How long does it take to become a Purchasing Agent?

It takes 6 years of professional experience to become a purchasing agent. That is the time it takes to learn specific purchasing agent skills, but does not account for time spent in formal education. If you include the normal education requirements to complete a college degree, then it takes 9 to 11 years years to become a purchasing agent.

What degree do you need to be a purchasing agent?

There is not a degree you need to be a purchasing agent, though most purchasing agents have bachelor's degrees. Nearly 70% of purchasing agents have their bachelor's degrees. The most common areas of study are:

What skills do you need to be a purchasing agent?

The skills you need to be a purchasing agent are analytical and interpersonal, in addition to basic math and digital knowledge. Purchasing, or procurement, agents buy parts and materials their organization needs to function. They must keep up with market and sales trends and identify which purchases are most profitable and sustainable for their organization.

How To Become A Purchasing Agent: What It Is and Career Path

What is a purchasing agent and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Purchasing agents or buyers manage the inventory of companies. They research the best suppliers of the required goods, prepare and process orders, and verify deliveries. They negotiate the prices and assess the quality of the purchased products. Requesting quotes and managing the records of the transactions is also their responsibility.

They work in office environments. typically 40 hours a week, employed primarily by the manufacturing industries, but wholesale and government institutions use their services as well, and of course, retail.

A good purchasing agent is business savvy and organized, detail-oriented, and has the tenacity for thorough research. They usually have education in business administration and often use inventory management software to make their life easier.

ScorePurchasing AgentUS Average

Salary

4.1

Avg. Salary $51,950

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity

4.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.78%

Asian 6.97%

Black or African American 9.32%

Hispanic or Latino 12.72%

Unknown 4.43%

White 65.78%

Gender

female 50.47%

male 49.53%

Age - 49

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 49

Stress level

7.9

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.9

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.1

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a purchasing agent

Explore purchasing agent education requirements

Most common purchasing agent degrees

Bachelor's

56.3 %

Associate

22.3 %

High School Diploma

10.5 %

Start to develop specific purchasing agent skills

Skills	Percentages
Purchase Orders	30.11%
Customer Service	11.65%
Logistics	5.14%
Inventory Control	3.52%
MRP	2.82%

Complete relevant purchasing agent training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New purchasing agents learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a purchasing agent based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real purchasing agent resumes.

Research purchasing agent duties and responsibilities

Reorganize MRO to manage inventory more efficiently.
Utilize MaCola ERP system to process and manage purchase requisitions and purchase orders in coordination with manufacturing forecast.
Process purchase orders from electronically generate RFQ'S.
Develop programs with suppliers to ensure that commodities meet engineering and quality specifications while maintaining on-time delivery.

Prepare your purchasing agent resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your purchasing agent resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a purchasing agent resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable purchasing agent resume templates

Build a professional purchasing agent resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your purchasing agent resume.

Apply for purchasing agent jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a purchasing agent job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do purchasing agents rate their job?

5/5

Based on 1 ratings

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Purchasing agent reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2020

Pros

Have a direct impact of the company bottom targets.

Cons

Works not recognized by upper management!

A zippia user wrote a review on May 2019

Pros

To be involved in negotiations

Cons

I like all in this job, because I have the choise to be in relation with a lot of persons and know what they are doing against purchasing also what the use to buy and under what coondition

A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2019

Pros

Negotiating with suppliers, influencing others, solving problems, making a positive difference to the company's bottom line.

Cons

Constant stress, lack of respect from other departments, lack of resources, poor advancement opportunities.

What is a purchasing agent and how to become one

Purchasing agent career paths

Key steps to become a purchasing agent

Explore purchasing agent education requirements

Most common purchasing agent degrees

Start to develop specific purchasing agent skills

Complete relevant purchasing agent training and internships

Research purchasing agent duties and responsibilities

Prepare your purchasing agent resume

Choose from 10+ customizable purchasing agent resume templates

Apply for purchasing agent jobs

How did you land your first purchasing agent job

Average purchasing agent salary

How do purchasing agents rate their job?

Purchasing agent reviews

Purchasing agent FAQs

How long does it take to become a Purchasing Agent?

What degree do you need to be a purchasing agent?

What skills do you need to be a purchasing agent?

Search for purchasing agent jobs

Purchasing agent jobs by state