Where are the hottest job markets?
By Ryan Vemmer -- Purchasing, 2/10/2000 2:00:00 AM
The job market remains active for purchasing professions, but some regions currently are much stronger than others.
"Based on the needs of our client companies, the two most fertile geographic regions would be the Great Lakes States/Lower Midwest and the Southeast," says Emery J. Zobro, president of the John Michael Personnel Group Inc. in Chattanooga, Tenn.
The fluctuation of certain areas of the country, job-wise, has largely to do with the growth and decline of certain industries within different regions.
"The northern Midwest is very strong because of the automotive industry," according to Jean Howell, president and owner of Fortune Personnel Consultants of the Virginia Highlands. "Demand far exceeds supply. Finding the right candidate is hard anywhere these days."
Internet can help
With the Internet, purchasing job seekers might consider international opportunities and regions in the United States that are not close to home.
According to Zobro, "As the global purchasing community gets smaller and more cohesive, international purchasing positions, particularly in European and Asian Pacific countries, are becoming more apparent."
There are conflicting views as to whether companies are concerned with hiring locals to work at their companies or if they are interested in looking nationally or globally.
"I see a number of companies trying very hard to find local candidates for their empty positions. The cost of relocating an individual is high, and they are trying to minimize expenditures. However, companies do not 'settle' if it means hiring a local candidate with less fit," Howell says.
Zobro claims that location does not matter if you are the right candidate for the company because, "the current emphasis is and will be not on where a person is located, but more on the quality background of the individual."
Donna Slattery, purchasing manager for Hunt, Ltd. in Lyndhurst, N.J., believes that within the Midwest and Northeast, "the best way to go about finding and getting these jobs would be to first search various career sites such as Execu-net, Headhunter.net, Netshare and Outplacement International. Second, choosing a recruiting firm in a specialized field that has a proven track record for successful placements is the link to actually getting leads."
All regions aren't the same
Regions that have not historically had high numbers of purchasing jobs in certain industries currently do have jobs available for purchasing professionals.
"The Northeast and Western states lag behind in the number of quality-oriented purchasing positions currently available, only because most manufacturing firms have been traditionally in the Midwest," according to Zobro.
Slattery believes that in specific industries the Northeast is a good location for purchasing job searches, but perhaps in different industries than the Southeast and Midwest. "The level of positions are typically manager and director levels and are in various industries, such as industrial, pharmaceutical, medical, retail, and are quite active currently."
"Demand for strong purchasing skills extends beyond heavy manufacturing, such as automotive," says Howell. "Electronics, service industries, etc. have a need to bring people in with excellent purchasing skills and education."
Regardless of where you are and what industry you hope to work in, certain job searching truths carry from region to region. "Building a career in purchasing requires a strong initial foundation," says Zobro. "Applicants coming to the recruiting table without four-year degrees, without certification, without stable backgrounds, or from working environments not geared toward quality interaction will not enjoy the employment luxuries accorded to their peers with those characteristics and backgrounds."
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