If you want to be a certified purchasing agent, then you will be responsible for buying various supplies, materials, services or products at the lowest price that you possibly negotiate without losing the high level of quality that your employers want. You will have to be able to asses the current market and figure out what is going to affect the supply and demand for the particular goods and services that you are interested in buying. There are various factors that must be considered throughout the whole process. This could be anything from quality, reliability, cost as well as availability. Customer service is also a huge consideration once you have already made the purchase. Your main goal will be for find the product needed by the organization that has hired you. Here are some tips in order to help you become a certified purchasing agent.
- The very first thing that you need to do is research the industry on the Internet and find out for yourself about the kinds of work that you’ll need to do as a certified purchasing agent. If you have no experience or training in the industry, then make sure you fully inform yourself before you start the process of education. You don’t want to be halfway through the process only to realize that this is not what you want to do. There is even door to door selling involved at times. Make sure you fully understand the job description for purchasing agents.
- Next, you’ll need to obtain your Bachelor’s Degree. A lot of firms or cargo companies actually require a Master’s Degree. The industry is quite competitive so in order to be noticed, you’ll need to be able to stand out from the crowd when a firm is only considering applications. You will definitely need the purchasing agent certification.
- If you are seriously considering starting a career in this field, you need to sit down and think hard about your current life style and any personal responsibilities and obligations that you might have. The industry doesn’t lend itself very well to good hours and schedules. Often time you are going to have to keep weird hours and a tight schedule if you want to meet certain production requirements and deadlines. There are also peak periods that can spill over into the weekends, evening and even holidays to. Purchasing agents often have to travel to meet with suppliers and to negotiate prices in person so this may keep you away from home a lot.
- Think about what skill and abilities you have that might help you or hinder you from succeeding in a purchasing agent job. If you don’t have strong communication skills which includes both talking and listening, then you probably won’t last very long in the job. You also need the ability to negotiate and negotiate well. This can be a very pushy and persistent job so you need to be able to be ruthless at times.
- Are you able to take in technical data and analyze financial records? It’s even more than that though. You need mathematical skills and computer knowledge to be able to properly understand the supply chain management’s work flow and other necessary pieces of information that will help you in your job.
- Another thing that you need to assess in your expertise in the business realm. You will also have to have a firm understanding of marketing and leadership skills in order to be a successful certified purchasing agent. If you are a organized individual with firm decision making skills, that’s good. Being an indecisive person in this job does not work well.
- If you have fully considered all of the above and decided that this is still something that you want to go for, then you can start looking into the different programs that are offered at various colleges. Check on the requirements for admission because some education facilities require the passing of an entrance exam.
- The last thing you might want to consider is applying to work for a purchasing agency while you are in school. Even volunteering for something in the industry will look good on a resume and will get your foot in the door to get you some experience.