Purchase machinery, equipment, tools, parts, supplies, or services necessary for the operation of an establishment. Purchase raw or semifinished materials for manufacturing. May negotiate contracts.

Purchasing Agents

Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

English Language

Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Administration and Management

Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Customer and Personal Service

Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Mathematics

Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

Economics and Accounting

Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

Law and Government

Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

Production and Processing

Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

Administrative

Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Computers and Electronics

Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

Transportation

Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

Education and Training

Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.

Engineering and Technology

Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

Communications and Media

Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.

Personnel and Human Resources

Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

Public Safety and Security

Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

Psychology

Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

Sales and Marketing

Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.

Geography

Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

Design

Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

Telecommunications

Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

Mechanical

Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.

Building and Construction

Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.

Sociology and Anthropology

Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.

Food Production

Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.

Philosophy and Theology

Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.

Therapy and Counseling

Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.

Biology

Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.

Chemistry

Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.

Foreign Language

Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.

History and Archeology

Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.

Medicine and Dentistry

Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.

Physics

Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.

Fine Arts

Contract Administrators

Procurement Specialists

Contract Specialists

Contracts Managers

Proposal Managers

Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.

Reading Comprehension

Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.

Negotiation

Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Speaking

Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

Complex Problem Solving

Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Active Listening

Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.

Persuasion

Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.

Critical Thinking

Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

Active Learning

Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Monitoring

Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Judgment and Decision Making

Determining how money will be spent to get the work done, and accounting for these expenditures.

Management of Financial Resources

Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Writing

Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Social Perceptiveness

Managing one's own time and the time of others.

Time Management

Instructing

Obtaining and seeing to the appropriate use of equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do certain work.

Management of Material Resources

Actively looking for ways to help people.

Service Orientation

Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.

Management of Personnel Resources

Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.

Learning Strategies

Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.

Systems Evaluation

Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.

Coordination

Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.

Systems Analysis

Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.

Operations Analysis

Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.

Quality Control Analysis

Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.

Troubleshooting

Generating or adapting equipment and technology to serve user needs.

Technology Design

Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

Operations Monitoring

Writing computer programs for various purposes.

Programming

Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.

Science

Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.

Equipment Maintenance

Controlling operations of equipment or systems.

Operation and Control

Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or programs to meet specifications.

Installation

Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.

Equipment Selection

Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.

Repairing

purchasing-agent-except-wholesale-retail-and-farm-products

This table shows the percentage of responses to a government survey asking what education level is needed in this career.

There are $current-jobs$ jobs in this career today. It is projected to have $future_jobs$ jobs in 5 years for a growth rate of $growth-rate$.

The growth rate is a national projection of how many job openings will exist in this career in the future as compared to today.

There are 502,881 jobs in this career today. It is projected to have 509,671 jobs in 5 years for a growth rate of +1.35%.

The growth rate is a national projection of how many job openings will exist in this career in the future as compared to today.

Similar Job Titles

Your career insight details provide information on how your math and reading and writing skills (based on your latest PSAT/SAT score) align with the typical requirements for various careers.&nbsp;

This snapshot of your math and verbal skills is only one element of career exploration. It is essential to keep in mind that this information is simply a starting point; these are not definitive career suggestions.

You’ll want to explore your interests, values, and skills as you consider various career options. Career exploration is a continuous process because your interests and opportunities may change in the future.

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Your latest PSAT/SAT scores in math and reading and writing have been compared to the typical requirements for various careers to see if your scores align with this career. These may be promising areas for you to explore.*&nbsp;&nbsp;

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Your self-reported digital PSAT/SAT scores in math and reading and writing have been compared to the typical requirements for various careers to see if your scores align with this career. These may be promising areas for you to explore*.

Career Insights

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Your career insight details provide information on how a snapshot of your math and reading and writing skills aligns with the typical requirements of this career. Remember that this is only one of many elements that you should consider as you explore careers.

Purchasing Agents

Tasks

What tasks do Purchasing Agents perform?

Knowledge

What do Purchasing Agents need to know?

English Language

Administration and Management

Customer and Personal Service

Skills

What skills do Purchasing Agents need?

Reading Comprehension

Negotiation

Speaking

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