Career in Purchasing

[MilanoRedTeg]

I'm just looking for some opinions from people who have been in the business world longer then me. I'm just finishing up a degree in international business from mount royal and i've been with a small-medium oil and gas company as a purchasing intern for my directed field studies. I will have completed all 4 years, including 8 months of work experience in this purchasing position. My point is that i'm wondering if purchasing is a good career path to take or are there others where I could be more successful perhaps salary wise.

Thanks

[~Leah~]

I would imagine O&G makes a lot more than retail, but some of the Buyers in my company make $100K+/year with bonuses and many many more perks.

[MilanoRedTeg]

yeah i'm already seeing some perks which is nice, I just always had this impression that buyers made less money. Thanks for your input :thumbsup:

[eur0]

Hampstor does it, I am sure he will find his way to this post.

[hampstor]

Originally posted by eur0
Hampstor does it, I am sure he will find his way to this post.

omg wtf - all lies and slander. :)

I work on the retail side - but i'm more of a product manager then purchaser. I find purchasing is more order fulfillment while managing a product line involves not only ordering stock, but negotiating price, setting up warranty agreements, stock rotation schedules, marketing funds etc. It's very rewarding introducing a new product line and growing it.

[locust]

there's alot of money to be made as a purchaser.
most oil and gas i think will easily give you over 6 digits after a few years experience.

[lewdvig]

Forzani Group and Westfair might be cool too. I was offered the Camera Department purchaser job at Westfair a few years ago and I have always regretted not taking it. The pay was low, but it would have been fun.

[MilanoRedTeg]

Originally posted by locust
there's alot of money to be made as a purchaser.
most oil and gas i think will easily give you over 6 digits after a few years experience.

That's what I'm hoping for, but it might be a little longer then a few years to hit 6 digits, maybe 8- 10 years?


Originally posted by hampstor


omg wtf - all lies and slander. :)

I work on the retail side - but i'm more of a product manager then purchaser. I find purchasing is more order fulfillment while managing a product line involves not only ordering stock, but negotiating price, setting up warranty agreements, stock rotation schedules, marketing funds etc. It's very rewarding introducing a new product line and growing it.

I am manging some stock already for certain projects, and do some material tracking. I also deal alot with contractor agreements and accepting bids to award certain jobs to suppliers. I think that since i'm still technicially a student It will be a little more rewarding down the road like you said. Thanks.

[Trini]

As I am considering this field.
What educational background is recommended for one who is entering it.
And I guess it would be safe to assume the job situation is gloomy at this point in time.

[phillywu]

related to Trini's question,

how does one get into purchasing in the O&G? I rarely see any jobs regarding purchasing on the career sites and the haskayne job site and it's rarely talked about around school, at least not that I hear of.

[Ichigo]

Originally posted by phillywu
related to Trini's question,

how does one get into purchasing in the O&G? I rarely see any jobs regarding purchasing on the career sites and the haskayne job site and it's rarely talked about around school, at least not that I hear of.


Most people start off as an expediter.

[FiveFreshFish]

Purchasers have a lot of power. ;)

[KO22]

if someone wants to hit up my pm with some educational input (what classes needed to be in this field, and what kind of marks) i was actually going to call couple uni's tomorrow about this but i saw this thread! thanks!

[Ichigo]

Originally posted by KO22
if someone wants to hit up my pm with some educational input (what classes needed to be in this field, and what kind of marks) i was actually going to call couple uni's tomorrow about this but i saw this thread! thanks!

Ditto for me too, I've been a purchaser for a few years and I would like to have some type of certification to go with my experience.

[idriveabox]

http://www.pmac.ca/education/cpp_accreditation.asp

Get ready for an exciting day of BS and email! :zzz:

(GF works for a major oil/gas in contract management/buying etc. etc.)

[nykz]

Would any O&G companies, whether it be large corporations, or smaller sized ones be willing to hire individuals who don't necessarily have a degree in O&G/Business?
After some research it seems that some corporations hire individuals who have High School Diploma + minimum of 1-2years experience in the field. How would one without any experience go about acquiring a job related to purchasing. As some companies may or may not give you the opportunity to begin with due to the lack of experience, but I mean, everyone has to start somewhere, right. Any insight is greatly appreciated! Thanks everyone

[JDMMAN]

MilanoRedTeg - If you're planning to get into the realm of SCM, I would suggest also trying to (a) decide what industry you'd like to work in and (b) Get some practical operational experience or technical experience. That will give you a "well rounded" insight into how SCM can facilitate the various different groups.

Having said that, given the above type of experience, if you're a "top performer" amongst your peers as well as "known" in the field of SCM your chances of breaking 6 figures for salary are much higher. Especially when you know your stuff.

I've been in the dedicated SCM function for the last 4.5 years working starting intially in a mid-sized E&P, then moving up to the 3rd largest US E&P and finally now over at one of the largest in the World (think Ferrari's fuel sponsor). Over this time, I was promoted twice in 3.5 years. From a Procurement Specialist to a Senior SCM Rep and now as a Sr. Category Manager (all in the E&P world) Prior to that, I had 1.5 years in a SCM role as a Jr. Buyer, then moved into technical roles in other E&P departments (Drilling & Compeltions, Facilities Construction, Production Operations etc) as an optimization analyst for 2 years.

If you have Materials Management experience, I would suggest you continue building on that path, as its part of the SCM function and is a critical area to have operations optimization as well as potential cost avoidance/savings opportunities. Couple that with the right training in Materials Management and the recognized SCM designation, you'll be well on your way in this field. If you end up leaving your current company, look at getting in to an EPCM. Although pay is crappy, you will learn ALOT which will help you build your background.

If you have any specific questions, feel free to PM me.

[JDMMAN]

Oh for those interested in the field of SCM and would like to get info on the education requirements for the different accredidations feel free to PM me.

I'm a CPP (to be SCMP shortly), CPM (US equivalent to CPP), and currently pursuing my CIPS accredidation (European equivalent to CPP).

Basic requirements for accreditation:
(a) Degree from a post secondary institution
(b) 3 years work experience specifically in SCM
(c) completion of required courses + exam

Note if you have an Operations Management degree or some sort of Management degree (Bcomm), you'll likely be able to have some courses or credited for.

[JaffX]

Bump from the dead.

I'm currently doing the supply management training diploma at SAIT and I plan on completing it next spring.

I am currently looking for jobs in procurement but most of the junior buyer postings I've seen require a couple years of purchasing experience and/or SAP experience.

I am doing a career change and I have no purchasing experience whatsoever and so I was just wondering how does one enter procurement?

[ae92gts]

I'm currently in a entry level purchasing position. I ended up in this position almost by accident. I have post secondary in business with a major in accounting( didn't complete the diploma... almost). After school I realized I really didn't like accounting and got a job just as a plant helper. after a position in purchasing opened up at my company I was approached and was asked if this is something I wanted to get into. I accepted and I'm loving it so far (2 years in).

I don't know if that really answered your question, but there are ways to get into it.

EDIT: I'm actually considering going back to school and taking supply chain courses to hopefully further myself in this career.

[finboy]

Originally posted by JaffX
Bump from the dead.

I'm currently doing the supply management training diploma at SAIT and I plan on completing it next spring.

I am currently looking for jobs in procurement but most of the junior buyer postings I've seen require a couple years of purchasing experience and/or SAP experience.

I am doing a career change and I have no purchasing experience whatsoever and so I was just wondering how does one enter procurement?

The same way you get a job anywhere really, network, network, network. Right now I would highly recommend looking outside oil and gas, most procurement teams are getting cut.

Another (not great) option is to work for an epc (engineering, procurement, construction) department as a junior buyer/expeditor, not a great job but it will get you experience.

[nicknolte]

Originally posted by finboy
Right now I would highly recommend looking outside oil and gas, most procurement teams are getting cut.


Ditto



Purchasing is usually one of the first departments to go in any downturn. Easy to cut, but easy to re-hire for once times are good again.

Unless you're very well connected, out of province is probably your best bet right now if you're looking for work as a junior or intermediate purchaser.

[ae92gts]

Originally posted by nicknolte


Ditto



Purchasing is usually one of the first departments to go in any downturn. Easy to cut, but easy to re-hire for once times are good again.

Unless you're very well connected, out of province is probably your best bet right now if you're looking for work as a junior or intermediate purchaser.


I agree completely. My company went through layoffs (and will go through more at the end of this month) and they needed to cut a couple purchasing positions. Luckily for me, one of our guys had a complete melt down and quit and the other just didn't perform well in his postion. Which worked out great for me lol (knocking on wood).

[JaffX]

Thanks for the info guys.

Since I'm switching from a science background to a business background, I don't really have many contacts especially in procurement. Are there any procurement networking events or something like that?

[finboy]

Pmac (purchasing management association of cananda?) does networking dinners for about $30-50, though chances are right now you will be mostly meeting people looking for work at those events.