The format of the interview will vary depending on the role applied for – you may have a one-on-one interview, or you may face a panel of two or three interviewers. A first interview could be conducted online, on the phone or in person. If the interview is done in person, it could be held at a P&G office, a university campus or a conference. You may then be invited to a second interview with one or more senior managers from Procter and Gamble. Most interviews last somewhere between 45 minutes to an hour, but there are no strict time limits. Your interviewer(s) will be looking for evidence of the key behaviours P&G believes are crucial for success within the company. These are summed up in its Peak Performance Factors:
Lead with courage Innovate for growth Champion productivity Execute with excellence Bring out our best
There is more information on the Peak Performance Factors in our article on the P&G application process. The interviewers will be looking for you to display skills and qualities such as leadership, teamwork, innovative thinking, a desire to develop oneself as well as others, and the discipline to prioritise effectively. For every question and situation posed, you must provide as full an answer as possible, giving specific examples that set your response in context and describe actions taken and outcomes achieved. We recommend JobTestPrep’s P&G Online Assessment Practice package.
Key Interview Questions and How to Answer Them
Competency-Based Questions
Competency-based questions are used in P&G interviews to assess your skills, behaviours and knowledge. Each question is specifically targeted towards a key competency required for the role. Interviewers want to hear about real situations that demonstrate how you have effectively used the competency or competencies they are assessing. To answer these questions successfully, you need to prepare some strong examples. The first step is to identify the competencies your interviewer will be looking for. For P&G, the key competencies are summed up in the Peak Performance Factors outlined earlier in this article, so make sure you are familiar with those. You should also study the job description in detail, and draw up a list of any particular skills and behaviours that are required. Next, you need to think about specific times when you have demonstrated each of these skills and behaviours:
Look over your CV and application material for anything that may be relevant. If your work experience is limited, look to other areas of your life for examples – this could include hobbies, voluntary work or your studies. Talk to friends and family about when they have seen you demonstrate particular competencies. Keep the stories positive – don’t criticise others or focus on the negatives. Emphasise your own contribution to the successful outcome.
The STAR interview technique is useful for preparing answers to competency-based questions. This method involves breaking your answer down into four sections:
Situation – Describe the background or the context. Task – Explain the problem or challenge that you faced, and the goal you were working towards. Action – Describe the action you took, and how and why you decided to take it. Result – Describe the outcome, what you achieved and anything you learned from the experience.
Look for ways to relate the competency you are displaying back to the role you are applying for. Remember that you may need to adjust the focus of the story depending on how the question is framed in the interview. Try to have a few examples prepared for each competency, so that you can tailor your answers accordingly and avoid repeating yourself.
Situational Interview Questions
Situational interview questions ask you to put yourself into a hypothetical work situation and test how you would respond. For example:
If you were given a difficult project, how would you ensure its success?
These questions can seem harder, as you have to think on the spot about solutions and responses to fictional scenarios. However, it is possible to prepare for these questions much as you would for competency-based questions. The interviewer is still looking for you to demonstrate one or more of the key competencies required for the role. And while you will need to provide some detail about how you would respond to the hypothetical scenario, the best answers provide concrete evidence by describing how you have handled similar situations in the past. So, if asked how you would handle conflict with a team member, you should talk about how you have dealt with conflict with a colleague or peer previously, and how you would apply what you learned from that experience. You can prepare examples to back up your answers in the same way you would for competency-based questions, by identifying the key competencies required and then using the STAR technique to show how you have demonstrated these in the past. Once you’re in the interview, asking a few questions about the scenario you’re presented with can be a helpful way to gain a bit of time to think about the best response. It also shows the interviewer that you’re a methodical, critical thinker who gathers all the information they need before coming to a decision.
Other Questions
The interviewer is also likely to go into greater detail about the skills and experiences you have outlined in your CV and application. You should review all the material you have provided ahead of the interview, and be prepared to answer questions on any key aspects. Depending on the role you have applied for, you may also be asked some questions about the type of work you could be doing when you first start working for P&G. The job profile will tell you something about working for P&G, but you should get to know as much as possible about the company and how your role would fit into the bigger picture. Visit the P&G career areas and watch videos available on the website for a taste of what it would be like to work there. Here are some more examples of possible P&G interview questions:
Tell me about a time when you have successfully led a team. Tell me about a time when you had to resolve a conflict with a client, customer or user. Tell me about a time when you took a big risk, and explain how you mitigated it. Tell me about a time when you had to take the initiative to solve a problem. Tell me about a complex problem that you solved. Describe the process you used. What would you do if you were set a goal and weren’t able to meet or achieve it? If you received constructive criticism on a piece of your work, how would you handle it? If you were part of a team where members had conflicting views, how would you ensure everyone worked together successfully? If you were in a situation where you needed to bring someone round to your way of thinking, how would you persuade them to see things your way?
Questions for the Interviewers
You will also be given the opportunity to ask your own questions about P&G during the interview. Come prepared with some informed, intelligent questions that demonstrate your passion to work for P&G and your willingness to learn more about the company. Research and read as much as you can about the company. You should know the company’s Purpose, Values and Principles, and be familiar with some of its household brands. Consider asking questions around P&G’s growth potential, its leadership style, attitude to social responsibility or efforts at diversity. Think about what you would want from an employer in these areas and ask questions to establish how you align. To improve your chances of success, try to consider how your experience matches the job description. Where possible, try to provide supporting materials that show examples of previous work demonstrating your key competencies. You should also learn about the various P&G brands and understand the brands’ purpose, values and principles. Many P&G job interviews will focus on competency questions, and the interviewer will be looking to see if you align with their peak performance factors. Common P&G interview questions include:
Tell me about a time when you were responsible for a team of people. Tell me about a time when you had to use conflict resolution skills with internal colleagues or external stakeholders. How do you manage your work effectively, and what would you do if you couldn’t meet a deadline? How can you ensure seamless teamwork when individual colleagues have different opinions?
Those who are unsuccessful often fail because they haven’t answered the questions properly or haven’t been able to highlight how they have contributed to previous projects. The biggest mistake in any Procter and Gamble interview is not knowing who it is as a company. Interviewers aren’t just trying to find out more about you; they also want to know what you know about them. The P&G hiring managers want you to ask them questions about growth potential, corporate social responsibility plans and leadership styles. If you cannot ask questions about these areas, you may struggle to succeed in your job interview. If you want to work for Procter and Gamble, the first place to search for jobs is via the official P&G careers site. Here, you can search for jobs worldwide in varying job roles. The first step in the hiring process is to submit your application. You need to showcase information about your education and have a well-written resume. You will also need to complete a questionnaire that discusses your skills. After the application is submitted, you will be invited to participate in an online assessment. These are intense, and they are designed to help the recruiters find out if you are a good fit. If you pass the online assessment, you will be invited to participate in a job interview which could be a one-on-one interview or a panel interview.
Be confident. The recruiters want to feel positive about you and be an asset to the team. Therefore, you need to show them that you can cope with a challenge and be ready to proceed. Think carefully about how to answer the questions. You need to make sure that you interpret the question correctly and answer concisely yet with enough detail. Try to quantify your experience. It’s not enough to say you worked on a project. You need to expand your answer to discuss your specific contribution to that project and the outcomes. Try to use figures to provide context to any successes.
Using this approach will help you provide enough context and help the recruiter understand what potential you could bring to the company. As with any interview preparation, try to refer to the STAR technique as a way of formulating a response to an interview question. The application process for jobs at Procter and Gamble is intense. First, there is a detailed application process, followed by online assessments. P&G uses their assessments as an effective way of filtering through candidates so that when it comes to formal interviews, they feel confident that they are speaking to the best possible candidates for the job role.
