Finding the right career can take some work and the wrong choice has far reaching impact. The best ways to avoid a miserable job and a late life industry change are to understand your proposed field and the requirements of the position you are attempting to undertake long before turning in your resume. Job titles in the business world are often too sterile to lend much insight, such as the one that will be outlined here, a purchasing agent.
What Is A Purchasing Agent?
The purchasing agent job is to represent a company to procure goods or raw materials either for that company to use themselves or for them to then resell. This involves negotiating contracts, monitoring inventory, determining reasonable prices and far more. An international purchasing agent must do all this as well, while also taking into account the issues of international trade such as import and export taxes.
What Do You Need To Become A Purchasing Agent?
It takes a particular set of skills to be able to manage the wide array of purchasing agent responsibilities. While some organizations may only require a high school education, many ask an applicant to have a Bachelor?s degree. Upon hiring a new applicant, there is quite often up to a year of on the job training to prepare a person for the complex issues involved in their daily tasks. For example, an international purchasing agent must be able to navigate air and ocean logistics to get what a company needs, requiring an understanding of cargo companies and international trade laws. There are some certifications that can be acquired as well to give a candidate an edge in the hiring field
Why Become A Purchasing Agent?
With competitive salaries and diverse fields in which a person can work, both a domestic and international purchasing agent have great opportunity for financial success and interesting work. Furthermore, this is not a job that is being automated out of existence. There will be a need for these professionals for the foreseeable future. With such a healthy career outlook and varied and interesting tasks that still allow for a robust paycheck, it is a sound career choice for the business minded.
