Purchasing Agents
On the Job
Purchasing Agents purchase machinery, equipment, tools, parts, supplies, or services that are needed for an operation or establishment. They also buy raw materials for manufacturing.
Typical Work Tasks
People who work in this career often:
- Obtain information about goods or services.
- Confer with personnel to coordinate business operations.
- Analyze business or financial data.
- Analyze market conditions or trends.
- Develop business relationships.
- Estimate demand for products or services.
- Evaluate applicable laws and regulations to determine impact on organizational activities.
- Negotiate contracts with clients or service providers.
- Maintain data in information systems or databases.
- Develop technical specifications for systems or equipment.
Typical Working Conditions
- Having telephone conversations.
- Using e-mail.
- Working with a group or team.
- The importance of being accurate or exact.
- Making decisions that impact co-workers or company results.
- Freedom to make decisions without supervision.
- Meeting strict deadlines.
- Sitting.
- Working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions.
This page includes information from the O*NET 24.2 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Source: You can learn about our data sources in the About Us section.
