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Procter & Gamble Purchasing Manager Interview Questions & Reviews

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Updated Jan 27, 2012 – Interview questions and reviews posted anonymously by interview candidates.

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3.2

“Average” Interview

Interview Experience [?] Based on 5 ratings

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4.0

Difficult Interview

Overall Negative Experience

Interviewed and No Offer

Interviewed Oct 2011 in Singapore (Singapore) (took 2 weeks)

online test, follow by 1st round interview by direct report, and then the head of the department

Interview Questions

what is your career goal

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Other Details

I got the interview through a Staffing Agency and the interview consisted of a 1:1 Interview, a Group/Panel Interview, an IQ/Intelligence Test, a Skills Test and a Personality Test.

Helpful Interview?

Yes | No

Inappropriate?

3.0

Average Interview

Overall Neutral Experience

Interviewed and No Offer

Interviewed Jan 2011 in Geneva (Switzerland) (took 4+ weeks)

Passed online test and invited to maths and english test at Geneva site.
Then invited to phone interview, then invited to final round interview again in Geneva.
Interviewed by 3 people, asked by all about leadership skills, greatest weaknesses, greatest strengths, innovative abilities, times when you had to persuade someone to do something.
The people were nice and the interview process was ok, although I think in general people show up to P&G interviews with highly rehersed answers to pretty much the same questions.

Interview Questions

Tell me about a time when you were in a leadership position.

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Tell me your greatest strength/weakness
Tell me about a time when you had to convince someone

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Other Details

I Applied Online and the interview consisted of a Phone Interview, a 1:1 Interview and an IQ/Intelligence Test.

Helpful Interview?

Yes | No

Inappropriate?

3.0

Average Interview

Overall Positive Experience

Received and Accepted Offer

Interviewed Apr 2011 in Cincinnati, OH (took 2 days)

The interview consisted of two parts: reasoning test and behavioral panel interview. Panel interview consisted of the typical behavioral interview questions. The best way to approach the panel interview is to talk with someone who works in P&G Purchasing to find out what qualities and characteristics they are specifically looking for, and try to highlight those in your answers to questions. I conduct interviews for my company (not P&G), and I recently rejected a candidate with a 3.8 GPA while accepting a candidate with a 3.2 GPA because the 3.2 demonstrated the key characteristics we look for, while the 3.8 did not. Every company is looking for specific characteristics, but of course that's inside information at each company. P&G's "promote-from-within" culture discourages the employees (and thus interviewers) from valuing outside experience the way other companies typically do. If you are coming in straight from college or MBA with little work experience, you have a big advantage because P&G sees you as someone who can be easily molded to align with the company's culture and ways of doing things. Show them that you are a leader, you work well with others, you are curious, and are relatively competent, and they will hire you. However, if you have significant work experience, I recommend finding a way to show your interviewer that you are open minded and have great respect for the P&G ways. Even work experience that seems very applicable to the job for which you are interviewing may not be viewed by your interviewer the way you view your work experience. He or she will want to determine whether your relevant experience will be a hindrance in your embracing the P&G ways of doing things. Learn about P&G's corporate philosophy from a P&G employee prior to the interview if you can. P&G has been an extremely successful company for a very long time with this type of culture, so don't communicate to the interviewer that you want to come to P&G and change the way things are done. Many P&G employees believe that P&G is the very best company that one can possibly work for, and that working for any other company in the world would be very undesirable. P&G's success gives it's employees good reason to believe that. Employees who are not open minded are very prone to believe in P&G exceptionalism. Make sure not to say anything that might rub such a person the wrong way. If you dislike P&G's insular culture, it might not be the right place for you to work. For most entry-level positions (though I don't know about marketing, P&G's crown jewel job), P&G is looking for individuals who are demonstrate the desired interpersonal skills and who are "smart enough." They're not necessarily looking for 4.0 GPA geniuses. That's why the reasoning test is not excessively difficult. The great thing about the "promote-from-within" culture is that after you are in, the company won't bring in outsiders to fill positions above you and thus steal your promotion. This philosophy is a great example that shows how tremendously P&G values it's employees.

The reasoning test was not difficult, but it was harder than the online reasoning test. You can use a basic function calculator for the reasoning test. About half of the on-site interviewees fail the reasoning test and are therefore not eligible for job offers. You have to move through the questions quickly. There is not enough time to think through how to solve a question that puzzles you. If you don't immediately know how to solve the question, move on and come back if you have time - otherwise you will not finish the test.

The first 20 questions are basic arithmetic questions. Example question type: "Half of last year's fruit sales were apples, and 1/3 of the remaining sales were oranges. 1/3 of the total sales were pears. 300 more pears were sold than oranges. How many total pieces of fruit were sold last year?" Be careful about your arithmetic and that one is fairly straightforward. Just make sure you are able to solve it quickly. Another example: "The price of a watch was increased by 20% during a promotion, then decreased by 30%. What % lower was the final price of the watch relative to the original price?"

Interview Questions

Tell me what your strategy would be if you were the chief purchasing agent for the business you currently work in.

Answer Question

Tell me about a time when you were viewed as the expert in a group.

Answer Question

Negotiation Details

ran out of space above...The next 15 questions are GMAT-style critical reasoning questions. This can be the hardest part of the test for someone who is unprepared. The questions would all be in the "very easy" or "easy" category if you classify them in terms of GMAT difficulty. These questions are very straightforward and have an obviously clear answer if you are familiar with the type of question. However, even the smartest people can struggle to find the right answer if they are unfamiliar with this type of question because all of the answers seem at least somewhat relevant to the question. My best advice to prepare for these questions before the Cincinnati on-site reasoning test is to get a GMAT prep book and learn the thinking that goes into how to answer these questions. Once you are well-versed in applying the logic that a GMAT prep book teaches, you'll do fine on these questions. If you're too cheap to buy a $20 book, look to an online GMAT forum. These questions require the most time per question because they take a while to read.

The last set of questions requires the least amount of time per question. This set of 20 questions involves recognizing patterns in a series of shapes, such as in an IQ test. The question style is very similar to that of the online reasoning test, but the later questions become a little harder. The patterns typically involve an increasing or decreasing number of sides in the series of polygons or a shape that is rotated in each step in the series. I'm glad I left myself a little extra time at the end because the last couple questions required several attempts at finding the pattern.

I was able to negotiate only my start date. Salary is not negotiable for people coming straight in from college. Don't worry, promotions happen quickly in Purchasing and the raises are very nice from what I hear. P&G is known for paying very good salaries. Salary might be a little more negotiable for experienced people. Keep in mind that there are literally hundreds of qualified people right behind you who they can hire to do the job if you don't want to accept the offer.

Other Details

I Applied Online and the interview consisted of a Phone Interview, a Group/Panel Interview and a Skills Test.

Helpful Interview?

Yes | No

Inappropriate?

3.0

Average Interview

Overall Positive Experience

Interviewed and No Offer

Interviewed Sep 2010 in Cincinnati, OH (took 2 days)

Overall process was very efficient.

Step 1: Pre-screen via phone - Wanted to validate that I was a good level 1 fit for the role. lasted about 15 minutes and questions were focused on describing my role and results. Not really my resume, but just about how impact-ful I have been in my role. Was able to pass this and was offered to come in for an interview.

Step 2: The interview was enjoyable as the panel (3 interviewers) focused again on what my results have been in my past role. All questions were behavioral style questions. There was never a question directly related to my resume, but indirectly I answered with data that was on my resume. The scheduled interview was to be 1.5 hours, but ended up being about 1 hour.

Step 3: The IQ test - If you make it this far, be diligent. It is a very challenging test and will make or break your opportunity. No black or white area here. If you pass the test, you have a good shot at an offer. If you fail, you are automatically denied a opportunity even if all else was brilliant. The test is is appox 45 questions and you are given 65 minutes. There are about 3 sections to the test and the easiest way to break it down is that it is a test very similar to the GMAT test for B-School. (Quantitative, Verbal and Analytical)

Overall as I said it is a very efficient process from start to finish. Everyone was great in my interview and the opportunities abound if you get in. Just remember to keep your focus on the test in step 3.

Interview Questions

Describe a time where you had a project plan and then mid stream had to change direction. How did you do that and what did you do to adapt and get your stakeholders on board for the change?

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Other Details

The interview consisted of a Phone Interview, a Group/Panel Interview and an IQ/Intelligence Test.

Helpful Interview?

Yes | No

Inappropriate?

3.0

Average Interview

Overall Positive Experience

Interviewed and No Offer

Interviewed Aug 2009 (took 1 week)

Took an online personality test, followed by an in-person reasoning test (numerical, figural, and reading). 4 days after the reasoning test, I was contacted for a 1:1 interview at the head office with the Marketing Brand Manager. A week after that, I was contacted again for a second interview, which included even more detailed competency questions and a tour of the company.

Interview Questions

3. Had to think through a complex problem, which involved analyzing data, developing options and implemented a solution. (Outside academic work where possible).

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