Be ready to explain why you never sign it before counting.
• Stock card vs bin cardA bin card sits with the item on the shelf and shows every movement and the balance; the stock card or ledger is kept in the office or the system. Both must agree with each other and with the shelf.
• FIFO and FEFOFirst in first out, and first expired first out. FEFO wins for anything with an expiry date. They may show you three batches with different arrival and expiry dates and ask which one leaves first.
• Physical count vs cycle countA physical count checks every item at once, often at year-end. A cycle count checks a few items each week, with high-value and fast-moving items counted most often. Many stores use both.
• Stock reconciliationComparing the count with the records and explaining each difference with documents: unposted receipts, wrong codes, damage, loans. Only the difference left unexplained is reported as a loss, and adjustments need approval.
• AMC and months of stockAverage monthly consumption is what goes out in an average month, usually over the last three to six months. Months of stock is stock on hand divided by AMC. Expect a quick calculation in the test.
• Lead time, safety stock and reorder pointLead time is how long an order takes to arrive. Safety stock is extra stock for delays or higher use. The reorder point is the level at which you order: roughly consumption during the lead time plus the safety stock.
• WaybillThe numbered document that travels with the goods: what was loaded, on which vehicle, by whom, and what the receiver signed for. An unreturned waybill is an open risk until it comes back.
• Cold chainKeeping vaccines and some medicines within their required temperature from supplier to patient: fridges, cold boxes, ice packs and a temperature log. Know what you would do if the fridge fails or the log shows a break.
• Quarantine and disposalDamaged, expired or recalled items go to a marked area, are recorded and are never issued. Disposal needs written approval, a witness or committee, and a record, following health and environmental rules.
• SUMIFS and pivot tablesSUMIFS adds up receipts or issues for one item code, which gives a running balance. A pivot table summarises issues by item, month or site in seconds. Both appear often in warehouse Excel tests.

Practical tasks you may get

1. 1Excel test (45–60 minutes): a list of receipts and issues to turn into balances, months of stock and an expiry list, often with one wrong entry to find. Practise SUMIFS, sorting, filters and a simple pivot table.
2. 2Fill a stock card by hand from about ten documents: receipts, issues, a return and a damage report. Give the closing balance and show where each line came from. Practise on paper so your columns stay neat.
3. 3A store walk-through or a photo: 'What is wrong here?' Look for boxes on the floor, blocked fire exits, fuel near food, missing labels, expired items mixed with good stock, broken pallets. Name the risk and the fix for each.
4. 4A short written case: limited trucks and several sites asking for the same item. Show how you would prioritise by urgency and expiry, and what you would tell the sites you cannot serve this week.

Mistakes to avoid

• Saying you sign the waybill or GRN first and count later because the driver is in a hurry.
• Saying you use FIFO for medicines, or mixing up FIFO and FEFO.
• Talking about 'correcting' the stock card without mentioning written approval.
• Listing advanced Excel skills you cannot show in the test; the test finds out in minutes.
• Describing only counting and shelving, with nothing about planning, reorder levels or reporting to the programme.
• Forgetting safety: fire exits, extinguishers, fuel storage and safe stacking are part of the job, not extras.

Quick check

5 questions. Answer each one to see the explanation.