Procurement Interview: Questions & Stories

How Will You Ace Your Next Procurement Interview?

When you get an interview for a procurement job, what you say to the hiring manager determines whether you will get the job or not. Therefore, you should prepare to align your dialogue with what you want to accomplish in the interview.

What you want to accomplish includes demonstrating: (a) that you can handle the challenges of the workplace, (b) that you are smart enough for the job, and (c) that you will care about making a positive difference if you are hired. Two of the most effective ways to demonstrate these things are to tell real-life success stories of yours and to ask thoughtful questions.

For your success stories, prepare them in advance and use them in the context of the conversation. For example, if the hiring manager says “Tell me about a time when you succeeded in bringing a difficult negotiation to a positive conclusion,” you can tell a true success story of yours on that topic. The keys are to anticipate what topics will come up and, if and when they do, to have several stories ready in your mind.

Other topics for success stories can include examples of:

  • How you dealt with a supplier who said a critical shipment would be late
  • How you satisfied an irate internal customer
  • How you took initiative to improve your skills

Questions you may want to consider asking the hiring manager include:

  • How would my performance be measured?
  • What skills do you need the successful candidate to have?
  • What are your biggest challenges in the department?
  • By hiring the right person for this position, what results would really make you happy?
  • How do you think that members of the department describe the work environment here?
  • What type of person would fit in best with the culture of the department?

By using success stories and good questions, you can increase your chances of acing your interview and getting a better procurement job!

Recommended Reading:

NLPA Learning: Looking for authoritative procurement templates, tools, webinars, and more? Stop trying to create resources from scratch and start taking advantage of having exactly what you need right at your fingertips in NLPA Learning.

Do You Want a More Rewarding Procurement Career?

Are you tired of not getting enough opportunities, respect, and money out of your procurement career? Well, guess what? Nothing will change unless you take action towards becoming a world-class procurement professional.

Earning your SPSM Certification is the action to take if you want to bring the most modern procurement practices into your organization and achieve your career potential. Download the SPSM Certification Guide today to learn how to get started on your journey to a more rewarding procurement career!

Need Better Performance From Your Procurement Team?

Are you a procurement leader whose team isn’t achieving the results you know are possible? Maybe it’s not enough cost savings. Or frustrating performance from the supply base. Or dissatisfied internal customers.

You need a performance improvement plan that’s easy to implement and quick to produce results. The NLPA can help.

Download our whitepaper “The Procurement Leader’s Guide To A More Successful Team.” You’ll learn the 7 steps for transforming your staff into a results-producing, world-class procurement team.

Are You Getting The Most Out of Your NLPA Membership?

Members of the NLPA get more than just articles like this by email. As a member, you also get access to:

  • The Procurement Training & Certification Starter Kit
  • The latest Purchasing & Supply Management Salaries Report
  • Leading-Edge Supply Management™ magazine
  • Members-only webinars 10x per year
  • And more!

If you haven’t been taking advantage of these benefits, why not log in and start now?

Login
Join