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Colgate-Palmolive Interview Questions & Reviews in New York City, NY Area

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Web: www.colgate.com | HQ: New York, NY

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Updated May 20, 2012 – Interview questions and reviews posted anonymously by interview candidates.
Ratings are reflective of location and job title.

Difficulty Rating [?] Based on 11 ratings

3.2

“Average” Interview

Interview Experience [?] Based on 11 ratings

Positive	45%
Neutral	45%
Negative	9%

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1–10 of 11 Colgate-Palmolive Interviews

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3.0

Average Interview

Overall Neutral Experience

Interviewed and No Offer

Interviewed May 2012 in Piscataway, NJ (took 2 weeks)

I didn't go to the interview yet I just did this so I can get access to other people's interviews

Interview Questions

Why do you think we should hire you?

Answer Question

Other Details

The interview consisted of a Phone Interview, a 1:1 Interview and a Group/Panel Interview.

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Helpful Interview?

Yes | No

Inappropriate?

4.0

Difficult Interview

Overall Negative Experience

Interviewed and No Offer

Interviewed Apr 2012 in Morristown, NJ (took a day)

two managaer to one, lots of the same questions. thought went well, but no offer.

Interview Questions

describe a difficult situation?

Answer Question

name a time, when you noticed something, other have not.

Answer Question

Other Details

I got the interview through a College or University and the interview consisted of a Group/Panel Interview and a Skills Test.

Helpful Interview?

Yes | No

Inappropriate?

3.0

Average Interview

Overall Positive Experience

Received and Accepted Offer

Interviewed Mar 2011 in Morristown, NJ (took 3 weeks)

consisted of one phone screen done by HR intern
got called back for a "super day" on site
met with 3 different groups of people and had 1 technical round and 2 non-technical rounds
simple behavioral questions about leadership skills and participating in a team

they dont expect u to know everything but want to see your ability to learn.
training is provided the first week you start internship.

Interview Questions

Describe a time when you worked in a group and..(something went wrong)

Answer Question

Write HTML code to display...

Answer Question

Negotiation Details

no negotiation really.. they will increase your pay based on your education level. i saw no reason to negotiate.

Other Details

I got the interview through a College or University and the interview consisted of a Phone Interview and a Group/Panel Interview.

Helpful Interview?

Yes | No

Inappropriate?

2.0

Easy Interview

Overall Neutral Experience

Received and Accepted Offer

Interviewed Oct 2011 in Morristown, NJ (took 2+ weeks)

I had applied through my college recruiting website earlier and recieved an invitation for an on campus interview. The interview consisted of two 1:1 interviews, one with the HR rep and the other with the Engineering Manager. The interviews were simple scenario questions, it was rather dry at some points though--especially with the HR rep. They were both basically trying to get through the questions they had on their paper and get answers for them written. The questions were mainly scenario questions "Tell me about a time you exhibited leadership in a team" etc. From what I gather they just want to see that you can work well with the rest of Engineers and that you can problem solve and think on your own. Just know your resume and have good stories to back up each of the scenario questions and you should be fine.

Interview Questions

Tell me abuot about a time where you exhibited leadership in a team (paraphrased)

View Answers (1)

Tell me about a time where there was difficulty working with people and how did you overcome that (paraphrased also)

Answer Question

Negotiation Details

Have yet to negotitate the offer. I didn't officially accept it yet but may if good terms can be negotiated.

Other Details

I got the interview through a College or University and the interview consisted of a 1:1 Interview.

Helpful Interview?

Yes | No

Inappropriate?

3.0

Average Interview

Overall Positive Experience

Interviewed and No Offer

Interviewed May 2011 in New York, NY (took 2 days)

The HR department was quite disorganized wiith the hiring and screening process. It took them over two months to issue out interview schedule after the deadline of the application. It took them over one month to issue out job offer notification after the interview.

Scheduling was terrible; poor communication with interview candidates; no notification that there could be an interview that is to be done over phone rather an in-person meeting.

The worst part was that when following up via phone. I get no return phone calls after leaving voicemails. When it is on the phone, they had no idea how far the screening process has progressed or how long it will take to give a definite answer. Very disappointed with the logistics and workflow of the HR department of a Fortune 500 company.

Quite the surprise and unexpected!

Interview asked many behavioral questions and background. Interviewers are are very courteous and professional in manner.

Interview Questions

How would you handle a difficult problem at hand with a team of people?

Answer Question

Other Details

I got the interview through an Employee Referral and the interview consisted of a Phone Interview and a 1:1 Interview.

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Helpful Interview?

Yes | No

Inappropriate?

2.0

Easy Interview

Overall Positive Experience

Interviewed and No Offer

Interviewed Apr 2011 in New York, NY (took a day)

I applied through my college recruiting system and got a response from an HR person for a on-site interview. Ended up being interviewed by 4 people total, half hour each. The questions were rather simple and mostly covered my qualifications, details about my resume and plans for future. Everybody was extremely nice and the whole interview process didn't feel formal, which reflects the overall culture of the company.

Interview Questions

What is the difference between costs and expenses?

Answer Question

What do you want to take away from this position?

View Answers (1)

Other Details

I got the interview through a College or University and the interview consisted of a 1:1 Interview.

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Helpful Interview?

Yes | No

Inappropriate?

4.0

Difficult Interview

Overall Neutral Experience

Interviewed and No Offer

Interviewed Mar 2008 in New York, NY (took 2 days)

tough interviewing for marketing position. lots of impromptu brand analysis questions and approach assessment questions. also usual crop of "tell me about a time" stuff. so come prepared with knowledge of brand elements, situational questions, attitude assessment questions and of course be prepared for the unknown. e.g. the first question they posed is why would i like to stay in new york (i didnt even want to but had to answer something asap).

Interview Questions

general brand and marketing oriented questions

Answer Question

Other Details

The interview consisted of a Phone Interview, a 1:1 Interview and a Group/Panel Interview.

Helpful Interview?

Yes | No

Inappropriate?

4.0

Difficult Interview

Overall Neutral Experience

Interviewed and No Offer

Interviewed Aug 2009 in New York, NY (took a day)

You see several people within the day. It usually lasts at least several hours. Depending on the position, the minimum number people you are being interviewed is about 5, sometimes 6 people. Do not expect an instant feedback as the company takes a very long time making a decision on hiring.

Interview Questions

Give me an example when you have implemented something. What did you do and what was the result?

Answer Question

Other Details

I Applied Online and the interview consisted of a 1:1 Interview.

Helpful Interview?

Yes | No

Inappropriate?

3.0

Average Interview

Overall Positive Experience

Received and Accepted Offer

Interviewed Apr 2009 in New York, NY (took 3 weeks)

Heard about the interview from a headhunter and submitted my resume for consideration. I had a phone interview with an HR rep. It was a standard behavioral interview (i.e. Tell me a time when type of questions.) I was invited to HQ in NYC soon after. There were 8 candidates for 3 openings on various teams. Every candidate interviewed with 3 Marketers and 1 HR rep. My overall experience was great. All of the interviewers were very nice and the questions were straightforward. The best advice I can give to a potential interviewee is to remember to answer the interview questions in the standard STAR format.

Interview Questions

Tell me about a brand that does not compete in your current category that is not doing performing well and why?

Answer Question

Other Details

I got the interview through a Recruiter and the interview consisted of a Phone Interview and a 1:1 Interview.

Helpful Interview?

Yes | No

Inappropriate?

3.0

Average Interview

Overall Positive Experience

Interviewed and No Offer

Interviewed Apr 2009 in New York, NY (took a day)

The interview process at Colgate begins with a phone screen with an HR Manager. It is fairly straight forward regarding phone screens. Typical walk through your resume, highlight key achievements, discuss why you are interested in Colgate.

The in-person interview is based on typical behavioral interview questions...tell me about a time when you...(fill in the blank based on core competencies required for the job). Key highlight is (as it was explained) the interviewers use a standardized interview booklet. Your goal is to get the most points based on your responses. This is accomplished by providing details about what you did and why you did what you did and what was accomplished. Pretty straight forward.

Everyone at Colgate was VERY nice and didn't come across as trying to trip you up. They really seemed interested in understanding your experience and how well you would fit in Colgate.

Key point - make sure you know why you want to work at Colgate. Location in NYC is not a good response. Globalization, innovation, culture - are better. Make sure you do your ground work regarding Colgate. People are nice but it isn't a slide interview.