A purchasing assistant is a person who works in a company’s or retail establishment’s purchasing department. Although most people in this position work on the administrative and data entry side of things, they may assist senior purchasers or buyers in making decisions about what purchases to make. Some will also act as a liaison between the purchasing department and the manufacturers or businesses from which the items are procured. Anyone interested in working as a purchasing assistant should have a keen eye for detail and the ability to comprehend complex reports, purchase orders, and invoices.
To work as a purchasing assistant, there aren’t many specific educational requirements. Most people will have a high school diploma and possibly an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in business or accounting, though most employers do not require this and will provide on-the-job training. People who want to be a buyer or purchaser eventually start as purchasing assistants and work their way up after a few months or years, depending on the size of the company.
Administrative work and data entry are frequently the most time-consuming aspects of a purchasing assistant’s job. When the senior buyer decides what to buy for the company and when to buy it, this information is passed on to the purchasing assistant, who is in charge of drawing up the purchase order and possibly even placing it. As a result, exceptional attention to detail is required to avoid costly mistakes. The assistant may be in charge of preparing detailed purchasing reports and ensuring that invoices are prepared and distributed on a weekly or monthly basis.
A purchasing assistant must also be able to provide excellent customer service, as he or she may be the one who is contacted by outside manufacturers or contractors. Though his or her superiors will most likely be the ones to draft contracts, the assistant may be the one to send them out and ensure that they are properly completed and signed, so building positive relationships with manufacturers or contractors is critical. A purchasing assistant may also be required to provide generalized office support, such as answering phones, filing, and operating various pieces of office technology, such as fax machines, in addition to these regular tasks.