Procter & Gamble · Primly Community

Procter & Gamble recruiter phone screen, what they actually ask: from someone who's sat both sides

backend_bekah · 5 replies

I'm a recruiter, not at P&G, but I've placed a few people there and prepped a lot more for those screens. Want to give the real breakdown of what a P&G recruiter phone screen looks like because the prep advice online tends to be either too generic or outdated.

Length: 20-30 minutes, usually 25. Don't expect it to go longer.

What they cover: Your background. Not deep, just: current role, why you're looking, how you heard about P&G. They want to confirm the resume is real and you can articulate your trajectory. Why P&G specifically. This matters more than you'd think. Saying "it's a great company" gets you nothing. They actually want to hear that you've thought about the CPG industry, the company's portfolio, or a specific brand or initiative. A real answer is "I've been interested in how P&G is managing digital transformation across legacy brands" or "the brand management model at P&G has been something I've admired since school." Something with actual content. One or two light behavioral questions. Usually a "tell me about a project you led" or "describe a time you worked cross-functionally." They're not going deep here, just checking that you can tell a coherent story. The role itself. They'll describe it a bit and ask if you have questions. Have one or two real ones ready.

What trips people up: The why-P&G question. You'd be surprised how many people genuinely have no answer. If your answer doesn't include some company-specific content you're signaling you applied everywhere and don't particularly want to be here.

Salary expectations: They usually ask. Know your number. They're not going to lowball you in the screen but they want to know you're in range before they invest further time.

That's the whole thing. It's a screen, not an evaluation. If you're coherent and specific, you pass.

5 replies

director_dee

The why-this-company question is one I ask in manager screens too and the number of people who say "I love your culture" or "it's a great opportunity" is staggering. Do ten minutes of research. Please.

apm_aisha

Was this screen done by a dedicated recruiter or sometimes a hiring manager? I've seen both at other large CPG companies.

recruiter_rita

Usually a dedicated TA recruiter for the screen, then hiring manager comes in later. At P&G the recruiter is a real part of the process though, not just a checkbox. They're reporting back their read on culture fit.

veteran_vance

Good to know they actually care about the why-P&G answer. That's one I can genuinely speak to because the brand management / general manager pipeline was something I studied when I was prepping for the military transition.

laidoff_lena

The salary question advice is important. I've tanked a screen at a CPG company before by being vague about comp because I was worried about anchoring. Just give a real number. They're asking because they have a band.