Career switch, measured
From Purchasing Agent to Buyer
Yes, it's a close move. Measured across current postings, the two roles have 83% skill overlap. Skills that carry over include Procurement, Contract negotiation, Excel, Supply chain; the main skills to add are Inventory management, Manufacturing, ERP systems, Forecasting.
83%
skill overlap
373
open Buyer postings read
Skills that carry over
Share of each role’s postings that ask for the skill.
SkillPurchasing AgentBuyer
- Procurement85%77%
- Contract negotiation52%65%
- Excel34%45%
- Supply chain25%54%
- Vendor management11%34%
- Project management17%19%
- Contract management26%9%
- Microsoft Office27%20%
Skills to add
Asked for often in Buyer postings, rarely in Purchasing Agent ones.
SkillPurchasing AgentBuyer
- Inventory management16%40%
- Manufacturing15%36%
- ERP systems10%28%
- Forecasting7%16%
- Demand planning–14%
- SAP7%14%
- Merchandising–11%
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Plan your move to Buyer
The Career Gap Analyzer compares your own resume with Buyer jobs and lays out the skills to close, free.