Entry Level Purchasing Jobs are for the person who wants to start his / her career in purchasing department of any company. These jobs are for the person who has good communication skills and an analytical mind with well organizational talents. Initially the person needs to maintain all the records of the purchases made by the company. This work is of the inventory department and the person needs to maintain the date, quantity or amount, one or multiple product, rate, seller’s name, whether on cash or credit, etc. There are number of jobs in purchasing field as it is considered to be one of the very important parts of an organization. Proper management of the purchase records is the major responsibility of the entry level purchase employee.
In the entry level purchasing jobs the person has to get familiar with the product the company is purchasing and he/she should know the key points of those products, its component, its strength, its weakness, its usage, its maintenance, its demand, and its supply. With this knowledge the person can communicate to the seniors about movement analysis of goods purchased. Entry level jobs are not restricted to managing the purchasing records. People with experience in this field can make it big as they can opt for buyer purchasing jobs, retail purchasing jobs, purchasing assistants jobs, etc. based on their skills and qualifications.
A person with an analytical detail oriented mind can make his or her career as a purchasing agent or as a purchasing manager. There is a difference between purchasing agent jobs and purchasing manager jobs. The purchasing agent is the one who helps those organizations or businesses to buy a particular product in favor of some commission. The purchasing agent acts as a middleman between the seller and the purchaser. The purchasing agent needs to have the knowledge of prevailing market condition, price range and future market prediction to satisfy and convince the prospective client whereas the purchasing manager handles the purchasing for the company. They always consider the price, strength, quality, availability, reliability, and technical know how when choosing suppliers and merchandise. They try to get the best deal for their company, i.e. the best quality goods and services at the lowest possible cost to their companies.
At an entry level purchasing job qualified persons may start as trainees, purchasing clerks, junior buyers, or assistant buyers. Some retail firms promote qualified employees to assistant buyer positions; others recruit and train college graduates as assistant buyers. Most employers use a combination of methods.
Basic requirements for entry level purchasing jobs vary with each company. Some companies prefer applicants who have a diploma or degree and who are knowledge about the product they buy, while some companies recruit newcomers and train them according to their requirement.
In the UK and USA there are many training institutions which train the students to work in a purchasing career. After the training they can start their career at entry level purchasing jobs as clerk, assistance, inventory keeper in purchase department and end up being purchasing manager of that company in few years or start their own services as purchasing agent.
In purchasing manager jobs one has to work more than the standard 40-hour week because of conferences, production deadlines, and new technology development. Many purchasing managers and purchasing agents have to travel at least several days a month to stay well supplied.
In other words purchasing jobs are challenging jobs and a good purchasing team can contribute greatly to the profitability of company. The basics start with the entry level purchasing job.
