Purchasing Agent

Enjoying the job is one aspect not everyone finds easy. A real expert always loves the job yet would still have their likes and dislikes about procurement. Also, do not forget to ask questions which could ensure their integrity of dealings most importantly.

This question covers the kind of commodities the procurement expert prefers and what level of understanding he possesses on past trends which can be applied to the here and now. A good expert always has a strategy or action plan in place to minimize risk on cost and zero shortage concerning the plan.

☛ What steps do you take to make a decision?

☛ What is the most difficult decision that you’ve made at work? How did you make your decision?

☛ Have you ever made a decision at work that you regretted? Why?

There are logic & Principle for goods and services procurement applied by most firms, and you would want to know how they work to arrive at the best deals.

☛ Have you had a conflict with a boss? How was it resolved?

☛ How do you handle conflict among your team?

☛ How do you communicate with people who dislike you?

☛ How do you maintain relationships with your co-workers?

☛ Can you tell me about a problem you solved in a unique way?

☛ How do you handle resistance to your ideas?

☛ Has there ever been a project where your normal processes didn’t work? What did you do instead?

☛ How do you perform market analysis? What tools do you use?

☛ What would make you search for a new supplier?

☛ What kind of supplier or third party management software have you experience working with?

☛ How do you ensure on time delivery of orders?

☛ If a supplier informs you that there will be a delay in their shipping, how would you deal with it?

☛ If a department wants to order equipment that’s beyond budget, what would you do?

☛ How do you evaluate product quality? If you receive a defective product, how do you handle it?

☛ How do you prefer to communicate with co-workers?

☛ Was there ever a time when your communication failed? Why did it fail?

☛ Have you ever given a speech or presentation for your job? How did you prepare? How did it go? Is there anything you would do differently?

☛ Describe a time when a buyer was under-performing. What did you do?

☛ How do you resolve disagreements with suppliers? Give some examples.

☛ Describe a situation where you achieved a discount.

☛ Have you ever had to cancel a vendor contract? What happened?

☛ How do you grow your network of industry professionals, like suppliers?

☛ What experience do you have?

☛ How have your previous jobs prepared you for this job?

☛ Tell me about your management experience.

☛ How does your previous education improve your job skills?

☛ What is your greatest weakness?

☛ What are you looking for from this position?

☛ What are your professional goals?

☛ What do you know about the company?

☛ Why do you want to work here?

☛ Why should we hire you?

☛ Tell me about a time when you were leading a difficult group. How did you manage them?

☛ What is the most difficult part of being a manager?

☛ What is your greatest achievement as a manager?

☛ How do you motivate your team?

☛ Describe your management style.

☛ How do you choose goals to set for your team? How do you keep the team on track to meet those goals?

☛ When you schedule out your tasks, how do you decide what to do first?

☛ Can you tell me about a time when you were behind on a project? What did you do?

☛ How do you manage multiple projects at the same time?

In this Procurement Interview Question, we want to know how much you estimate your understanding of what supply chain risk management is for you. There are plenty of useful research and materials available. I have written couple of blogs on this which you might find useful.

☛ Can you explain the purchasing process step-by-step?

☛ When choosing suppliers, what are the most crucial criteria to consider?

☛ What is a Qualified Products List (QPL)?

☛ Which are the key procurement metrics?

☛ How do you keep records of supplies?

☛ What is risk management?

☛ Are you familiar with warehouse safety regulations?

There is a variety of problems currently facing the procurement division. The mark of excellence here is how well thought out the response is. You can maintain going deeper and more profound until you get satisfied. In this question, the interviewer wants to know how broad your experience is in solving procurement problems. Make sure you think hard and find the best problem you (not your team members) have solved, what was the scenario, what approach you have taken and what was the outcome

This job requires me to provide logistical support to the project as needed, including vehicle management, coordinating work permits for expatriate staff, inventory reporting and control which I was perfect at in my previous job. With my dream to be an all rounded procurement professional managing disposal of property and equipment in accordance with EGPAF and USG regulations will gear me towards that.

I would prefer choosing an activity or item and plan for a negotiation strategy, then negotiate with it. In my opinion, a practical approach should be evaluated by using an existing practical issue from the Procurement domain. This will quickly show you their attitude and mindset.