Purchasing managers rate the job-applicant pool
By Lisa van der Pool -- Purchasing, 5/20/1999
In the past few years the qualities that hiring managers seek in job applicants for purchasing positions have changed to reflect the growing importance that companies now place on purchasing/supply management. Purchasing managers recently surveyed by Purchasing Magazine say that while today's typical purchasing job seeker has strong computer skills and a good education, other areas need improvement.Most glaringly, PMs report that job applicants lack purchasing experience and the skills that go along with this experience, most notably negotiating skills and the "people skills" that can only be developed through experience. Many managers say that these deficiencies can cause problems when trying to move new hires into the cross-functional environment that's critical to purchasing success today.
Purchasing managers give varied profiles of their current applicants. But a typical description goes something like this: Job seekers have about two to three years job experience, at least four year's of academic experience, excellent personal computer skills, and possibly a professional certification or two.
"In general, applicants are young," says Bill Davies, purchasing manager at VictoriaVogue in Pennsylvania. "They are highly computer skilled, and have a definite career path in purchasing, which was not the case ten years ago."
John Kuta at National Cycle in Illinois says, "My applicants basically have two to three years of experience with limited knowledge of products and services."
Extremely specific knowledge also is cited as a common favorable trait among young purchasing professionals. "They have in-depth knowledge" in very specific areas, says a senior purchasing manager in the Kansas City area.
Room for improvement
But sometimes limited or highly specific knowledge works against a developing purchasing professional. Once a person begins working only in a specific area, management may pigeonhole them there, limiting exposure to other aspects of purchasing.
"I have difficulty finding people with enough experience in manufacturing to fill the need," says the Kansas City purchasing manager. "Companies want a lot for not a lot of money. People are brought in right out of college."
"Applicants are weak in the areas of product knowledge and vendor knowledge," says Kuta. "They seem to be very tunneled and they don't have an all-around knowledge of purchasing other items."
Another area in which inexperienced applicants fall short in is good negotiating skills. Davies says, "Applicants are lacking strategic people skills, what I call positioning. It's when you get into position for the next step in negotiations--to me that is purchasing."
The ideal candidate
Purchasing managers have no shortage of words when asked to describe their ideal candidate. Says a purchasing manager: "I want someone with a college education. Just as important as a college education is real-world experience and on-the-job training. Also very critical are communication skills, being able to write and speak at all levels, and good negotiation skills. Certifications are a plus."
"They must be organized and goal oriented," says Kuta. "Also important is team involvement, a well-rounded knowledge of purchasing, and a willingness to learn."
Davies says ideal candidates are "self-starters and will hit the ground running. They must take joy in the purchasing profession, have a good sense of humor, and be aware of their impact on the bottom line."
The past and the future
Despite its shortcomings, the job-applicant pool for purchasing jobs is stronger today than in the past, PMs say. But the lack of people skills--or even the awareness that it's needed--was mentioned by several managers.
"Compared to applicants ten years ago, current applicants have higher technical skills and are better educated," says Davies. "But there is not an awareness or concern for relationships. There is very little loyalty."
Kuta also points out that although the education level is high, loyalty and other skills are at a loss, 'They're better educated and knowledge in specific areas is better, but three traits are missing: common sense, people psychology and realization of who and where they are."
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