The first thing that you should keep in mind is the fact that you are going to need to know your industry like the back of your hand. Whether you are in food, retail, industry, or something else, you are going to have a great deal of say over what is going on and what gets put up on the shelf. You will find that in order to make the most out of a position you should take the time to really look into the industry itself. Frequently you cannot get buying jobs unless you have at least two years’ experience in the field anyway, so make sure that you take the time to really think about what your options are and what is waiting for you.
What duties await you as a buyer? In some places, you will already have been working with the person in question and they can guide you through the job, but if you are in a place where you are considering getting into an entirely new area or are with a company that you are not familiar with, it can be helpful to take a look at the general job of a junior buyer. In the first place, you will find that you need to effectively set up and then maintain orders and purchasing files. You may need to run replenishment reports or to order more tracking logs. You will be running a lot of reports and you will also find that you are going to need to distribute purchase and delivery orders. This is something that, as you may guess, requires a great deal of organization on your part.
Another major duty that a junior buyer will have is to work with the vendors. In some cases, you may be the one making first contact, and you will almost certainly be in a place where you need to be able to move forward and to make sure that things are going well. You may be called upon when a vendor has questions or when you are looking to track down something that has not arrived yet. In many cases, this position requires you to be a very social person. You need to be patient with people while still being assertive enough to get things done.
If you are looking at getting a job as a junior buyer, you may be wondering what is going on and what you need to do to get it. The first thing to keep in mind is that when it comes to buying, many major companies will look into hiring internally first. This means that you should keep an eye on any announcements going through your current company and that you should stop and make sure that you are in a place where you can move forward to this position. However, remember that all is not lost, even if you are in a place where you cannot take this position. Ask your friends to keep their ears open for you where they work. You never know when a personal recommendation is going to come through, and at the end of the day, this is something that can help you score your dream job.
This is yet another position where you will be able to get a great deal of work simply by looking online. Before you look, identify your search criteria. For instance, are you unwilling to move past a certain point, or are you insistent on a certain salary? This can narrow things down for you. Keep looking and make sure that you post a resume online.
When you are looking for a job as a junior buyer, you are going to find a field that is fun, exciting, and highly competitive. Make sure that you are aware of everything this position entails, but if this is something that appeals to you, take the chance and jump right in. This might be the job that puts you exactly where you want to be.
