Career roadmap

How to become a Media Buyer

$71,950 median/yr·Suits people who are strongly conventional

Median annual wage for Buyers and Purchasing Agents (13-1020) — BLS OEWS, May 2023. This is the broader SOC group, covering more jobs than this one career.

What you would actually do

The tasks this work is built on. O*NET measures the closest official occupation, Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products — so read these as the shape of the job, not a job description written for the title.

Evaluate applicable laws and regulations to determine impact on organizational activities.
Execute sales or other financial transactions.
Purchase products or services.
Negotiate contracts with clients or service providers.
Analyze business or financial data.
Establish organizational guidelines or policies.
Train personnel to enhance job skills.
Supervise employees.

The skills that actually carry the job

Scored on how much the work depends on each one — not a wishlist, a measurement.

Reading Comprehension4.0/5
Negotiation4.0/5
Active Listening3.9/5
Speaking3.9/5
Complex Problem Solving3.9/5
Writing3.8/5
Critical Thinking3.8/5
Active Learning3.8/5
Monitoring3.8/5
Persuasion3.8/5

Would this suit you?

Every occupation leans on a particular mix of interests. Here is the mix measured for a Media Buyer — and our free 2-minute Career Match scores you on the same six.

Conventional5.7/7
Ordering, checking, following a precise procedure accurately
Enterprising5.0/7
Persuading, leading, selling, taking commercial risk
Realistic3.4/7
Hands-on, practical, working with tools, machines or the body
Social1.9/7
Helping, teaching, caring for and working directly with people
Investigative1.9/7
Investigating, diagnosing, reasoning through problems with evidence
Artistic1.1/7
Creating, expressing, working without a fixed procedure

See how you score — 2 min, free

Interest profiles from the O*NET 29.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Used under CC BY 4.0.