Is Your Procurement Resume All Wrong?

PurchTips - Edition # 240 October 4, 2011

By Charles Dominick, SPSM, SPSM2

Are You Guilty Of This Procurement Resume Mistake?

Let me get right to the point: a fatal mistake is making your procurement resume all about you.

If you're thinking, "Isn't my procurement resume *supposed* to be all about me?" my answer is "Absolutely not!" It is supposed to help the reader understand how your work has benefitted your previous employers and how you can benefit your next employer.

Here's an example of a Career Summary on an average procurement resume: "Dedicated procurement professional with 15 years of experience in supplier selection, negotiations, and supplier audits. Exceptional organizational skills and extensive experience with IT purchases." Sounds good, right?

Wrong! This Career Summary is all about the writer instead of the results hiring managers can expect from the writer. Compare that Career Summary to this one...

"Procurement executive with a track record of success seeking to join a new organization and replicate previously achieved results that included generating average annual cost savings of $45 million, improving supplier quality from a defect rate of 3,000 parts per million (ppm) to just 10 ppm, and reducing the supply base by 40% in two years."

See the difference? You should also apply this "it's about the results, not me" approach to job descriptions on your resume. For example, an average procurement resume may list bullet points about a job such as:

• Responsible for analyzing spend.
• Negotiated terms and conditions for contracts.
• Implemented a ten-step strategic sourcing process.

Those bullet points are typical. These are better:

• Analyzed spend and identified profit-boosting opportunities including one where $30 million in spend was redirected from non-contracted suppliers to preferred suppliers, saving $5 million annually.
• Led 43 contract negotiations, collectively reducing annual expenses by $22 million.
• Cut the average sourcing cycle time in half by implementing a ten-step strategic sourcing process.

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