For smaller agencies, the responsibilities of the purchasing or procurement manager might double up with those of the buyer, but in most cases the purchasing manager has a distinct position. Administrative capabilities are actually important and require being highlighted on your resume and so is forward thinking. Purchasing managers require showing that they are vigilant in keeping ahead of the industry.
Your resume must hence show administrative skills, prediction and product insight plus great people skills too.
Important Tips for Purchasing Manager Resumes
Technical Knowledge
Increasingly, purchase management is shifting to the use of computer applications. Few organizations will even train managerial applicants in their enterprise resource planning software to get them up-to-speed. For others, shifting from paper ordering and into internet management has saved charges and decreased wait times. Either way, online solutions are the answer.
When updating your resume, make certain you show that you can assist generate statistics and reports at anytime and particularly list what programs and platforms you are accustomed to using. You should also mention you can conveniently be trained to pick up any new purchasing software the company uses.
What the Individuals Need
Purchasing managers research trends to assists to assess how a market will develop. For instance, enthusiasm for green and compostable supplies has motivated major growth within that industry, and so purchasers require figuring out how best to deliver those to customers.
A good resume for the industry will indicate the skills engaged in tracking trends, determining what people need, but also how to get it for the best rate via price forecasting and close knowledge of suppliers and/or commodities.
How It All Works
To get into purchase managing, a broad education of business—accounting, finance, human resources, marketing, and production— assists to provide a base to work with. Although, purchasers routinely specialize in certain kinds of products, for which information of the industry is greatly beneficial.
Be attentive to the kinds of postings that come up and match your experience with what you are most familiar with. In few cases, a degree unrelated to purchasing can be turned into strength.
A Relationship Business
Interpersonal qualities and building up a network of trusted contacts can be critical for the purchasing manager. At the higher level, they assist to negotiate and draft contracts with suppliers and require knowing who’ll get them the right deals. Although, there is also the management of the purchasing department to consider, along with its hiring and firing.
Represent yourself well in your resume for both these considerations.
Shopping Around
The purchasing manager requires being alert to potential modifications or changes and deals as they arise. It could be assessing packaging and coming up with improved methods or it could be as simple as switching to a supplier with more competitive rates.
Whatever the case, your resume should show specific examples where you took initiative to make work more efficient.
Certified Quality
The Institute for Supply Management gives the coveted—and demanding— CPSM, but there’s also groups such as the American Purchasing Society and the Universal Public Procurement Certification Council that offer their credentials.
Having or working towards one of these credentials, or even demonstrating membership in the agency, can be worthy resume add.