P&G Interns Learning, Growing from Day 1

Enlightening. Challenging. Inspiring. Humbling.

That’s how intern Taylor Smellie, a University of Florida junior pursuing a BA in Business information and an MS in Information Systems and Operations Management, describes the first seven weeks of her summer internship at P&G in IT media and marketing technology.

She said that watching first-hand how P&G employees challenge the status quo has been the most rewarding part of the experience.

“Seeing things not as they are, but as they can be, is something I have seen first-hand at P&G and certainly something I will carry with me when I return to school in the Fall,” she said.

Taylor is one of more than 550 P&G interns across North America working in areas such as Brand, Sales, Human Resources, Product Supply, Research & Development, Finance & Accounting, Information Technology and Consumer Marketing Knowledge (CMK) for the summer.

This year, we invited our interns to work at their host locations throughout the summer in a hybrid model, with a mix of in-person and virtual work. Danny Combs, NA Talent Acquisition Leader, says P&G put a special focus on creating connectedness and exposing interns to the Company culture.

“We took over nearly an entire floor at our general offices in Cincinnati and created an ‘intern collaboration space’,” he said. “This co-working space is always open for interns so that they can network, collaborate and build connections throughout the summer – even on days where their work teams may not be in the office.”

Meaningful Work from Day 1

Rohan Patankar, an intern in analytics and insights, is studying economic consulting and business analytics at Indiana University Bloomington and is most impressed with the opportunity to do meaningful work as an intern.

“On day two, I went to brick-and-mortar stores and observed the way Gain products were shelved along with other scent categories,” he said. “Later that week I tagged along with my team to conduct in-home consumer interviews where I actually ended up leading a part of one of the interviews.”

Danny says the greatest differentiator between a P&G internship versus other companies is the meaningful work the interns get to do.

“While most companies have specific ‘intern projects,’ P&G entrusts its interns with projects similar to what they would experience as a full-time employee,” he said. “This not only gives P&G the chance to assess whether or not the candidate would be successful if given a full-time offer, but it also gives the intern an invaluable development experience.”

Nothing Short of Incredible

Carelynn Hartmann, who is working in Transportation Purchases, characterizes her experience as “nothing short of incredible,” where she is learning and growing and doing impactful work.

“The work I am currently doing as an intern is focused on transportation sustainability,” said the Junior student from Western Kentucky University. “I feel inspired to make a difference because I know that the projects I am a part of are small in comparison to the bigger picture – the health and longevity of our planet.”

She is impressed with how P&G is committed to being a force for growth and for good.

“From contributing to environmental sustainability, providing clean water to those who don't have access, to building schools across the globe, P&G is working to build a better tomorrow,” she said.

Danny said another unique aspect of our internship program is the time senior leaders take to invest in, connect with, and even learn from summer interns.

“P&G views its intern class as the future leaders of the company, and several of our senior leaders got their start through the internship program,” he said. “For us, this is a huge enabler for interns to want to come back for a full-time role. When they feel invested in, valued and have mentorship relationships with leaders within our company, they can see themselves one day growing into those positions as well!”

As for Taylor, she was pleasantly surprised by how much support she has received.

“I knew coming into P&G the kind of culture that is fostered, but I had no idea how deeply committed employees were to supporting interns,” she said. “Employees outside of my function and even outside of my business unit were so kind and willing to help with anything and everything.”

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