Careers / Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products
Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
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Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
Not published
Employment
Not published
Typical education
Bachelor's Degree
Job Zone 4
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
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.
- O*NET code
- 13-1023.00
- Job zone
- 4
- Experience required
- Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years
Typical tasks
- Monitor and follow applicable laws and regulations.
- Purchase the highest quality merchandise at the lowest possible price and in correct amounts.
- Formulate policies and procedures for bid proposals and procurement of goods and services.
- Prepare purchase orders, solicit bid proposals, and review requisitions for goods and services.
- Write and review product specifications, maintaining a working technical knowledge of the goods or services to be purchased.
- Analyze price proposals, financial reports, and other data and information to determine reasonable prices.
- Hire, train, or supervise purchasing clerks, buyers, and expediters.
- Research and evaluate suppliers, based on price, quality, selection, service, support, availability, reliability, production and distribution capabilities, and the supplier's reputation and history.
Choose a location
No location in the current BLS dataset matches that filter for this occupation.
Salary analysis — United States
Salary data is not available for this occupation/location in the current BLS dataset.
Most important skills
- Negotiation4.3
- Reading Comprehension4.1
- Speaking4.0
- Complex Problem Solving4.0
- Writing4.0
- Active Listening4.0
- Judgment and Decision Making3.9
- Critical Thinking3.9
- Active Learning3.9
- Persuasion3.8
- Monitoring3.8
- Management of Financial Resources3.8
What skills do you need?
Select the skills you already have
Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.
Skill coverage
0%
0 of 22 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
22
Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.
Skills to develop
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Negotiation | 4.3 | 4.1 | Not selected | 4.1 |
| Reading Comprehension | 4.1 | 4.1 | Not selected | 4.1 |
| Speaking | 4.0 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 4.0 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Writing | 4.0 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Active Listening | 4.0 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.9 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.9 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Active Learning | 3.9 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Persuasion | 3.8 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Monitoring | 3.8 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Management of Financial Resources | 3.8 | 3.6 | Not selected | 3.6 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.3 | 3.6 | Not selected | 3.6 |
| Management of Material Resources | 3.3 | 3.5 | Not selected | 3.5 |
| Time Management | 3.3 | 3.5 | Not selected | 3.5 |
| Instructing | 3.3 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Service Orientation | 3.1 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Systems Evaluation | 3.0 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Mathematics | 3.0 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Learning Strategies | 3.0 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Coordination | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
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Compare with Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm ProductsCareer transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer and skills data: O*NET 31.0.
Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.