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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Create a Purchasing
Resume in 5 Simple Steps

  • Step 1: Add Contact Info

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  • Step 2: Include Work Experience Details

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  • Step 3: Provide Education Details

    Heading Resume Slide

  • Step 4: Select Your Skills

    Heading Resume Slide

  • Step 5: Fill in Your Background

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Get Expert Writing Recommendations for Your Purchasing Resume

LiveCareer’s purchasing resume examples offer you a blueprint for how to write a resume that will get you to the next step in your career. Written by certified resume writers, our resumes show you the right way to articulate your experience, and design and format your resume.

When it’s time to write your own document, use our Resume Builder, which offers pre-written text suggestions for every section of your resume, making it fast and easy to craft an exceptional document. Here are a few examples of content our builder might recommend for your purchasing resume:

  • Held regular meetings with internal departments to determine purchasing needs
  • Created a more efficient, cost-effective purchasing system for the company
  • Developed strong vendor relationship-building skills
  • Worked to make sure company stayed within vendor purchasing guidelines
  • Negotiated purchases to ensure lowest cost for quality products

6 Dos and Don’ts for Writing a Purchasing Resume

  • Do include purchasing-specific language in your summary. Your professional summary is the first impression companies have of you. Fill your resume’s opening paragraph with procurement words and phrases to present yourself as an experienced candidate who is ready to do the job.
  • Do highlight your ability to meet deadlines. Purchasing is a career that revolves around time. From researching to buying to receiving a delivery, there is almost always a deadline looming. Demonstrate you are a time management expert by detailing situations when you were able to successfully meet and beat deadlines.
  • Do boast your money-saving abilities.A primary goal for a purchasing professional is to save money. Be sure to list instances where you were able to stay within or under budget and how much money that generated. Being a potential financial asset to a company boosts your chances of getting the job.
  • Don’t leave out purchasing certifications and degrees.While they love to see job experience, hiring managers are sure to notice a candidate with credentials such as a CSCP or CPP certification. Include certificates, degrees and any purchasing-related classes to give yourself an even greater chance of getting hired.
  • Don’t rely on the basics to get you the job. To get noticed, get specific about your purchasing experience by using metrics. List solid buying abilities that include details about inventory, researching, price comparison, and contract negotiations. A resume filled with purchasing-related accomplishments will help you stand out.
  • Don’t exclude your professional affiliations.If you network with other purchasing professionals to exchange ideas and information, include it on your resume. Involvement in purchasing organizations and groups such as the American Purchasing Society shows potential employers your interest and dedication to furthering your career.

Beat the ATS with These Purchasing Resume Skills

If you submit your resume online and never hear back, an applicant tracking system (ATS) may have deemed you unqualified for the role. ATS software combs through resumes, searching for keywords and phrases, then selects those that contain specific search criteria. Only those resumes get through to employers, leaving the others in the dreaded resume black hole.

LiveCareer’s Resume Builder helps make your resume ATS-friendly by recommending the most-sought after purchasing skills. Here are some examples of skills our builder might recommend you inclusion your purchasing resume:

  • Procurement
  • Sourcing
  • Buyout schedules
  • Order expedition
  • Inventory software
  • Purchasing methods

Purchasing Resumes for Every Professional Level

Entry-Level
Junior Buyer Resume Example Centered Build my Resume

Junior Buyer

Making a career change into an entry-level position, such as junior buyer, is possible with a resume that focuses on skills. This document uses a functional resume format that highlights the applicant’s relevant purchasing skills, such as customer service, sales and organization and downplays her lack of direct work experience. She effectively presents the transferable skills she acquired in her career as a sales associate and uses her professional summary to focus her resume and indicate her value to the employer. Build my Resume

Mid-Career
Purchasing Manager Resume Example Original Build my Resume

Purchasing Manager

Once someone is in the middle of their purchasing career, it’s often best to use a resume format that shows off both a complete job history and marketable skills. This example resume utilizes the combination resume format to do just that. The applicant, who wants a purchasing manager job, shows off a consistent career progression from purchasing assistant to manager. He also includes plenty of in-demand purchasing skills, such as vendor relations management, bid coordination, budget management and procurement expertise. This combination of skills and experience helps him prove his worth to a company. Build my Resume

Executive-Level
Purchasing Officer Resume Example Acclaimed Build my Resume

Purchasing Officer

By the time someone is in a position to land an executive-level job in purchasing, employers expect a strong background in the field. The best way to meet this expectation is to use a chronological resume format for your resume, as shown in this example. Here, the candidate gives details about each step of her career progression and increasing levels of responsibility.

This resume also makes good use of strong metrics, which show the impact of her work. Data, such as “decreased material expenses by 18%” and “managed logistics for $50 million per year operations” show that her work has been effective for past employers. Build my Resume

More purchasing resume samples

Find resume examples for your desired purchasing career. Get access to expert writing recommendations, do’s and don’ts and everything you need to write a perfect resume.

director of procurementdirector of purchasingindirect buyerindirect procurement specialistmro buyermro operations managerpurchasing administratorpurchasing analystpurchasing assistantpurchasing associatepurchasing buyer inventorypurchasing directorpurchasing officerpurchasing specialistpurchasing supervisorsourcing analystsourcing managersr buyervendorvendor account managervendor receivervendor submittal manager

Resume Success Stories

Statistics and Facts About Purchasing Jobs

Median Annual Wages for Purchasing Jobs (2019)

Purchasing Managers$121110
Purchasing Buyers and Agents$69598
012K25K37K50K62K75K87K100K112K125K
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

Job Outlook for Purchasing Jobs

Purchasing Managers4% growth
Purchasing Buyers and Agents7% decline
0510
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

Gender Composition for Purchasing Managers

Female 48.2%

Male 50.8%

Source: DataUSA

Race and Ethnicity for Purchasing Managers

White80.87%
Black8.61%
Asian6.17%
Other1.81%
Two or More Races2.13%
American Indian0.386%
01734516885
Source: DataUSA

Educational Requirements for Purchasing Managers

Doctoral or Professional Degree4%
Master’s Degree20%
Bachelor’s Degree39%
Associate Degree8%
Some College, no Degree18%
High School Diploma10%
Less than High School Diploma1%
010203040
Source: CareerOneStop

Popular Job Titles for the Purchasing Industry

  • Buyer
  • Purchasing Agent
  • Procurement Specialist
  • Purchasing Manager
  • Materials Director
  • Procurement Director

Source: Occupational Information Network (Purchasing Agent), Occupational Information Network (Purchasing Manager)

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