The Results-Oriented Purchasing Workplace

Purchasing jobs, whether bookkeeping, accounts receivable or auditing, are involved in a lot of detail. When purchasing people are so engrossed in the details of their jobs, it's easy for them, for anyone actually, to lose sight of the job's major contribution.

A Results-Oriented Purchasing Job Description is different from a traditional job description because it focuses an employee on the several job results that answer the question: What results must this purchasing affairs job accomplish for the organization?

Purchasing Job Standards added to job expectations tighten management controls by clarifying how well and when results must be accomplished.

Purchasing Job Objectives establish management and employee plans by highlighting important current and future results needed.

Job-specific Purchasing Employee Management Forms maintain consistent and purchasingly sound management actions by basing manager-employee interactions on job results.

The Purpose of Purchasing Jobs

Stated in a results-oriented, three-line style, purchasing affairs jobs--

PURCHASES SERVICES, SUPPLIES AND EQUIPMENT by

establishing inventory levels and reorder quantities; researching and contacting vendors; testing items; determining method of procurement; preparing contracts; verifying incoming shipments, costs, delivery, product quality or performance, and inventories.

Types of Purchasing Jobs

Some purchasing jobs keep track of inventory and order items when needed. Other jobs review purchase orders, find vendors and place orders. Still other jobs verify that what was ordered was delivered as ordered. Somebody needs to prepare contract for goods and services. And, of course, somebody has to manage and supervise the purchasing people and processes.

Purchasing Job Management Tools

Here are actual job examples of how purchasing affairs job actions can be focused on results and kept on track using each of our job management tools:

Results-Oriented Purchasing Job Descriptions form the foundation of all job management tools. Our uniquely structured job descriptions focus on the result to be accomplished first and prominently, followed by the duties performed in order to accomplish the result. For example,

RECOMMENDS PURCHASING ACTIONS by

analyzing system controls.

Purchasing Job Standards sharpen employee attention and management control by defining and communicating how well the purchasing affairs results must be accomplished and what benchmarks will be used to measure job results. For example, for the job result above, the job standards might be:

• Purchasing situations are correctly understood.
• All options are identified and evaluated.
• Purchasing recommendations are ready when needed.

Purchasing Job Objectives point the direction for employee actions by focusing job efforts on current and future purchasing affairs issues. Job objectives are written in the three-line, results-oriented structure. For example, for the job result above, a job objective might be:

SPEED-UP DECISION MAKING by

reducing time to deliver purchasing affairs recommendations by 10% by (date).

Purchasing Employee Management Forms tied specifically to each purchasing affairs job description are more helpful (and purchasing) than generic forms used for all different kinds of jobs. Job-specific forms are used to state job qualifications, guide job interview questions, orient new employees, plan job training, and appraise job performance.

Purchasing Job Qualifications are stated in the same terms used in the job description. They are not translated into generic (typically behavioral) terms. For example:

RECOMMENDS PURCHASING ACTIONS by

analyzing system controls.

Purchasing Job Interview guide questions are inserted directly below each job result in the job description: For example:

• "What specific job responsibilities have you had in this area?"
• "Where did you have these job responsibilities?"
• "When did you have these job responsibilities?"
• "How did you go about accomplishing these responsibilities?"
• "What accomplishment in this area gave you the most pride?"
• "In this area, what were some of your biggest challenges?"
• "How did you overcome the challenges?"

The Purchasing Job Orientation guide reformats the job description sequence so that job explanations, policies, protocols, processes, and procedures are logical and complete and can easily be checked off. For example:

RECOMMENDS PURCHASING ACTIONS by

analyzing system controls.

The manager might say: "Here's the procedure and format we use to analyze and present purchasing affairs recommendations."

The Purchasing Job Training plan guides a thorough examination of actual job knowledge, skills, and abilities as described in the job description that need improvement or that might be enhanced. For example:

RECOMMENDS PURCHASING ACTIONS by

analyzing system controls.

The manager might say: "Analytical skills would be improved by enrolling in a statistical analysis class."

The Purchasing Job Performance Appraisal guide is a job-specific form. It is not a universal form used for all jobs. The guide adds an appraisal scale below each job result in the job description so that attention can be drawn to each job requirement and expectation. For example:

RECOMMENDS PURCHASING ACTIONS by

analyzing system controls.

__ Great! Just want we wanted.
__ We have a problem.
__ Improvement is needed.
__ Much, much more than we asked for.

Comments: _________________

Purchasing Résumé Template

Potential employers want to know what a job applicant has accomplished in his/her purchasing affairs work career. They don't want to be bored with minor details. Our Résumé Template provides:

• an outline to help assemble personal background information.
• a Results-Oriented Job Description to provide the purchasing affairs job language-focused on results-needed to write an effective résumé.
• Purchasing Job Objectives to orient thinking in terms of accomplishments.
• instructions on how to use a Results-Oriented Purchasing Job Description and Purchasing Job Objectives to express job accomplishments.

Use the purchasing affairs job description responsibility statement as a base:

RECOMMENDS PURCHASING ACTIONS by

analyzing system controls.

Select the purchasing affairs job objective that fits your experience:

REDUCE COSTS 10% by

improving purchasing affairs processes.

Combine the two into a résumé statement:

Reduced costs 10% by analyzing, identifying, and recommending new purchasing affairs system controls.

Purchasing Career Links

Institute for Supply Management, Careers in Purchasing and Supply Management

Online career publication: importance of supply management, supply management job examples, salary, education and training, the future, views on the field, colleges and universities offering courses.

U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Purchasing Manages, Buyers and Purchasing Agents

Training and education needed for purchasing manager, buyer and purchasing agent jobs, earnings, expected job prospects, what workers do on the job, and working conditions.

CareerOverview.com, Purchasing Manager

Non-commercial website dedicated to providing aspiring career professionals and students with relevant, reliable and up-to-date career and job information whereby helping them to make better, more informed career choices.

American Purchasing Association

Professional association of buyers and purchasing managers, courses and seminars, certification, career center.