RecordMove

Purchaser to ICT buyer

A purchaser already meets 45% of what the ICT buyer role asks for. The move turns on 9 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional

From purchaser

Partial match

To ICT buyer

13 You already bring

9 Still to learn

35 Skills in the target role2

Learning distance Substantial retraining

57.4/ 100

adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change

1 How much of what an ICT buyer is expected to do is already part of a purchaser’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the ICT buyer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

An ICT buyer role treats 10 of its required skills as things a purchaser already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

analyse supply chain strategies
compare contractors' bids
coordinate purchasing activities
identify suppliers
issue purchase orders
maintain relationship with customers

What stands in the way is 9 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 13 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An ICT buyer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a purchaser background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held issue purchase orders management skills
already held compare contractors' bids communication, collaboration and creativity
already held track price trends information skills
already held use e-procurement working with computers
already held coordinate purchasing activities communication, collaboration and creativity
already held procurement legislation business, administration and law

All 13 carried skills, including the 10 the ICT buyer role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 22 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.

Skill to pick up Tier

01 business, administration and law 3 required, 3 supplementary

still to learn manufacturer's recommended price required
still to learn product comprehension required
still to learn contract law required

optional, not held ICT market optional
optional, not held business requirements techniques optional
optional, not held hardware components suppliers optional

02 information skills 2 required, 2 supplementary

still to learn prepare purchasing reportings required
still to learn maintain contract administration required

optional, not held identify ICT user needs optional
optional, not held carry out statistical forecasts optional

03 management skills 1 required, 2 supplementary

still to learn carry out tendering required

optional, not held manage logistics optional
optional, not held perform project management optional

04 engineering, manufacturing and construction 1 required, 1 supplementary

still to learn electronic communication required

optional, not held emergent technologies optional

05 assisting and caring 1 required

still to learn adhere to organisational guidelines required

06 communication, collaboration and creativity 1 required

still to learn negotiate buying conditions required

1 further area in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries an ICT buyer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 13 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held analyse supply chain strategies skill
already held compare contractors' bids skill
already held coordinate purchasing activities skill
already held identify suppliers skill
already held issue purchase orders skill
already held maintain relationship with customers skill
already held maintain relationship with suppliers skill
already held manage contracts skill
already held perform procurement processes skill
already held track price trends skill
already held procurement legislation knowledge
already held supply chain management knowledge
already held use e-procurement skill

The 1 learning area not shown above

Skill to pick up Tier

07 information and communication technologies (icts) 5 supplementary

optional, not held business ICT systems optional
optional, not held hardware platforms optional
optional, not held software components libraries optional
optional, not held software components suppliers optional
optional, not held hardware components optional

13 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to pick up Tier

optional, not held ICT market optional
optional, not held business ICT systems optional
optional, not held business requirements techniques optional
optional, not held hardware components suppliers optional
optional, not held hardware platforms optional
optional, not held identify ICT user needs optional
optional, not held software components libraries optional
optional, not held software components suppliers optional
optional, not held carry out statistical forecasts optional
optional, not held emergent technologies optional
optional, not held hardware components optional
optional, not held manage logistics optional
optional, not held perform project management optional

24 held skills the ICT buyer role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role analyse consumer buying trends skill
not needed by the target role analyse logistic changes skill
not needed by the target role analyse logistic needs skill
not needed by the target role assess procurement needs skill
not needed by the target role assess supplier risks skill
not needed by the target role category specific expertise knowledge
not needed by the target role communicate price changes skill
not needed by the target role conduct performance measurement skill
not needed by the target role embargo regulations knowledge
not needed by the target role ensure compliance with purchasing and contracting regulations skill
not needed by the target role export control principles knowledge
not needed by the target role have computer literacy skill
not needed by the target role identify new business opportunities skill
not needed by the target role implement procurement of innovation skill
not needed by the target role implement sustainable procurement skill
not needed by the target role international business knowledge
not needed by the target role international import export regulations knowledge
not needed by the target role manage purchasing cycle skill
not needed by the target role manage tender processes skill
not needed by the target role negotiate sales contracts skill
not needed by the target role perform procurement market analysis skill
not needed by the target role procurement lifecycle knowledge
not needed by the target role report accounts of the professional activity skill
not needed by the target role speak different languages skill

13 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to pick up Tier

still to learn manufacturer's recommended price required
still to learn product comprehension required
still to learn contract law required
still to learn electronic communication required
optional, not held ICT market optional
optional, not held business ICT systems optional
optional, not held business requirements techniques optional
optional, not held hardware components suppliers optional
optional, not held hardware platforms optional
optional, not held software components libraries optional
optional, not held software components suppliers optional
optional, not held emergent technologies optional
optional, not held hardware components optional

Index

Other moves recorded from purchaser

Full index of moves from purchaser

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a purchaser become an ICT buyer?

Yes, and it is a substantial move. A purchaser already covers 45% of what an ICT buyer is expected to do: 13 skills carry over, 10 of which the ICT buyer role treats as required.

What skills does a purchaser need to become an ICT buyer?

9 required skills are missing, plus 13 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by business, administration and law. The single most important is manufacturer's recommended price.

How hard is the move from purchaser to ICT buyer?

Its learning distance is 57.4 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

Note

How this record was compiled

Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.