Experience, Skills, and Personality Traits
Aspiring purchasing agents should take as many math and business classes as possible and participate in internships to gain experience in the field.
Purchasing agents should have calm temperaments and have confidence in their decision-making abilities. Because they work with other people, they need to be diplomatic, tactful, and cooperative. A thorough knowledge of business practices and an understanding of the needs and activities of the employer are essential, as is knowledge of the relevant markets. It also is helpful to be familiar with social and economic changes in order to predict the amounts or types of products to buy.
Related Professions
- Accountants
- Ambassadors
- Arbitrators
- Auditors
- Automotive Dealership Owners
- Bank Examiners
- Billing Clerks
- Biotechnology Production Workers
- Bookkeeping and Accounting Clerks
- Budget Analysts
- Business Continuity Planners
- Business Development Managers and Directors
- Business Intelligence Analysts
- Business Managers
- Buyers
- Chief Customer Officers
- Chief Executive Officers
- Chief Financial Officers
- Chief Information Officers
- Chief Information Security Officers
- Chief Medical Officers
- Chief Restructuring Officers
- Chief Revenue Officers
- Chief Robotics Officer
- Chief Strategy Officers
- Chief Sustainability Officers
- Chief Trust Officers
- Client Services Managers
- Collection Workers
- Community Health Program Coordinators
- Compliance Managers
- Continuous Improvement Managers
- Contract Administrators
- Corporate Climate Strategists
- Corporate Community Relations Directors
- Corporate Lawyers
- Corporate Librarians
- Cost Estimators
- Credit Analysts
- Cultural Advisers
- Customer Service Directors
- Customer Service Representatives
- Customs Brokers
- Customs Officials
- Data Entry Clerks
- Data Governance Managers
- Decision Scientists
- Digital Workplace Experience Engineers
- Directors of Corporate Sponsorship
- Directors of Security
- Document Management Specialists
- Economists
- Entrepreneurs
- Environmental Economists
- Ethical Sourcing Officer
- Event Planners
- Executive Recruiters
- Export-Import Specialists
- Fashion Models' Agents
- Federal and State Officials
- Financial Analysts
- Financial Consultants
- Foreign Service Officers
- Forensic Accountants and Auditors
- Franchise Owners
- Futurists
- Go-to-Market Managers
- Health Care Managers
- Health Club Owners and Managers
- Health Data Analysts
- Human Resources Managers
- Industrial Traffic Managers
- Information Technology Infrastructure Engineers
- Internet Consultants
- Internet Executives
- Internet Store Managers and Entrepreneurs
- Internet Transaction Specialists
- Interpreters
- Investment Fund Managers
- Investment Professionals
- Labor Union Business Agents
- Legal Operations Specialists
- Localization Specialists
- Logistics Analysts
- Logistics Engineers
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- Payroll Directors
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- Product Designers
- Professional Organizers
- Project Managers
- Proposal Managers
- Receptionists
- Regulatory Affairs Managers
- Regulatory Affairs Specialists
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- Risk Managers
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- Sales Managers
- Sales Representatives
- Secretaries
- Space Port Managers
- Space Tourism Managers
- Statisticians
- Stenographers
- Strategy Managers
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- Temporary Workers
- Traffic Managers
- Translators
- Truck Dispatchers
- Typists and Word Processors
- Wealth Management Risk Managers
- Wealth Management Vice Presidents
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- Wind Energy Project Managers
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