The procurement job market in 2026 seems to be gathering momentum, but the function has a recruitment problem. Consider these two facts:
- A Gartner survey has revealed that just 14% of procurement leaders have confidence in their team’s ability to meet the future needs of the function
- CIPS reports that 58% of those recruiting procurement professionals globally are struggling to find and retain talent.
The picture is clear. Procurement leaders need new talent but are struggling to recruit it.
But why?
The historical wisdom states that a skills shortage is driving the ‘war on talent’ within procurement. That might have been true when my recruitment career started 9 years ago, but now? I’m not convinced. The talent is there, the problem is rooted in attracting and then selecting the right person.
There is no singular perfect procurement recruitment process. Every business is different, so a one size fits all approach cannot be the answer. That said, universal truths do exist. Here are 5 practical tips that can help you to make a successful procurement hire.
What is your brand perception?
How is the reputation of your business to procurement professionals and who is championing your business within the job market? Everyone knows of brands that can effortlessly attract talent and also of those that really struggle. Where does your business sit along that spectrum and do you have a positive voice in the market? Lean on your talent function or recruitment partner to support you here, at Pod Talent we’ve successfully delivered perception improvement projects for a number of clients with poor brand reputations. It really helps.
Know what you are really looking for
Your role criteria will centre around four areas: experience level, industry background, hard skills and soft skills. Once you have mapped out what you need, interrogate that list. What is essential, where can you show flexibility, what is a nice to have masquerading as an essential requirement?
For every search that take months rather than weeks, initial ‘essential’ criteria are relaxed at some point. The earlier you can do it, the more time (and stress!) you can save yourself.
Know your value proposition
It is a competitive market for top level talent. Therefore, it’s critical to know what separates your role from the one your competitors are hiring and what you can offer that they cannot. Really get to know the specific value you can add to someone’s career. This is vitally important when trying to attract strong professionals who will typically have multiple choices available to them.
Clarity is king
Uncertainty remains the #1 reason people look for a new role. Uncertainty can relate to career development, promotion potential or doubts about the future stability of their current business. Your applicant may have a new manager, or a new head of function. They may have a new CEO with an agenda unknown to your applicant, or there could be restructuring taking place that’s placing their role at risk.
Consequently, clarity in a recruitment process can be an incredibly powerful force of attraction, an antidote to anxiety. If you can provide clarity throughout – on the current state of the team, their future direction, progression opportunities, as well as how the interview process will flow – you will immediately standout against other hiring companies. A slick process beats a fragmented one, every single time.
Keep it moving
For the vast majority of procurement positions, three interviews are more than enough. If your interviewers coordinate with each other, share feedback and use it to inform questions in subsequent interviews, they can easily build a clear picture of an applicants suitability. There is no value in five, interviews with stakeholders who clearly aren’t talking to one another, or in repeating the same interview multiple times. In reality, this will make your business look indecisive and ineffective at decision making. It ends up being a red flag.
5 action points, all of which are simple to implement and easy to maintain. If you would like help or clarity on any of these tips, do reach out to me directly at alex@pod-talent.com