Finding an employer that invests in your potential at this stage in your career is vital.
That’s why when it comes to applying for that first career-launching job, P&G’s internships and full-time opportunities are often a top choice for students and new grads.
To learn more about what it’s like to be a young professional working at P&G, we spoke with JP Laporte, a Fabric Care Category Development Manager. Read on to find out how he started his career with the company – and how you can too!
Project Ownership from Day One
JP is a fairly new addition to the P&G full-time team. He started his career journey with the company last summer as an intern and loved his experience so much that accepting his full-time offer and moving from Montreal to Toronto was a no-brainer.
One of the primary reasons JP had decided to apply to join the P&G team was because of its reputation as one of the best workplaces to develop leaders. “I read at some point that more Fortune 500 leaders come from P&G than anywhere else, so that’s something that really attracted me from a personal growth standpoint,” JP told us.
Right now, JP is a Category Development Manager responsible for Fabric Care brands at Loblaws. It’s his job to work with Loblaws and help them grow their Fabric Care category by being competitive versus other Canadian retailers. His current job is actually quite similar to the work he did while interning last summer, but that was on the Sobeys team. “What’s super cool with internships at P&G is the actual work as an intern and as a full-timer is really similar,” JP noted.
At P&G, you really get to own your work. JP told us that after just two months as an intern, he was tasked with a major project that required he go to Sobeys and present his recommendations for maximizing P&G’s products at the retailer, as well as the product category as a whole.
“My manager was always there if I needed help or had questions, but I also had the freedom to really do the work by myself, my own way,” he shared of the experience.
Building My Skills
JP’s favourite thing about his job is that he gets to work on a variety of different tasks everyday. As his role is project-based, he’s always working on something new for banners under the Loblaws name. While one month he might be working on a shelving project for one brand, the next he could be helping another division understand the promotion dynamic in a specific marketplace. “It’s non-repetitive, and by doing so you also learn a lot,” he added.
JP shared the top skills that his role at P&G has helped him develop:
Organization: At P&G, JP has honed his organizational skills to ensure the timely completion of his responsibilities. This skill also comes in handy when meeting with team members internally. While everyone is super friendly and willing to help, they’re also super busy! Staying organized helps JP know exactly what and who to ask when he needs some information.
Focus: In his job, sometimes JP has to sort through a lot of data to find the key information he needs. By staying focused and keeping his eyes on the big picture, he’s able to maximize his efficiency and sift through tons of studies, stats, and cases without losing track of his goal.
Joining the P&G Team
“People listen to you even though you’re young,” JP said of his team at P&G. “In the office, I can speak up to someone who’s 15 years older than I am – way more senior – and I’ll still be respected and my opinions will count.” He finds it amazing that as a 23-year-old new grad, people at the director level take his skills and experience seriously are willing to hear out his ideas.
JP also shared another interesting thing about team dynamics at P&G: nobody calls their manager their boss! He told us that while, yes, your manager is there to guide you and tell you if you’ve made a mistake, the role the play is really that of an experienced colleague who is there to help (and not babysit) you.
If you plan on joining the P&G team, JP has some tips for success:
1. Be dependable. There’s so much teamwork going on at P&G. If you commit to something, you have to deliver.
2. You’re not expected to know everything. Don’t hesitate to reach out and ask for help. Anyone in the office will be keen to assist you. He’s never received a no!
3. Always be curious – especially when analyzing data! Everyone is able to report on information, but you’ll excel if you ask (and investigate) why trends occurred.