I recently attended a dinner at my local Institute for Supply Management (ISM) chapter, where Paul Novak, CEO of ISM, spoke about the new Certified Professional in Supply Management (CPSM) certification.

What I found particularly interesting is where Paul sees the purchasing profession headed. He predicted a future raw materials shortage akin to WWII, the era in which purchasing folks really came to the forefront—he expects a resurgence of a demand for top notch (meaning experience, education, and certification) purchasing talent.

I think we’re already starting to see some of that, with China’s impact on the availability of concrete and steel. Even beyond raw materials for manufacturing, more and more, I’m seeing longer lead-times on large MRO infrastructure items. It'll be interesting to see what happens to the purchasing profession if the U.S. slips into a recession—will there be even a greater demand for folks like us because of the needed boost to the bottom line in the form of reduced costs?

Paul mentioned how purchasing types are making it into the board room in the form of Chief Procurement Officers (CPO), who are now elbow-to-elbow with all of the other C-players at the grown-ups' table. Apparently the compensation packages are substantial—in some cases, million-plus dollar packages according to Paul.

What that likely means is that staff reporting to a CPO are going to be pulled up and elevated organizationally—such as Senior Manger, Director, and VP of Procurement titles.  In other words, if you don’t have a degree and you don’t have a certification, you’re going to be held back and you’re not going to rise up the ranks.

That’s where the CPSM certification comes in, and why it now requires a degree. Not a popular move on the part of ISM, but one with which I have to agree. Paul pointed out that more and more schools are offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in procurement. That means employers are going to be looking for prospective employees with those degrees.  If you don't have a degree, you won't even be considered.  If you don't have a relevant degree, you're going to have a tougher time than someone who does have such a degree.

Will the CPSM certification examinations be harder than before? Paul puts it this way: if the examinations were easy to pass, how does the certification then distinguish between those who don’t know what they’re doing from those that do?  I'm no rocket scientist, but I think that means the examinations will be harder.  My recommendation: stop complaining about the new certification requirements, quit procrastinating, buy the CPSM materials, and start studying.

Look at it this way: purchasing is now a profession, not a mere job. If you’re in purchasing and look at it as a job, it’s time to rethink what you want to do in life because you’re not going to last much longer in purchasing—there’s someone more educated and more certified (with a better attitude) who wants your “job.”