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Purchasing specialists are agents who procure a company’s goods and supplies. They make comparisons between multiple vendors to determine which one has the best quality and prices. They must negotiate with them to get an ideal agreement in terms of quantity, quality, and price. Their role is to make a seamless procurement process.
Purchasing specialists must also keep track of inventory and request restocking when necessary. In order to get the best deals with third-party vendors, they must stay up-to-date with industry trends. Purchasing specialists usually work under the supervision of the purchasing manager or other experienced colleagues. It is not mandatory, but some employers might ask you to have a Certified Purchasing Professional (CPP) certification or Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP) credential.
If you want to get the best deals, you must be extremely analytical. You should evaluate your stakeholder’s requirements and what’s available in the market. These are not usually easy decisions to make, so it’s important to have excellent analytic skills. To make a good impression, you should demonstrate this in your resume.
Most purchasing specialists have their own negotiation tricks. Some use emotion, others sell the benefits of their collaboration, and some might speculate. These are all valid negotiation strategies. In your resume, you should mention those techniques you use to persuade potential vendors.
As a hiring manager who has recruited purchasing specialists at companies like Amazon, Walmart, and Target, I've seen countless resumes over the years. The best resumes for this role are the ones that clearly highlight the candidate's relevant experience, skills, and accomplishments in procurement and supply chain management. In this article, we'll share some tips to help you create a strong resume that will catch the attention of hiring managers and increase your chances of landing a job as a purchasing specialist.
Highlight your experience in procurement and supply chain management, and provide specific examples of your responsibilities and achievements:
Avoid being too general or vague about your experience, like this:
A resume summary for a Purchasing Specialist is an optional section that provides a brief overview of your professional experience, skills, and qualifications. While a summary is not required, it can be useful for providing context or adding details not already included in your resume. However, avoid using an objective statement, as it is outdated and ineffective.
When writing your summary, focus on highlighting your most relevant experience and skills related to purchasing and procurement. Avoid repeating information that is already covered in other sections of your resume. Instead, use this space to provide additional context or emphasize your unique value proposition.
The work experience section is the most important part of your purchasing specialist resume. It's where you showcase your relevant skills, accomplishments, and impact in previous roles. Hiring managers will spend the most time reviewing this section to gauge your fit for the role.
Let's break down the key steps to writing an effective work experience section for your purchasing specialist resume:
Start each bullet point with a powerful action verb that demonstrates your purchasing abilities. For example:
Avoid starting bullets with weak or passive phrases like:
Your education section is a vital part of your purchasing specialist resume. It shows hiring managers that you have the necessary knowledge and training to excel in the role. Here are some tips to make your education section stand out:
The skills section is a key part of your purchasing specialist resume. It's where you highlight the specific abilities and knowledge that make you a strong candidate for the job. In this section, we'll walk through how to write a skills section that will get noticed by hiring managers and Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS).
Here are examples of popular skills from Purchasing Specialist job descriptions that you can include on your resume.
This word cloud highlights the important keywords that appear on Purchasing Specialist job descriptions and resumes. The bigger the word, the more frequently it appears on job postings, and the more likely you should include it in your resume.
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