General Purchasing Manager Interview Questions

1. Can you tell us more about yourself than what you have shared on your resume?
2. Why do you think you are the right person for this job?
3. Why do you want to join our company?
4. What are your biggest strengths and how do they help you in your professional life?
5. What do you consider your biggest weakness?
6. Why did you choose to become a purchasing manager?
7. How do you handle stressful situations at work?
8. What is your working style?
9. How would you rate your purchasing manager skills on a scale from one to ten?
10. What are your professional goals?

Questions About Your Experience As A Purchasing Manager

1. How long have you been working as a purchasing manager?

2. How have your previous work experiences as a purchasing manager equipped you for this
position?
3. Can you describe your experience in leading a purchasing team?
4. Did you face any significant difficulties in your previous role and how did you overcome
them?
5. What is your outstanding professional achievement?
6. What did you like the most and the least about your last role?
7. Can you explain how you have grown your skill-sets in your previous positions?
8. Do you have experience working with purchasing systems and which ones do you
recommend?
9. Have you worked on projects that involve procurements from different countries?
10. Do you hold any professional certifications that qualify you as a purchasing manager?

In-Depth Interview Questions About Purchasing Management

1. Imagine a situation where a company purchases a customised product from a single vendor.
How would you determine that the pricing is fair?
2. What would you do if you received products that do not meet the standards?
3. How would you handle a situation where a specific department requests inventory that is
beyond the company's budget?
4. Imagine your organisation requires you to cancel a vendor contract. How would you
approach this situation?
5. Describe a situation where you achieved a significant discount on a supply contract.
6. Have you ever disagreed with suppliers? How do you resolve it?
7. Tell us about a time when you were unsuccessful in negotiating a contract. What did you
learn from the experience?
8. What is a purchase requisition and how do you handle it?
9. Can you walk us through your daily activities as a purchasing manager?
10. How do you ensure procurement best practices?
11. What are your criteria for selecting the best suppliers and vendors for the organisation?
12. Do you have a risk strategy that you use in supplier management?
13. What do you think is the most crucial skill of a good purchasing manager?
14. How would you handle a situation where a critical supplier is unreliable?
15. Have you ever helped a previous employer reduce procurement costs?
16. Do you have experience using vendor management software?
17. Have you ever had a disagreement with a vendor? How did you resolve it?
18. Have you ever had to address underperformance with employees?
19. How do you monitor and maintain purchasing budgets?
20. What approaches do you take to improve purchasing activities and processes?
21. What challenges are present in your industry, and how do you stay updated on current
issues?
22. What do you do to ensure staff members comply with national and international codes of
conduct?
23. How do you ensure delivered products meet specifications?
24. What do you do if there is a delay in shipment of raw materials?
25. What's your sourcing strategy for accessing potential vendors?
26. How do you evaluate potential vendors?
27. How do you document purchase agreements?
28. What would you do if you had to cancel a vendor account?
29. What is your approach to processing purchase requisitions?
30. How do you monitor and maintain purchasing budgets?