Purchasing Manager Resume Examples & Tips
- 30% higher chance of getting a job‡
- 42% higher response rate from recruiters‡
Our customers have been hired at:*Foot Note
Dealing with the business side of supply and procurement, purchasing managers manage orders, evaluate pricing quotes, manage warehouses and stockrooms, supervise payments, and maintain quality of goods and services. For this job you should exercise good judgment and decision making, be flexible, detail-oriented and persistent, and display excellent abilities at relationship-building and negotiation.
Put together a resume that sells your qualifications effectively for a purchasing manager position, using our resume examples and tips.
Get inspiration from 800+ resume samples and explore our 40+ resume templates to find the best one for you.
Purchasing manager example (text version)
Name: RON JEROME
Address: City, State, Zip Code
Phone: 000-000-0000
E-Mail: email@email.com
PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY
Results-driven Purchasing Manager with years of industry experience. Proven
track record of increasing profitability through close management of budgets
and vendor relationships. Capable problem solver with great interpersonal skills.
WORK HISTORY
JUNE 2017-CURRENT
Purchase Manager
Grande Communications Networks
Company Name, City, State
- Managed store inventory by leading product counts, executing price
changes and resolving any receiving and transferring issues. - Decreased material expenses by 25% by managing tracking and supply.
- Conducted re-negotiations with vendors on rejections, disposition and
adjustment of purchased materials not meeting specifications.
MARCH 2013-MARCH 2016
Buyer
Discount Dealers
Company Name, City, State
- Assessed inventory needs prior to openings of new storefronts; provided
forecasts and initial purchase orders to vendors. - Tracked orders, reconciled invoices via AP, negotiated costs with vendors
while developing yearly and monthly budgets. - Performed daily review of business partner initiatives, updated budget and
forecasts accordingly.
JULY 2008-JULY 2012
Purchasing Agent
Yieldex
Company Name, City, State
- Serve as primary point of contact for purchasing inquiries and vendor related requests.
- Collaborate with Purchasing Manager and procurement team to guarantee
cost-effective purchasing of warehouse equipment, supplies for retail storefronts and more. - Tracked inventory shipments and prepared spreadsheets detailing item
information.
SKILLS
- Procurement
- Vendor relations
- Budgeting
- Documentation
- Inventory management software
- Contract negotiation
- Problem resolution
- Communication
EDUCATION
BBA: Merchandising And Buying Operations,City, State
See why MyPerfectResume is a 5-star resume builder
Pair your resume with a matching cover letter
Purchasing Manager Resume FAQ
1.What are some top keywords you should consider for a purchasing manager resume?
- Budget development
- Competitive analysis
- Contract negotiation
- Cost optimization
- Customer relations
- Distribution management
- Inventory control and planning
- Market analysis
- Material management
- Price negotiations
- Procurement strategies
- Quality management
- Supplier consolidation
- Supply chain analysis
- Vendor management
- Warehouse operations
- Vendor quality certification
- Acquisition management
- Value analysis
- Business contract law
2. What format should you use for your resume?
As this role requires a substantial amount of work experience, the chronological resume format is the best choice for your resume, as it spotlights your work history, while also leaving some room to list key skills. A combination resume format is also a solid option, as it features a more balanced mix of relevant skills and work experience. If you’re just starting out in this field or lack professional experience, go with a functional resume format, which zeros-in on your job-ready skills and training.
For more information on how to format your resume, visit our resume format page.
3. What are some top skills you should include in your resume?
Following is a list of skills that you can include in the resume of a buyer:
- Analytical skills
- Knowledge of future trends
- Excellent commercial awareness
- Planning skills
- Leadership skills
- Ability to work under pressure
- Strategic planning
- Critical thinking
- Resilient
- Attention to detail
- Communication skills
- Ability to make decisions under pressure
- Negotiation skills
- Commercial and financial awareness
- Team Player
- Procurement
- Management
- Inventory management
- Organizational skills
- Supply chain management knowledge
- Administrative skills
- Report making
- Computer applications
- Arithmetic skills
4. What are some relevant certifications for a purchasing manager position?
Give your resume an extra boost by featuring your training in these related areas:
- Certified Purchasing Professional (CPP)
- Certified Public Purchasing Officer (CPPO)
- Certified Professional Purchasing Manager (CPPM)
- Certified Green Purchasing Professional (CGPP)
- Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP)
- Certified Professional in Distribution and Warehouse Management (CPDW)
- Certified Professional Purchasing Consultant (CPPC)
5. What should you avoid adding to the resume?
- Any prior work experience or career details that don’t apply to the position.
- Details on mundane day-to-day-tasks (e.g., organizing meetings) — focus on notable accomplishments and responsibilities instead.
A list of references: Employers will ask you to submit this separately, so don’t clog your resume up with it.
Do’s and Don’ts for Your Resume
- DO use action verbs to describe your achievements. Instead of using wishy-washy phrases like “Was tasked with” or “Responsible for,” use action verbs that make you look confident and proactive, such as delegated, executed, negotiated, strategized, managed, organized and planned. For example: “Identified opportunities for improving service delivery methods” or “Improved purchasing, contracts, and warehouse operations.”
- DO keep your resume an appropriate length. Recruiters usually only take a few seconds to read a resume, so don’t risk losing their interest with an overlong document. Feature only the most important, most relevant skills and career details that fit the requirements of the job you want. Limit your work history section to the last 10 years of jobs. Aim for a length of two pages, at most.
- DO feature the right keywords. Employers will be looking for the right keywords in your resume — and so will applicant tracking systems (ATS) hiring managers use to scan resumes. Always look through the job description for the job you want, pick out prime requirements and tasks that match your own skills and experiences (e.g., “market analysis,” “budget development,” or “knowledge of electronic bidding systems”), and feature them in your summary, skills and work history sections. For example, you could mention a responsibility from a previous job where you used electronic bidding systems, or list “market analysis” as a skill. Our article How to Use Keywords Effectively provides more pointers.
- DON’T forget to proofread your resume. Purchasing managers are required to be accurate and detail-oriented, so apply those traits to your resume. Reread a few times before you send it in, and make sure you’ve avoided grammatical and spelling mistakes. This is also your chance to verify your information, and make sure everything is correct. Our Resume Builder can help you in the process, with its built-in tools.
- DON’T get long-winded. Avoid using complete sentences, or getting verbose in your resume. Follow our examples, and use peppy bullet points and phrases to describe your skills and work achievements. For example, “Conducted contracts research, evaluated alternatives, and prepared staff reports” is preferable to “I was responsible for conducting contracts research, as well as evaluating alternatives, and putting together staff reports.”
- DON’T forget to feature soft skills. While purchase manager work does involve professional skills, it also relies on soft (or intangible) skills that show how you approach the job. Add key soft skills such as leadership, expert communication skills, interpersonal skills, initiative, staff management and conflict resolution to your resume, and give work examples of how you’ve used these skills. For more soft skill suggestions, visit our Top Resume Skills page.
Top 4 Characteristics of a Best-in-Class Purchasing Manager Resume
Summary
Keep your summary statement short, crisp and to the point — think of it as an “elevator pitch” that sums up your top two to three skills and work experiences, meant to grab the recruiter’s attention from the get-go. For example: “Highly driven Purchasing Manager with six years of experience in logistics coordination and vendor relations. Expert at managing inventory and maintaining a high level of retail shelf standards.”
Skills
Feature professional skills such as vendor negotiations, quality assurance, budget and contract creation and management, and procurement reporting. Don’t forget to include soft skills such as expert negotiation abilities, communication skills, conflict management, attention to detail and relationship building.
Work History
Feature jobs from the past 10 years in this section, focusing on three to five duties or accomplishments for each job that are relevant to purchasing management. For example: “Established secondary suppliers for lumber products,” or “Identified and achieved cost saving objectives.”
Education
Feature your highest academic credential (e.g., bachelor’s degree), along with any additional coursework or training you’ve had in important areas such as marketing, supply chain management, logistics, business administration, or contracts management.
CV examples for the next step in your purchasing career
Rate this article
Purchasing Manager Resume Example
Nilda Melissa is a Certified Professional Resume Writer who has written for The Washington Post and Latina Style Magazine. She has a master's in Journalism from Columbia University and is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.
More Articles by Nilda Melissa Diaz, CPRW