Qualified buyers continue to land good purchasing jobs
Samantha Z. Harris -- Purchasing, 6/7/2001 2:00:00 AM
It is inevitable. As the economy wanes, so do the rate and volume at which companies hire traditional buyers. So yes, the hiring frenzy for purchasing professionals is over. This doesn't mean, however, that good companies aren't searching for good purchasers. According to recruiting sources around the country, companies are still looking for buyers with some regularity—they are just looking more closely at their credentials and skills. The consensus among recruiters: If you want to move around the purchasing field with relative ease, you should have an impressive range of experience and competence behind you. Senior-level purchasers are wanted. Quality, at the moment, is key.
What companies need is bang for their buck. "Qualifications are extremely important right now," says David Singer of Raleigh, N.C.-based Fortune Personnel, a recruitment office for supply chain management. "Limited resources mean that companies want the best they can find with the most skills."
Emery Zobro, president of the John Michael Personnel Group in Chattanooga, Tenn., agrees that the emphasis is on talent. "Hiring companies are more cautious compared to most of last year," says Zobro. "Demand for purchasing excellence and quality is definitely a priority."
Since harder economic times force companies to show some restraint in their hiring practices, maximizing the dollars they spend for personnel is their most sensible option. The result is characterized by many as "strategic hiring," a selective, slow search for the best purchasing candidates.
Donna McMillan, president of McMillan Associates in Melbourne, Fla., sees the same pattern, noticing that "client companies are responding very slowly to presented candidates" and are demanding that candidates have the "necessary skills to solve specific problems related to the present economy." Similar to the perspectives of other recruiters, McMillan believes that "successful business people will manage effectively during economic slowdowns and boom times," and hiring will continue, though it will be selective.
Firms want broad thinking
Technological innovations have radically changed the face of purchasing as a whole. E-commerce and strategic sourcing are necessities and have made the profession more varied and intricate.
What was more an administrative profession in years past, says Kevin Rohan of JP Canon Associates in New York City, is now an extremely dynamic and vital role that directly affects a company's bottom line. The emphasis for purchasing, Rohan stresses, "is definitely swinging from tactical to strategic."
Talented purchasers are accomplished negotiators, market authorities, and understand the total, complex supply chain. They have familiarity with procurement techniques, software and JIT solutions. They have MBAs, certifications, and accomplishments that extend beyond buying the cheapest product at the best time.
"I want savvy, business-minded purchasers who understand the total supply chain," says Singer of Fortune Personnel, who fills positions for Fortune 50 corporations. "I am looking for 'broad thinkers.'"
To sum up: Great jobs exist for great purchasers.
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