Interview Questions to Hire Purchasing Manager

Purchasing Managers are people who purchase and buy things for a company. It could be purchasing of merchandise and raw materials to create products or a person who purchases facilities, consumables, and workwear for a company. It is important to find a purchasing manager who has experience in your industry. 

For example, a purchasing manager in metal recycling will have different knowledge than one in fashion. You should look for candidates who have a high school diploma or above and demonstrate experience as a purchasing agent in the field your company operates. Purchasing manager candidates should have strong communication and negotiation skills, strong attention to detail, and the ability to gather and analyze data, as well as manage and supervise other staff members.

Skill-based questions

It is good practice to ask various types of questions, including skill-based, role-specific, behavioral, and situational questions, to identify strong candidates.

• What types of materials have you purchased in your previous roles?
• Why is negotiation in purchasing important?
• What systems have you used to manage to purchase?
• How do you build relationships with suppliers?
• What types of personnel have you managed in your previous roles?
• Have you ever implemented purchasing processes?

Situational & Behavioural questions

• You have a supplier of raw materials that have raised their prices significantly. What do you do?
• If a supplier is consistently late in delivering your stock, what impact might this have on the business?
• You are asked to produce reports on the purchasing process. How do you gather this data?
• You are asked to find new suppliers for all the raw materials the company needs. How do you start this process, and what is important?
• Tell me about a time you have worked to tight deadlines.

General Questions

• What are some things you would like to achieve in your work career within the next five years?
• What have you done in your career so far to learn and develop yourself professionally?
• Why did you decide to enter the purchasing industry?
• What are the top three skills you have that you think you can transfer to this role?
• Why have you applied for this role? How do you think you will benefit from working in the role?

Conclusion

The questions above will help you to identify quality candidates who are going through your recruitment process. Remember to look for candidates who demonstrate strong communication and negotiation skills, a keen eye for detail, and analytical abilities, along with the confidence to manage and supervise other team members when required.