If procurement had a mirror, it would reflect every hiring decision we’ve ever made

If procurement had a mirror, it would reflect every hiring decision we’ve ever made — the good, the great, and the ones that left us staring at the ceiling at 2 a.m.

A few years back, I was hiring a new buyer. We’d been through a lengthy recruitment drought — a tough market, high turnover, and the eternal struggle to find someone who could read a specification and a room. Then one résumé landed in my inbox that practically glowed.
Impressive credentials. Multiple certifications. Knew every acronym from IFB (RFB) to AI. Their cover letter read like a procurement love poem. During the interview, they dazzled with technical jargon and strategic buzzwords. I’ll admit — I was sold before they sat down.

But about three weeks into the job, the shine started to dull.
They were brilliant with data — but couldn’t connect with departments. They viewed every client request as an interruption instead of an opportunity. When an engineer asked for help rewriting a scope, they replied, “That’s not my job.”

It was technically correct — and entirely wrong.
By month four, I realized I’d hired someone who wasn’t a procurement partner. I’d hired a procurement encyclopedia — full of information but incapable of human interaction. And in public service, that’s a problem.

When the position opened again, I did something radical (for government): I rewrote the interview.  Half the questions were still about technical skills.

The other half focused on empathy, collaboration, and communication — the soft skills that make the hard work happen.

I asked things like:
• “Tell me about a time you turned a difficult customer into an ally.”
• “How do you explain procurement to someone who hates procurement?”

The candidate we hired didn’t have every certification yet — but they had humility, humor, and heart. Within months, departments were praising them by name. They didn’t just process contracts; they built trust.

Lesson for procurement officials: Technical skills can be trained. Emotional intelligence, adaptability, and service mindset? Those are the rare commodities we should bid on.