Career Paper – Fashion Buyer
Career Paper April, 8 2013 My career goal is to become a fashion buyer, I chose this career because this is something I can see myself doing for the rest of my life, becoming anything that has to do with fashion had always been a child hood dream of mine. I’ve always wanted to partake in something with fashion but didn’t really know what it was until I started working at my current job. Working at a jewelry store helped me learn a lot with deciding what part of the fashion world I would like to choose to become my career.
Working at a jewelry store and helping the owner also gave me all the experience and knowledge about being a buyer. I finally realized that this is something I would Sparingly do when is something I would even do it for free. In addition, fashion Buyer also get the opportunities to travel certain places regarding work related tasks. all in all, I see myself waking up with a smile on my face knowing that I am going to do something I enjoy with this career. The job description of a fashion buyer is to be responsible for a variety of tasks that connect the design world to the retail industry.
For instance, a fashion buyer’s main duty is to select and buy products, according to market trends, customer demands and sales forecasts, which a retailer will sell. Buyer also try to maximize profits by obtaining the highest quality products at the lowest cost. According to BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics), buyers employed by small retailers are usually responsible for deciding the store’s entire merchandise assortment, whereas buyers for large retailers may specialize in one type of merchandise, such as women’s outerwear or mens suits.
According to the BLS, there are no strict education requirements for becoming a buyer, but employers typically prefer applicants with a college degree. Candidates with bachelor’s degrees in business, marketing or merchandising may enjoy higher employment opportunities. Students should select courses that focus on sales forecasting, business operations, commerce and inventory. The salary of a fashion buyer it really depends on the level and the type of company but on a range of $34,832 a year on an entry level and a great amount of $72,772 for a senior buyer.
A fashion buyer needs to be versatile and flexible as the buying schedule may include sitting behind a desk one day writing reports and communicating by phone or email, traveling out of the country to identify forthcoming trends the next week, then flying to another the following month to meet and negotiate with suppliers. A good buyer needs stamina but should also be enthusiastic,professional,decisive,creative and well motivated. To succeed in this career buyers need to have foresight and develop skills in people management and time management.
It is rare to find someone with an equal balance between these qualities and skills and many buyers will excel in some while being only adequate in others. In conclusion although they do ask for a lot when it comes to being a buyer I believe the skills are learnt within the job,and to succeed, one must be passionate and persistent. Resources Bureau of Labor Statistics, U. S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-13 Edition, “Buying Managers, Buyers, and Buying Agents, on the Internet ‘ [visited April 07, 2013]. “Buyers. ” Riley Guide. The Riley Guide, 07 APR 2013. Web. 7 Apr 2013. .
