Assistant Buyer Resume Examples

Assistant buyers work in purchasing departments to help more senior buyers buy the raw materials and products their employers then resell to customers. They also work closely with vendors and keep track of current market trends. These roles are vital to any business that doesn’t directly produce the goods they sell or the material to make them.

For instance, in 2019, the manufacturing sector employed 26% of all buyers and purchasing agents in the United States. If you’re looking to make a mark in this position yourself, our assistant buyer resume example can demonstrate how to write an impactful resume to grab the interest of recruiters.

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Assistant Buyer Resume Example Managerial Combination A Customize This Resume

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What is a Assistant Buyer?

An assistant buyer helps other buyers source, evaluate and purchase products and services used or sold by their organization. This is typically an entry-level job in manufacturing, wholesale or retail sectors, but few of these employers hire candidates with only a high school diploma. Many expect a minimum qualification of a bachelor’s degree in finance, business or supply management.

In addition to accruing work experience, you can bolster your qualifications becoming a Certified Purchasing Professional (CPP) or Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP). Experience as a sales associate or in another related position can also prove to be useful when aiming to be hired as an assistant buyer.

What Makes This a Great
Assistant Buyer Resume Example?

LiveCareer’s team of certified resume writers know what recruiters seek in candidates. They build every example to demonstrate how to write a resume according to the specific expectations of each industry or position. Here are some of the benefits to using our resume examples as writing guides:

  • Pre-written, professional-level content: Recruiters use applicant tracking software (ATS) to scan resumes for exact job-specific keywords. Our assistant buyer resume example includes relevant keywords like “market analysis,” “claim preparation” and “inventory database” to show you how to get noticed by recruiters. For extra help, you can use our Resume Builder’s pre-written content too.
  • Using the right resume format: The above resume uses a combination resume format to equally emphasize the skills and work history of this moderately experienced candidate. This kind of skills-based format, along with the functional format, is best for applicants who may be changing industries or have little experience.
  • Finding your resume template: It’s wisest to pick a resume template that closely reflects the branding, company culture or overall tone of the organization you want to be hired by. Be sure to pick the option from our builder’s wide variety of templates that best suits your prospective employer.

3 Assistant Buyer Professional Summary Examples

Follow our assistant buyer resume example’s lead to write an impactful professional summary of your skills and accomplishments. Both our expert-crafted examples and easy-to-use Resume Builder offer easily customizable pre-written text that makes the task simple.

Below are a few more summaries our experts might recommend:

  1. Process-oriented assistant buyer with over three years of experience in inventory management and vendor relations. Key strengths include market analysis, product sourcing and price negotiation. Have contributed to building strong partnerships and ensuring cost efficiency, leading to a $10 million sales volume increase over two years.
  2. Dedicated and assistant buyer well-versed in the e-commerce industry. Proficient in using data analysis to isolate sales and market trends, evaluating products, negotiating with buyers and assisting buyers with inventory management. Managed relationships with 50 vendors in the electronic appliances sector, supervised $100,000 worth of inventory. Initiated marketing strategies that increased website visits by 29%.
  3. Dynamic and professional assistant buyer for a major retail chain. Actively involved in sourcing apparel and skincare products for 20 stores, reviewing orders, coordinating with vendors and team members and ensuring timely delivery of products. Proactively researched sustainable skincare products to onboard eight new and specialized vendors.

3 Assistant Buyer Work Experience Examples

It’s critical to add quantified achievements to your work experience section’s list of your past responsibilities. Learn from our examples how to communicate what you can contribute in this way, or customize our Resume Builder’s pre-written content for extra assistance in selling your skills.

Here are examples from work experience sections our builder could generate:

  1. Negotiated pricing and procured inventory from 100 vendor partners.
  2. Identified slow sellers and developed termination plans accordingly; reduced inventory costs by 20%.
  3. Managed inventory categorization and pricing for 150 store locations.

Top Skills for Your Assistant Buyer Resume

Your skills section gives recruiters a clear idea of your abilities. Our assistant buyer resume example uses industry-relevant keywords that recruiters look for in applicants, and our Resume Builder offers additional recommendations for these sought-after skills.

Here’s a list of hard and soft skills our builder might suggest for an assistant buyer’s resume:

Hard Skills

  • Purchasing and inventory management skills  
  • Open-to-buy (OTB) and stock keeping unit (SKU) familiarity
  • Vendor and supplier negotiation
  • Retail marketing and business strategy

Soft Skills

  • Analytical skills
  • Communication skills
  • Ability to perform under pressure
  • Relationship management

Building Your Assistant Buyer Resume with Our Builder:

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Assistant Buyer FAQs

What are an assistant buyer’s duties?

An assistant buyer’s primary role is to help buyers with sourcing, evaluating, selecting and purchasing the materials or products their organization will eventually sell to customers. The job requires researching market trends and new suppliers, negotiating prices, establishing strong partnerships with vendors, placing purchase orders, tracking inventory, and ensuring timely delivery of purchases. An assistant buyer also needs to forecast purchase trends, and prepare reports on product or service performance.

What can I expect in my role as an assistant buyer?

You will likely work 40 hours per week, with extra hours possibly added during peak business times. You will typically work in an office, though you may be required to travel in scenarios when you’re the first point of contact with vendors or suppliers. You can also expect to work in a high-pressure environment because, again, you may be the first point of vendor contact when a product is needed urgently or if there is a shortage of products.

What is the career path of an assistant buyer?

Assistant buyers can work in various industries that would expose them to different purchasing teams and processes. After gaining some work experience, you can also become certified as a Certified Professional Public Buyer (CPPB) or Certified Public Purchasing Officer (CPPO) tol add more weight to your resume. An assistant buyer can move up the ladder to become a buyer, a senior buyer, a purchasing manager or, eventually, a Chief Procurement Officer (CPO).