Insurance agent sits above procurement in best job list proving that perceptions of the function continue to remain low among the next generation. Now is the time to start thinking about how these perceptions can finally be broken down.
Roll up your sleeves, we all have work to do.
I’m not referring to the need to manage costs and risks, better manage the supply base to get more value and innovation, or increase procurement’s contribution to the accomplishment of corporate strategic objectives. They and other related responsibilities are a given and a constant, an accepted every-day endeavor.
Instead, I’m referring to the need to promote the procurement function as an exciting and fulfilling profession. If we don’t do that, at every opportunity, it will be all the harder to attract the new talent everyone agrees procurement will need in the years ahead.
I spoke with a procurement executive recently who recalled going to a job fair for students. There were several exhibits touting different professions, and students were lining up to get information and job-application forms.
The shortest line was for procurement.
Actually, that shouldn’t be a surprise. Procurement rarely gets its due in rankings of interesting professions.
Business magazine Forbes recently reported on a career rankings by job site CareerBliss of the happiest jobs the graduating class of 2015 should consider. Procurement wasn’t among them.
Assistant consultant, game developer, and engineering intern were the top three. Even IT assistant made the list.
Similarly, procurement was missing from US News’ recent list of the 100 best jobs. Insurance agent and nail technician did make the list, however.
It’s no wonder then that procurement wasn’t on the US Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) list of fastest growing jobs. Never mind that the latest list on the BLS website is a year and a half old. Does anyone think it would be different today?
There is something missing here, and it’s the recognition of the fact that few if any jobs - or careers - offer as many opportunities to manage as much of a firm’s capital or touch and contribute to as many facets of a business as procurement does. We all have to change that.
There are examples to follow. One good example is that of Shelley Stewart, Jr., CPO of DuPont and winner of the 2015 Procurement Leaders’ Lifetime Achievement Award. Among his many endeavors is his work with college students. He has been very active mentoring students in supply chain management at, among other institutions, Howard University. His commitment to molding the next generation of procurement executives is one we all should have. Otherwise, there may not be a next generation.
from Procurement Leaders Blog http://ift.tt/1FopCZJ
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The views expressed in this post and throughout the series are the autor's own and not intended to reflect the views the YQ Matrix platform, its users or any associated organisations.
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