INDUSTRY STATS
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Purchasing Agent positions are at a 4% growth rate, which is slower than average. With that said, there are currently 466,300 jobs in the market right now. The total number of jobs is expected to increase by 19,500 to 485,800 in the period of 2020-30.
What’s more, the median annual wage for the Purchasing Agent jobs was $64,770 in May 2020. The lowest 10% earned less than $36,910, and the highest 10% more than $208,000.
Our conclusion? The Purchasing Agent job market is wide open for candidates.
Top purchasing agent sections that make the best resume
- Header
- Professional summary
- Experience (with numbers and results)
- Relevant skills
- Education
- Certifications
How to write the perfect purchasing agent resume experience section
Purchasing agent experience section: checklist
- List your positions in chronological or reverse-chronological order;
- Go for 4-6 bullet points;
- Add only relevant work experience;
- Include information about the challenges you’ve faced, the actions you’ve taken, and the results you’ve achieved;
- Use action verbs instead of filler words.
We’ve selected some of the top Purchasing Agent resumes made using the Enhancv platform to illustrate what a great experience section looks like. Use them as inspiration when building your own resume:
PRO TIP
Don't make the same mistake everyone else does. What we mean is, don't list your Purchasing Agent job responsibilities instead of your achievements. Recruiters know what you do. They want to know what kind of difference you can bring to their company. Focus on what you've accomplished.
Action verbs for your purchasing agent resume
Recommended Reads:
Purchasing Agent Resume: How to Write a Strong Skills Section
The Ultimate Purchasing Agent Skills Section Checklist:
- Balance between all kinds of hard skills – technical, analytical, etc.
- When it comes to technical skills, match them to the job description;
- Add keywords present in the job advert to pass ATS;
- Don’t forget to list transferable skills such as communication, teamwork, work ethic, and presentation skills.
Top skills for your purchasing agent resume
Excel
SAGE
KPY
Team Work
SharePoint
Reporting
Analitic Capacity
Agile Methodologies
Relationship Building
Time Management
Storytelling
Research / Information Gathering
Critical Thinking
Problem Solving
Tech Savvy
Networking
PRO TIP
When describing your experience, don’t go too far from its terminology. Recruiters use ATS systems to filter resumes based on them having certain keywords, so make sure you use at least a few keywords mentioned in the job description.
Purchasing agent resume header: tips, red flags, and best practices
Checklist for your purchasing agent resume header
- Your name and surname in a legible and larger resume font
- The job title you’re applying for or your current job title as a subheading to your name
- Link to your portfolio or online profile, such as LinkedIn
- Address (City and State for the US; just your city for rest of the world)
- Email address
- Headshot (required or welcomed in the EU; not required and sometimes frowned upon in the US)
Stick to popular email providers such as Gmail or Outlook. And use these professional formats to create your username:
- first.last@gmail.com
- last.first@gmail.com
- firstlast@gmail.com
- f.last@gmail.com
- first.l@gmail.com
Recommended reads:
PRO TIP
Include a link to your portfolio in your Purchasing Agent resume header. Most companies will require that you include one in your resume, and even if they don’t, it’s an excellent opportunity to directly show them your proudest projects.
Purchasing agent resume summary: things to include and things to avoid
Job-winning purchasing agent resume summary checklist:
- Mention your total years of experience in the field;
- Highlight one or two of your top achievements;
- Avoid getting into too much detail – you’ll do that in the experience section;
- Focus on short sentences that are easy to read and add value to your application.
Resume summary formula:
PRO TIP
Your summary section should act as a professional taster. Use it wisely. Effectively convey your professional profile and let the hiring manager know that if they hire you, they won’t be disappointed. Make sure to include keywords from the job description too! Elaborate on your abilities further in your experience section. Again, cater to the job description.
Recommended reads.":
Highlighting education, courses, and certifications in your purchasing agent resume
Education section checklist:
- What? Where? What’s the result? Answer these questions when mentioning education and courses on your resume;
- Give preference to courses and degrees that are relevant to the job position;
- Be honest! Some recruiters love checking with colleges and universities to see if you’ve really been enrolled in them;
- Share more about certifications that have helped you turn into a professional, and mention the bodies that have issued them.
Top certifications for your purchasing agent resume
Procurement Masterclass: A Complete Guide to Purchase To Pay
Gain expert-level knowledge of world-class operational procurement with this comprehensive overview.
Boss Buyer's Agent Series: Home Purchase Consulting
Pt1: Etiquettes, Expectations & Considerations
Procurement Management
An Ultimate Guide to Procurement / Purchase Management for Managers, Engineers, Entrepreneurs and Students
Procurement & Supply Planning tools and techniques.
Learn how to Make purchasing strategies ,MRP, forecast, inventory policies and techniques to minimize supply costs.
Start a Profitable Career as a Real Estate Agent
Start making a high income in your spare time or use your license to invest in real estate.
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PRO TIP
If you hold a certain major and a minor, your majors should be mentioned first.
Purchasing agent resume format 101
If a couple of years ago Purchasing Agent resumes could be text files with no graphic elements, today’s recruiters need a bit more to remember you.
And yet, you can still choose between three basic resume formats:
- Reverse-chronological resume format;
- Functional skills-based resume format;
- Combination (or Hybrid) resume format.
But when it comes to choosing the right format for your Purchasing Agent resume, there are two factors to keep in mind: your experience and whether you’re looking for an industry change.
The reverse-chronological format is the most common one. That being said, it gives recruiters exactly what they’re used to in terms of order and information. However, it’s not suitable for applicants with employment gaps or not enough experience.
We at Enhancv suggest the functional skills-based resume format for people with limited work experience who find reverse-chronological resumes irrelevant. This format showcases the applicant’s most significant accomplishments, skills, and strengths.
Don’t miss our resume format checklist:
- Go for a traditional easy-to-read resume font sized 10-12p;
- Don’t risk it: choose standard 1-inch resume margins;
- Make sure your Purchasing Agent resume fits in one to two pages;
- Save your resume in PDF to avoid having it edited by someone else.
Looking for more tips? Check out our job-winning guide for crafting a resume that gets you remembered!
Recommended Reads:
PRO TIP
If you feel that you don’t have high chances in a particular company, due to lack of relevant experience, then you can still consider using a creative layout. That might help you get noticed and invited for an interview, as most of the other applicants will have boring resume designs.
Other sections for your purchasing agent resume
If the position you’re applying for allows for that, you can include some non-traditional sections in your resume. This will add a bit more depth to your application and will also give the hiring manager a better idea of who you are as a person.
Some ideas include:
A Purchasing Agent Resume Recruiters Would Love
You’ve drafted an amazing Purchasing Agent resume, but are still not sure whether it will make a strong first impression? After all, recruiters go over tens of resumes each day, right?
Right! And the recipe for getting their attention includes a dash of creativity.
What’s more, a creative resume is perfect for adding your personality to the mix. For example, you could mention your favorite books, quotes, movies, or even what your day usually looks like.
Regardless of what you choose, make sure your levels of creativity match the industry, the company, and the position. Otherwise, your resume might look silly and inapt.
What makes a great purchasing agent resume: key takeaways
- Choose a resume layout that sends the right message across and fits your current career situation;
- Create a resume header that shows your desired job title, and easy to find contact numbers;
- Be specific about your experience, accomplishments and future goals in your summary;
- Feature detailed metrics and specific examples that show the impact you made in your previous roles when describing your experience;
- List soft skills backed by examples;
- Add all of your technical skills and certifications that you have and match the job description;
- Show off a dash of personality in your resume that will demonstrate your culture fit and the right mix of hard and soft skills.
