Dear job seeker,

I will keep this page short and to the point. Here’s what I have for you today:

buyer interview guide cover

In the eBook, you will find multiple great answers to each of the following questions:

  • Why do you want to work as a buyer?
  • What are your expectations on the managers, and on other colleagues at work?
  • How do you imagine a typical day in work?
  • What do you consider the most difficult aspect of this job?
  • What is your knowledge of our industry (field of business)?
  • What do you consider your biggest weakness as a buyer?
  • Describe a difficult negotiation you had with the supplier. What was the outcome?
  • What do you consider more important–price, or quality of the product?
  • This job can be very tiring and mentally demanding. How do you (would you) motivate yourself in work?
  • Imagine that you really wanted a product from a certain supplier, but could not offer to pay the price they asked for it. What would you do?
  • Do you think it is worth visiting the suppliers personally, considering the expenses associated with these visits, and the time it takes?
  • Describe your strategies for discovering the best products.
  • Describe your least successful purchasing experience.
  • Imagine that your superior disagrees with your idea of purchasing a product. What would you do?
  • Why should we hire you, and not one of the five other candidates who also apply for this position?
  • … and ten other tough questions you may face in your interview for a job of a buyer (purchasing agent, purchasing manager)

Check the sample to see how this book can help you:

 

Sample from the eBook


Question: What are your expectations on the managers, and on other colleagues at work?

Hint: Best buyers have expectations only on one person—on themselves. And this is true for almost every other job. Say that you try to focus on your role in the company—your tasks, daily schedule, meetings and calls, your interactions with people from within the company.

Another good answer is saying that you expect a clear communication and an honest feedback on your work, so you known what you could, or should do better.

One way or another, you should not talk about excessive expectations on your colleagues.

 

Sample answers

To be honest, I do not have any expectations on them. They certainly know what they should do, and it’s not my business to monitor their performance in work. I want to focus on my job, and I have high expectations on myself. Hopefully I can meet them in work.

I expect an open and honest communication in the workplace. I expect them to give feedback on my work, to tell me how I can improve. They should clearly express their opinion whenever I make a bad purchase, or when I fail to meet their expectations. I expect them to give me a chance to prove my abilities as a buyer. And of course I hope to have good relationship with them, and enjoy the time we spend together in work.

 

Question: What do you consider the most difficult aspect of this job?

Hint: You shouldn’t wear pink glasses in your interview. If you said that there were no difficult aspects to the job, they would not hire you.

When you talk about the difficult things, however, you should elaborate on your answer, ensuring the interviewers that you’d deal with the challenges.

To some difficult aspects of this job belong: Handling the negotiations, meeting the deadlines, maintaining the quality of purchased products, finding suppliers in saturated markets, operating within a tight budget (nowadays a case almost in every business), etc.

Choose one of them, and show the right attitude with your answer. 

 

Sample answers

I have never done this job before, but from what I can imagine, some negotiations with the suppliers must be really difficult. The competition in this industry is enormous, and the margins are razor-thin. It’s a challenge to negotiate a good deal, but I believe in my skills, and hope to handle the talks with the suppliers and get the best possible deals for us.

I would say that meeting the deadlines and ensuring we get all products on time is the toughest aspect of this job. We do not have everything in our hands after all—the delay can occur at a supplier, or even with the transport company. However, I am not afraid of intervening in the process, making calls and going to meetings to ensure that we can rely on our suppliers, and that goods will arrive on time. Though stressful, I count with this aspect of the job, and it definitely does not discourage me from applying…

 

Question: What do you consider more important–price, or quality of the product?

Hint: The right answer to this question is not straightforward. For example, if you worked for a chain of souvenir shops, you’d definitely look for the cheapest purchasing price. Quality does not matter for most city visitors. They just want their souvenir, and in an ideal case they do not want to pay a lot of money for it.

On the other hand, if you worked as a purchasing manager for a stylish top-class restaurant, you’d go for quality. And you would not care much about the price, because price is not a concern of people who dine in luxury restaurants. If the ingredients are expensive, the luxury restaurant will simply raise the price of a particular dish. And the customer will pay the price…

Study the job offer carefully, and think whether price or quality matters more for your employer. And if you are not sure, you can say that you’d always look for the best ratio of price and quality.

 

Sample answers

In my opinion, both are equally important. It makes no sense to purchase cheap goods if we can’t sell them afterwards. What is more, if we receive plenty of warranty claims, our brand reputation will suffer. In such a case we will eventually pay the price. As I buyer I will always look for the best possible quality we can get within the allocated budget. That’s the way I want to do my job.

This depends strongly on your business. You run a chain of low cost dining facilities. I am sure that customers do not except top-notch quality food in your restaurants. They want big rations, and they want tasty food. But that’s it. What is more, with the pricing policy you run here, I am sure that you operate with minimum profit margins. Therefore it’s crucial to negotiate the best possible deals, to get the basic food ingredients for the most affordable prices.

End of the sample


 

These were just three questions. You will find 25 in the eBook, including difficult behavioral questions. And that’s not all.

To ensure you will get the job, I included in the book six principles you need to understand before you can ace the interview for a position of a buyer.

Without talking too much, let’s have a look at one o them:

 

Sample no. 2


Principle no. 5: Focus on attitudes

Whether you answer a simple question, or a seemingly difficult one, whether you shake hands with your interviewers or choose a chair to sit on, whether you write your answers online, on a piece of paper, or say them, people who consider hiring you (and want to do so at the end, because they need a new buyer) consciously observe only two things: your attitudes, and opinions.

They look mostly for the following attitudes in a good candidate for a job of a buyer:

Confidence. They want you to be confident about your ability to handle the job, to work with the suppliers, to arrange the best deals, to handle difficult situations and negotiations. Unless you are confident that you can do it, nobody else will be…

Respect and humility. Playing Mr. Important or Mr. “I know everything” won’t take you far in this interview.

Let them lead the meeting. Calmly listen, and answer each question. Do not interrupt. Show respect to their position and the way they lead the interview.

You need to be a good listener before you can become a good negotiator. Suppliers and business partners won’t give you the best deals because you have always something to say… They will give it to you because they feel your respect and interest. Show the same attitude in an interview.

Motivation. There should be some enthusiasm in your voice anytime you speak about the purchasing process, and about everything else that relates to the job.

They do not want to hire another guy who’s in only for dollars and will leave after few difficult negotiations or setbacks. Convince them that you are different, that your motivation reaches beyond your monthly paycheck, that you actually enjoy doing things which purchasing agents typically do.

Independence. At the end of the day, you’ll be on your own. Once the training period ends, you will be responsible for research, planning, negotiating, ordering, monitoring…

You can’t expect someone else to do the difficult part for you. And that’s exactly an attitude you should present in your interview—that you can work on your own, that you have proactive approach to work (and do not wait for an order from your superior), that you can plan and organize your work independently, in order to achieve the desired results.

Equanimity. Try to stay calm, regardless of what happens in the interview. They may try to put you under pressure with some questions, but that’s just the part of the game.

Stay calm, even if you do not know the answer to their question. Admit that you do not know the answer, or the right action you’d take. You’ll learn everything in your training.

Once they see your peace of mind and a calm way in which you react to seemingly stressful situations, you will be a step closer to ………………….

End of the sample


Matthew Chulaw
Matthew Chulaw, author of the eBook

So that’s it. I do not want to waste your time with lengthy sales pages, and imaginary discounts or fake reviews, like other people do on their websites while trying to sell you something.

You have read the samples, you know what the eBook is about, and surely you can tell whether it will help you.

I sincerely believe it will help you. And you can read it easily in two or three hours, it’s 12,000 words. Only things that truly matter, no secondary content.

Plus, of course, like with everything else we sell here on InterviewPenguin.com, you have a risk free sixty days money back guarantee. If you don’t like this eBook for any reason, or no reason at all, just let me know (email me at matthew[at]interviewpenguin[dot]com) within 60 days and we will give you a full refund.

Quick Summary

buyer interview guide cover

  • Brilliant answers to twenty-five difficult questions you may get in your interview for a buyer (purchasing agent, purchasing manager) job.
  • Updated in 2024.
  • Several sample answers to each question, so you can choose one that reflects your values and experience.
  • Six principles of acing the interview, things you simply need to know in order to make the right impression on the hiring managers.
  • Instant download, .PDF format (you can read it on any device (mobile, kindle, PC), and you can easily print it).
  • Secure and simple checkout with PayPal, you can pay with your credit/debit card, or with your PayPal account.
  • Price: $9.95, one time payment, no hidden fees or upsell. 60 days risk free money back guarantee. Sold exclusively on InterviewPenguin.com.
  • Click the checkout button below to proceed to the payment.

(After the payment you will be directed back to our website to download your eBook. You will also receive a download link and instructions to your email, just to ensure that you will get the book without waiting, even if the redirect fails.)


Your interview does not have to be stressful, or difficult. You can interview with confidence, and give brilliant answers to all tough questions. Download the guide today, and succeed in your interview for a job of a Buyer. Remember, this is an investment in your career–and not an expense…

Sincerely,

Matthew Chulaw, Your personal job interview coach

P.S. Send me a message if you have any questions. I try my best to answer all messages within twelve hours (matthew[at]interviewpenguin[dot]com). Thank you!

Matthew Chulaw
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