The Challenge of Starting Procurement in a New Industry

Moving into an industry or sector for the first time can be a daunting experience. But it’s worth remembering what took you there in the first place.

From construction to food and drink, manufacturing to education, virtually every industry now has some form of Procurement and Supply Chain function. Factor in the various sectors also opening up Procurement roles, professionals have never had so much choice for their next role.

And yet, with many industries and organisations, and even some recruiters, there is a lingering attitude that if someone hasn’t worked in a particular industry or sector before, this may preclude them from doing so in the future. This attitude also exists with many professionals, with many concerned that they can’t or won’t be as successful in a new industry without the base of knowledge that they have been able to build up elsewhere.

But professionals shouldn’t allow this to hold them back. Speaking from personal experience, there is no reason why you cannot move from one industry or sector to another, or go somewhere completely new, even if you have spent the majority of your career in one area.

Here are three key things to bear in mind when looking for a new role:

1. Show Your Knowledge

Irrespective of how people may think, the reality is that moving into a new industry or sector is no different from switching companies. Whether moving for a new challenge or taking the next step in your professional development, there will always be new things to learn and new processes to get to grips with.

Any new role will be unsettling in the short-term and it usually takes a good few weeks or months to feel fully settled in. However, making a success of a role starts long before you walk in the door on your first day. Building specific knowledge actually begins before you even complete an application.

The early stages of a recruitment process are good for showcasing your company- and industry-specific knowledge and demonstrating your understanding of how Procurement fits into the bigger picture. Every company is different, but the key areas to focus on are the key suppliers and customers in the supply chain, what sort of processes (frameworks; tendering) they carry out, and how mature their Procurement team is.

Use your network to help uncover information and online resources to get more detail on what are the main drivers for Procurement in the company. This will help to show how prepared you are, but also how you can learn what you need to know to do the role well.

2. Procurement Skills = Highly Transferable

Ever wondered why so many professionals say they ‘fell’ into their Procurement career? And why there are so many people who transition through Procurement during their working lives?

Let me let you in on a secret – it’s actually relatively easy to teach someone how to do procurement. No joking around, but if you have someone who is willing to learn and put the hard work in then you don’t need a specific set of skills to get your start in Procurement.

But shh, don’t tell anyone this, or everyone will want in…

There are caveats to this. This may be the case for transactional procurement, but there is plenty more to do to make a success of a more strategic approach. But once you know the basics, your Procurement skills and knowledge are highly transferable and can take you anywhere you want to go.

By using these skills as a career foundation, you can bolt on additional knowledge specific to industries or sectors, but it needn’t limit you to where you can or cannot work. Keep polishing the Procurement skills and the working world is your oyster.

3. It’s All About People

Ok, this is slightly misleading as it’s not only about people, though they are key in successfully moving from one role/sector/industry to another. Before you start with a new company, your network can help you gather information and advice, arming you with the knowledge you need to hit the ground running.

Once you are in a new role, the quickest way to understand how Procurement works and fits into the organisation is to engage with all the key stakeholders. Take the time to introduce yourself to people you will be working with, heads of departments and anyone else you think you might come in contact with. 

These stakeholders will all have their own thoughts and opinions on how Procurement does or does not work, and how they would like to work with Procurement too. Openly engaging, listening to feedback, comments and even criticism will provide you with alternative points of view and help your stakeholders see that you are serious about working with them too. 

Do this from Day 1 and there’s no reason why you cannot make a success of your new role.