Here’s a snapshot of my inbox since the new year:
“I just got laid off and I’m scared.”
“Hey Mathew - I’m searching for a job and have applied to over 50 positions. Do you have any advice?”
“Can you help look at my resume?”
“My company is laying off half the procurement team and I’m on the chopping block.”
“Do you have any jobs?”
On the flip side, my LinkedIn feed is full of new job and recent promotion posts. Procurement pros landing jobs and getting recognized for their efforts.
So what gives?
Procurement is in a major transition. Companies are either investing or divesting into the function. Modern technology, frameworks, and approaches to how the work gets done is evolving and that means the people in this space will, too.
Practitioners that aren’t investing in their career development or taking the time to build their networks are struggling. Alternatively, the more proactive practitioners are spending time expanding their network and putting in the effort to stay current with new trends and technology in the space.
Close the chasm
The way to ensure you’re set up for success is to put in the work. The opportunity is there. Here are a few things that I’ve been sharing with practitioners looking for ways to start:
Read this book to prepare for any new job or project.
My personal deck and word-for-word script for interviewing.
Artificial Intelligence courses with certificates for LinkedIn.
I try to post a list of jobs on a weekly or bi-weekly cadence.
The time to invest in yourself is now. Procurement is in hyper-growth and it isn’t slowing down. Those ready and prepared have nothing but opportunity in front of them.
Lead the way.
See you next week,
Mat
ps. Reply to this email with your best tips and I’ll choose one to post about so that we can help one another out. Better, together.
