Big Heart Pet Brands Interview Questions

Application

The process took 3 weeks. I interviewed at Big Heart Pet Brands (San Francisco, CA) in November 2009.

Interview

This interview was through my MBA program's recruiting services. My first interview was a phone screen with an alum. I was then invited to the office for a day-long interview, which consisted of several 45 minute sessions with people at different levels within the marketing department. My last session of the day was a more casual "coffee meet up" which was more of an opportunity for me to ask questions, and presumably, for the interviewer to assess fit. The culture has a very small business feel to it, which I liked very much. Everyone was very friendly and personable, and they seem very motivated to get the organization in a forward moving direction (from a culture perspective) now that some time has passed since they moved the Pet Food division from Pittsburgh to San Fran and many of the kinks from that experience have worked themselves out (i.e., that very few marketers made the transition to the west coast).

Interview Questions

Negotiation

No negotiation possible, but I think this is common for companies that formally recruit MBAs.

Application

The process took 6 weeks. I interviewed at Big Heart Pet Brands (Pittsburgh, PA) in October 2007.

Interview

Del Monte Foods typically hires MBA students for their entry-level Associate Brand Manager position. In the past they have focused on developing relationships with about 10 schools (Stanford, Berkeley, USC, UCLA, Northwestern, Cornell, UVA, Indiana U, Duke, Michigan). They also recruit at the National Black MBA Career Conference every year.

If you get an interview on-campus, this is usually just a one on one behavioral interview with a Senior Brand Manager or Director in the company. They are looking for passion, leadership, ability to work well in teams, initiative to get things done, etc. My initial interview was with a Director and it was very informal.

If you get invited to the 2nd round interview process, you will be brought in around the same time of other ABM candidates and will have 3-5 interviews (30 mins each) with various people from across the Marketing organization. Typically you will be provided the names of the people beforehand, so I encourage you to research them via Linkedin/Facebook to get an idea of their background; maybe you'll have a mutual friend in common?

For these interviews, make sure you do your homework on the various brands they sell, visit a few of your local retailers to identify trends in the categories they operate in, talk to store managers or stockers to see which products fly off the shelves or even talk with consumers to ask them about their preferences to try and uncover if their needs are being met by the company's products.

You should hear back with an offer or a rejection letter within 2 weeks of your 2nd round interview. They typically give 4-8 weeks for you to decide on your offer.

Interview Questions

Negotiation

Yes, I was able to negotiate a little bit. I had done some extensive research on the top salaries being paid to other MBA candidates from all sorts of CPG companies across the US. I called University Career Centers and asked them to share a range of what students were getting paid. I called friends who recently accepted jobs with other CPG firms. I called on friends who worked for CPG firms and who knew the starting salaries being offered. I used this info to negotiate with my recruiter and was able to raise my base salary by a few thousand. I was also able to re-negotiate my signing bonus.

Application

I applied through other source. The process took 2 days. I interviewed at Big Heart Pet Brands (Pittsburgh, PA) in May 2008.

Interview

I met with three brand managers and one director. The interviews varied greatly, ranging from case interviews to behavioral interviews. I then met with the Marketing Director last, who offered me the job on the spot. I got the impression that they really needed someone.

Interview Questions

Reasons for Declining

The culture seemed a little off. There seemed to be some disagreement about what the overall strategy was.

Application

I applied online. The process took 8 weeks. I interviewed at Big Heart Pet Brands (San Francisco, CA) in January 2017.

Interview

The process started with a phone interview with recruiter, then a phone interview with the hiring manager. I was asked to come on-site for an interview, which is still be scheduled.

Interview Questions

Application

I applied through a recruiter. The process took 2+ months. I interviewed at Big Heart Pet Brands (San Francisco, CA) in April 2014.

Interview

Lengthy, Somewhat not relevant, and to long for the actual role. Lunch with peer, meetings with managers and directors and changed company name shortly after. It took them over a month to get back to me and provide me with an offer and gave 24 hours turn around time to accept and then take drug test.

Interview Questions

Application

I applied online. The process took 1 day. I interviewed at Big Heart Pet Brands.

Interview

Met with three different individuals at different levels. they answer all questions I asked and provided good feedback. The interview took about 4 hours and was informative as to what would be expected of me if I was hired

Interview Questions

Application

I applied through a staffing agency. The process took 1 day. I interviewed at Big Heart Pet Brands (San Francisco, CA) in December 2009.

Interview

It truly is about how good of a reputation you build for yourself. I was already temping and was recommended for a position by a permanent employee. (Think cube neighbor to perm employee in diff dept upstairs to his/her manager to 2nd manager to HR to staffiing agency manager - that's how many times my name rolled in the reco conversation to get the interview scheduled. ) I interviewed with 2 managers and ask questions about skill set mainly (PowerPoint and Outlook is huge here). The key question I was asked was regarding my inter personal skills. Come to find out I had more skills than required that they believe would be a great asset but the interpersonal skills for this roll was vitally important due to the company culture.

(Hint: seek admins with the company from linked in or iaap to find what other special skills you may need to know.)

Interview Questions

Negotiation

Staffing agency asked how much I wanted. He relayed it to HR. HR relayed it managers and they accepted my exact offer. Nice. Except I realize many months later I was low balling myself. Do your homework on what the market average is and add $20k to your offer. THEN start the negotiation. Know your worth.

Interview

You must submit your resume to the company website first. Make sure you research the brands and know your stuff. Next there will be a screening interview over the phone with HR. If you pass that, you will come in to San Francisco to meet with 4-5 managers and VPs. It would be helpful to bring examples of former work to showcase your talents.

Interview Questions

Negotiation

Yes, you can negotiate slightly. Make sure you include any vacation time you need as well as salary

Application

The process took a week. I interviewed at Big Heart Pet Brands (Los Angeles, CA).

Interview

1. Phone interview through temp agency. The rest of the steps depends on which temp agency you're hired by, but in general they're nearly identical.
2. In person interview at temp agency
3. In person interview at BHPB

Interview Questions

Application

I applied through other source. The process took 4+ weeks. I interviewed at Big Heart Pet Brands (San Francisco, CA).

Interview

Very extensive interview process.
Team was very thorough, friendly and professional. HR recruiting manager was extremely helpful and a fantastic resource. Great group of people and very good energy. Very generous offer.

Interview Questions

Reasons for Declining

Other offer