What Traits Do the Best Procurement Professionals Have?

As the role of procurement continues to increase in scope and importance across organizations, more people are looking at exactly what makes great procurement professionals. While there was a time when procurement was an afterthought for many organizations, its increased role means organizations are looking for talented individuals who can deliver the results needed to thrive. Because countless organizations simply don’t know what they should look for in a procurement professional, we want to provide some clarity by highlighting the five traits that matter most:

1. Good with People

  A common stereotype about procurement is it all revolves around numbers. Although numbers definitely play an important role in procurement, the professionals in this department interact with other people throughout the organization each and every day. Given that many of those interactions can involve negotiations or other important discussions, a professional has to have strong people skills to thrive in this environment.  

2. Enjoys Metrics

  Not everyone likes dealing with KPIs and other metrics, which is completely fine. But for someone who works in procurement, those types of metrics are going to come up on a daily basis. As a result, top professionals in this field do enjoy metrics. They also know how to use metrics to accurately measure spend and then share the savings benefits with the rest of the organization in a clear way.  

3. Comfortable Negotiating

  As previously mentioned, procurement involves plenty of negotiating. Whether it’s internally or externally, a professional is going to engage in this activity a lot. If someone is hesitate or timid about negotiating, they’re simply not going to thrive in a procurement role. While we do believe that negotiating is a learned skill, anyone hiring for a procurement position needs to be sure that candidates have already gone through the process of really honing their negotiation abilities.  

4. Can Think Outside the Box

  Another common misconception about procurement is it’s all about following guidelines. While standardization definitely has its place, there are going to be plenty of issues that come up which require creative problem solving. Finding someone who’s good on their feet and can come up with interesting solutions is a strong indication that they will thrive in any type of procurement role.  

5. Is Organized and Systematic

  While it’s important that a procurement professional can find solutions to any issues that may pop up, you don’t want someone who’s always scrambling around with everything they do. Instead, an ideal professional is an individual who sees the value in staying organized and taking a systematic approach to work processes as often as possible.   Once your organization finds the right procurement professional, learn about how our purchasing software can help them handle their responsibilities in the most efficient way possible.