Pros

Process driven activities pushed positive results. Everyone was very intelligent and very open to making time to speak to you when you first start the job. The open workspace was ideal for creating an open atmosphere to communicate yet it was very difficult to approach management without an appointment request.

Cons

The work life balance is non-existent. The pay is great, yet when you factor in the hours worked it ends up being a very low $/hr. One is really selling their soul to work here. Management repeats the vision statement about the company and asks that you create presentations based on the most current "vision." Be, careful of how you work on projects as an intern. You may be told that you are doing fine one day, then the next day you will find out that your work is unsatisfactory. The work environment is competitive and aggressive. People are only willing to help you if it will benefit them. Management preaches about creating creative presentations, yet they must be completed in a preset template.

Advice to Senior Management

Be more straight forward about feedback. Truthful feedback is essential to cultivate good employees. Don't cut employees short on feedback.

Pros

Working for P&G is an awesome experience. Here I got to meet super smart and well experience people who I learned from a lot. The environment was really nice with some of the most welcoming people on earth but it can also be toxic with the same people being the bitchiest people too. The "open office" (literally no separate room for senior management) sure is a plus and allows me to communicate with them more effectively.

They have one of the best internship program where you'll handle projects that have actual benefit or contribution to the company.

Cons

Cut throat and very straightforward people. If they don't like your work, they tell it to you upfront. The expectations are way up high and my workload even as an intern was overwhelming. The overtime with no pay policy sure is not something to be happy about especially for someone who stays late at night in the office to get the work done.

Advice to Senior Management

none

Pros

Challenges you to learn very quickly and to deliver results. Fast paced, so you have to be a go-getter and capable of managing across many functions to be successful. Strong training program for interns.

Cons

Very process heavy and bureaucratic. Often, feedback is given after you have failed instead of providing feedback during the work development process. You will be told that you are 'doing fine' but this really translates to 'you should be doing more/something else'. Feedback is indirect and development limited for interns. You should be very aware of what each person is rewarded on in their interaction with you, and then ensure it is lined up with your objectives. Finally, the team you work with can (and will) be a big determinant of whether you get an offer. If you are working on a team that is stressed or very type A, make sure you make NO mistakes.

Advice to Senior Management

Interns should be given the same level of development during the internship that they would receive as a Full Time employee. By not actually developing the talent you spent money to recruit in, you can miss out on strong candidates (especially if they are career switchers) or have inconsistent talent assessments (given that some did receive development and others did not, it creates a skewed intern evaluation process).

Pros

During this time, a period of world wide recession, I still have a job.

Cons

Taken into account experience and qualifications, we are not paid market related salaries.
In this specific case of employment by Procter & Gamble, we were lied to by management regarding renumeration upon arrival to our home country.

Advice to Senior Management

Be honest!

Pros

very good work environment; caring and competent folks; string leadership

Cons

none that i can think of

Advice to Senior Management

none that i can think of

Pros

Good name to have on resume and decent pay
P&G is a good place to learn new skills in your chosen field
An opportunity to work with smart people
You will be exposed to product launches and actions you can observe in the field
This truly is a good place to learn (both the good and bad of corp life).

Cons

Up or out culture creates a very competitive and cut-throat atmosphere. Promotion is based on politics more so than merit as most people are very bright here
Outside work experience is not valued even if for another F500 company
Work life balance is poor. Plan on working hard and long hours.
It's all about fitting a mold. You have to conform. They don't call them Proctoids for nothing. If you don't conform but are smart and a good worker you will still be forced out.
You have to build a support network to survive as you will need to interview for a new job every two years unless you are top 10%. If you don't get one you are out.
New people are constantly being brought in from top schools and outside. Given there are a finite number of jobs someone has to go. It is the pyramid principle of up or out. At each level you go up expectations increase.
Ratings are done on a forced curve basis. This is usually not an issue but when everyone is bright it becomes one. Think of it as a very tough curve with mean set at C. Bottom 10-20% are gone.
Learning is by failure not by teaching. Big brother is watching as you fail.
You have to move often and when they tell you to. They don't care about spouse, family etc.
Their goal is to make you insecure so they get more work out of you.
Penny pincher company. Very stingy for expenses, office furniture. Plan on small cubes.
Everyone sits in a cube, even GMs and VPs.
If you come in through an acquisition you will be shown the door sooner or later. Only homegrown Proctoids are valued. I have seen this in several acquirred businesses.

Advice to Senior Management

The company spends too much time engaged in double talk. There is talk for example about work life balance yet people still get worked into the ground. Also there is a policy of no layoffs yet I have seen many people get laid off. Be honest with people instead of setting false expectations.

Pros

Well regarded in industry. Most employees live up to stated company purpose, values and principles. My experience is that most play fair, but play to win.

Cons

Disregard for "non exempt" employees as anonymous workhorses easily replaced. Constantly expected to deliver more (via "simplification" - lol), but compensation is not delivered proportionately. More experienced hourly employees will say that they have responsibilities now previously belonging to managers, but are not compensated at a commensurate level.

Advice to Senior Management

"Reorganization" must be more complete at micro level before being rolled out. Job expectations for administrative staff have been in complete disarray, with admins left to figure out how to provide support themselves during "microorganization" work.

Pros

Great training
Great hands on experience
Best In class systems and base marketing understanding
Transparent feedback
Lots of room for travel

Cons

Promotion time is a big questions - teh goal posts shift, are hidden and all transparency then goes out the window. Its up or out so every 2-3 years you wonder whether you have a place in teh company anymore.

Advice to Senior Management

Learn to stay consistent and transparent on promotion criteria especially to AMD. The jumps often seem based solely on who you know, or the horse-trading behind teh scenes as to who gets it and who doesn't.

Pros

Generous with compensation and providing opportunities for growth.

Cons

Expectation of being highly mobile, i.e. must be willing to uproot and relocate every 12-24 months.

Advice to Senior Management

Try to be more open-minded and supportive when employees express concern regarding their careers.

Pros

Fantastic training and development on marketing/management fundamentals - the best in the business. Truly work with top talent. Relatively accessible decision-making/ownership (even at the Brand Manager level). Heritage and prestige of working there. Great coaching on communication, positioning, leadership.

Cons

Has become very insular. Given promote-from-within culture and today's economic/job environment, it has become much more political than ever; feels more like a shark tank than it ever used to. Morale dropping considerably. Just does not feel quite like the P&G we knew and signed up for many years ago. Length of time between promotions has expanded considerably. ALOT of contraction at the top levels (Associate MD and above) so that advancement is extremely difficult, even if you're a water-walker....much less if you're "just" a strong/very strong performer. Too much advocacy, networking, jockeying and positioning/politics required nowadays - particularly in Cincinnati area.

Advice to Senior Management

Modify the promote-from-within policy - when you go outside, you realize just how insular and process-driven P&G is because of it. Also, stop playing around with "destination roles' or "expert roles" - I have been hearing this for 9+ years and nothing has happened. Either do it or let it go and move on.