How to hire an assistant buyer

How to hire an assistant buyer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step assistant buyer hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an assistant buyer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new assistant buyer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an assistant buyer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The assistant buyer hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   An assistant buyer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, assistant buyers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list presents assistant buyer salaries for various positions.

   Type of Assistant Buyer	Description	Hourly rate
   Assistant Buyer	Buyers and purchasing agents buy products and services for organizations to use or resell. They evaluate suppliers, negotiate contracts, and review the quality of products.	$17-32
   Purchasing Agent	A purchasing agent's general task is keeping purchase records and making sure that there won't be any discrepancies with the handling of orders. The purchasing agent should be responsible for the order processing and payment collection... Show more	$17-34
   Grain Elevator Worker	A Grain Elevator Worker is responsible for operating grain elevators, ensuring everything runs smoothly and efficiently. They also perform tasks, such as preparing and processing grain, loading and unloading vehicles, measuring vehicles' weight according to protocols, maintaining records of all procedures, and performing regular maintenance checks on vehicles and equipment... Show more	$11-19

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Purchase Orders
   • Vendor Relations
   • Customer Service
   • Math
   • Apparel
   • Open-To-Buy
   • Product Knowledge
   • Gross Margin
   • Product Selection
   • Market Trends
   • POS
   • Product Assortment
   • Product Development
   • Market Research

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage open-to-buy to ensure continual flow of merchandise to stores and warehouses with careful attention to advertise events and promotions.
   • Inspect, grade and appraise agricultural commodities, durable goods, and merchandise for sale.
   • Train employees on POS system to keep accurate sales, inventory levels, and employee hours.
   • Collaborate with DMM and GMM to complete accurate financial strategy to be sign off by CEO.
   • Partner with advertising to execute POS and brand driven events through mailers, email blasts and marketing.
   • Analyze product trends and historical data at classification level; review IMU, AUR and penetration variances.

   More assistant buyer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your assistant buyer job description helps attract top candidates to the position. An assistant buyer salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for an assistant buyer in Texas may be lower than in New Jersey, and an entry-level assistant buyer usually earns less than a senior-level assistant buyer. Additionally, an assistant buyer with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average assistant buyer salary

   $49,586yearly

   $23.84 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level assistant buyer salary

   $36,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 25, 2025

   Average assistant buyer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$58,376	$28
   2	New Jersey	$58,231	$28
   3	Pennsylvania	$57,451	$28
   4	Virginia	$55,861	$27
   5	Ohio	$55,752	$27
   6	District of Columbia	$54,907	$26
   7	Massachusetts	$51,072	$25
   8	Missouri	$51,019	$25
   9	Connecticut	$50,519	$24
   10	Washington	$50,053	$24
   11	Indiana	$49,846	$24
   12	California	$49,229	$24
   13	North Carolina	$48,806	$23
   14	Tennessee	$48,229	$23
   15	Alabama	$45,716	$22
   16	Georgia	$45,315	$22
   17	Colorado	$45,311	$22
   18	Nevada	$42,314	$20
   19	Illinois	$41,776	$20
   20	Oregon	$41,630	$20

   Average assistant buyer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Fashion Nova	$84,037	$40.40	16
   2	VF	$76,211	$36.64	2
   3	Gap Inc.	$69,207	$33.27
   4	Williams Sonoma	$65,441	$31.46	16
   5	Crocs	$59,102	$28.41	2
   6	Zumiez	$58,967	$28.35	2
   7	Tory Burch	$58,192	$27.98
   8	Forever 21	$57,771	$27.77
   9	Opening Ceremony	$52,639	$25.31
   10	PVH	$52,188	$25.09	3
   11	PCH International	$49,260	$23.68
   12	Eaton	$48,797	$23.46
   13	Presrite	$48,474	$23.30
   14	Saks Fifth Avenue	$48,064	$23.11	3
   15	Sysco	$47,925	$23.04	9
   16	NEX	$47,575	$22.87
   17	Vericel Corp	$46,302	$22.26	1
   18	Dollar General	$46,295	$22.26	3
   19	Cost Plus World Market	$45,935	$22.08
   20	Tillys	$45,325	$21.79

4. Writing an assistant buyer job description

   An assistant buyer job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of an assistant buyer job description:

   Assistant buyer job description example

   Forever 21 is a fashion industry leader making the latest trends accessible to all while inspiring unique style and confidence. With a renewed focus on the customer experience, the brand offers high style designs and fashion basics with compelling values and a dynamic store environment. While driving innovation across e-commerce and digital to expand access and convenience, the brand continues to strengthen its positioning as today's preferred destination for the fashionable consumer. Forever 21 is located in more than 540 locations globally and online, and we're seeking passionate and creative people to join our Forever family.
   
   The Assistant Buyer, Sleep & Swim will support the Buyer, Sr. Buyer or Buying Manager to ensure that inventory receipt goals are met. The Assistant Buyer will maintain the flow of production by coordinating constantly with external vendors and cross functional departments, making sure that production deadlines are met and samples are up to standard.
   Responsibilities
   
   * Coordinate with Buyers, Planners, Logistics, Accounting, Quality control, Receiving departments, and vendors to ensure production requirements are followed
   * Communicate with vendors any revisions or changes to products expressed by the Buyers
   * Assists with the preparation process for the negotiation of product pricing with vendors and management
   * Maintain the Time and Action calendar to track the status of each garment
   * Communicate any changes to existing orders to the Purchase Order department
   * Work to consistently obtain Pre-Production and Top of Production samples on time
   * Maintain a library of best-selling styles, materials, and colors
   * Manage the data and files for production matters
   * Organize selling, pull reports for Buyers and ensure that all Purchase Order deliveries are made to the appropriate department
   
   Qualifications
   
   * BFA in Fashion Merchandising, Fashion Marketing or some other related field
   * Must have at least 1 year of exposure in a specialty retail environment including internships; 1 year of buying experience preferred
   * Must possess basic knowledge of production, product development, specifically in the fashion retail industry
   * Knowledge of Web PDM preferred
   * Must have exceptional organizational skills
   * Must be proactive, detail oriented, and possess the ability to meet tight deadlines
   * Must have excellent communication skills (verbal and written)
   * Must possess basic Microsoft Word and Excel skills

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find assistant buyers for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your assistant buyer job on Zippia to find and recruit assistant buyer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit assistant buyers, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new assistant buyer

   Once you've selected the best assistant buyer candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new assistant buyer. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire an assistant buyer?