Take a free class in management communication from MIT's Sloan School of Management to get a jumpstart on the skills you'll need in this career.

Take an online class in management communication. 

There are a variety of risks that companies and organizations face that can cause them to incur losses. Get trained and certified to be able to identify, assess, and mitigate risk factors. 

Get certified in risk management.

The skills of a project manager are desirable qualities in a variety of careers & some even require certification. Do your research on various certification programs that would benefit your career. 

Get certified as a Project Management Professional (PMP).

Prepare to take on that leadership role by gaining valuable management tools and techniques that help improve processes within an organization.

Get Lean Six Sigma certified.

Learn about the basics of operations management by taking a class online or at your school. Discover how this skill can benefit a variety of careers. 

Take an operations management class. 

Learn about the basics of auditing and how this skill can be used in a variety of careers. Take a class online or at your school. 

Take a class on auditing.

Think of a problem at your school and brainstorm a solution. Write down the problem and your approach, and why you think that this new approach would work. Do you like tackling problems like this?

Find something that bothers you—then fix it.

Obtaining a purchasing certification can give you an advantage in the world of business and supply chain management. Check out what it takes to get started today!

Become a Certified Purchasing Professional (CPP). 

Obtain a compliance certification in order to stand out in the job market or take your current career to the next level. Check out what it takes to get started today!

Become a Certified Compliance & Ethics Professional (CCEP).

Buyers and Purchasing Agents, Farm Products

Purchase farm products either for further processing or resale. Includes tree farm contractors, grain brokers and market operators, grain buyers, and tobacco buyers. May negotiate contracts.

Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.

Enterprising

Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

Conventional

Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

Realistic

Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.

Social

Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.

Artistic

Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

Investigative

Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed

Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.

Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.

Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.

Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.

Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.

Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.

Buyers and Purchasing Agents

Business and Financial Operations Occupations

Business Operations Specialists

Purchase, for further processing or for resale, farm products, such as milk, grains, or Christmas trees.

Arrange for processing or resale of purchased products.

Negotiate contracts with farmers for the production or purchase of farm products.

Arrange for transportation or storage of purchased products.

Maintain records of business transactions and product inventories, reporting data to companies or government agencies as necessary.

Review orders to determine product types and quantities required to meet demand.

Examine or test crops or products to estimate their value, determine their grade, or locate any evidence of disease or insect damage.

Coordinate or direct activities of workers engaged in cutting, transporting, storing, or milling products and maintaining records.

Sell supplies, such as seed, feed, fertilizers, or insecticides, arranging for loans or financing as necessary.

Advise farm groups or growers on land preparation or livestock care techniques that will maximize the quantity and quality of production.

Buyers and Purchasing Agents, Farm Products

Overview

Career

What Buyers and Purchasing Agents, Farm Products Do

Other Job Titles Buyers and Purchasing Agents, Farm Products May Have

Tasks & Responsibilities May Include

Buyers and Purchasing Agents, Farm Products

Overview

Career

What Buyers and Purchasing Agents, Farm Products Do

Other Job Titles Buyers and Purchasing Agents, Farm Products May Have

Tasks & Responsibilities May Include

Education

Level of Education Attained by Buyers and Purchasing Agents, Farm Products

Majors Related to Career

Related Careers

Related Leaders