Maryanne Maina
Maryanne Maina
Proctor and Gamble is the largest fast moving consumer goods company in the world with various products such as Head and Shoulder shampoo, Olay, Baby Pampers and Always pads. The company entered South Africa in 1994.
Thulani Makhathini, the head of human resources for the east and southern regions, focuses on hiring new staff to grow the organisation to new heights. He explained the interviewing and hiring processes of the company.
"We prefer people with zero experience so that we can grow them and 'proctorise' them," he said. "The company offers on-the-job local and overseas training to our staff."
As far as on-the-job training is concerned the manager works with an employee to develop him or her, professionally.
"The purpose is to grow from within so that we can promote our own people into managerial and leadership roles globally," Makhathini said.
"The long-term career ensures that you know where we are going, it is about your future and our future. We have had employees who have been with us for more than 40 years. I have been here for nine years despite the commonly known job-hopping trend that is characteristic of the South African labour market.
"This is because our work requires a long-term focus and we pay very well."
Being an international company, there is a need for international experience, which is priceless. Local exposure is not sufficient in today's world.
"We don't call our graduates 'trainees', we refer to them as key account managers who acquire crucial experience with training combined with global resources," Makhathini said.
The organisation has succeeded due to its use of a global recruitment system. It assesses its candidates using success drivers that determine what the candidate needs to prosper.
According to Makhathini, candidates fail during interviews due to certain reasons.
"If we feel you lack leadership values, which is crucial to us, then it becomes hard for us to employ you," he said. "Our success criteria also demand that we hire those with the ability to think and act decisively, building diverse collaborative relationships, adapting to change and operating with discipline.
"The candidates' character is analysed to see if the company can embrace it for both of us to be successful. Past experiences are also crucial for us."
Makhathini said that factors such as skills and knowledge can be built, but not leadership skills.
"At some stage you will be required to leave your comfort zone to relocate to another country, so you need to also be the kind of person who embraces diversity, which is a requirement for your career progression."
In the interview, conflict solving skills are also required.
"Have you been in a conflict situation where agendas differ but can all be merged to solve it? This means that there was a lack of dictatorship and you managed to mediate successfully.
"This means that you are solution driven, not violent, and you have no problems about anger management. We also prefer all-round people who can work and also network with all types."
GROWING STAFF FOR success
Maryanne Maina
Maryanne Maina
Proctor and Gamble is the largest fast moving consumer goods company in the world with various products such as Head and Shoulder shampoo, Olay, Baby Pampers and Always pads. The company entered South Africa in 1994.
Thulani Makhathini, the head of human resources for the east and southern regions, focuses on hiring new staff to grow the organisation to new heights. He explained the interviewing and hiring processes of the company.
"We prefer people with zero experience so that we can grow them and 'proctorise' them," he said. "The company offers on-the-job local and overseas training to our staff."
As far as on-the-job training is concerned the manager works with an employee to develop him or her, professionally.
"The purpose is to grow from within so that we can promote our own people into managerial and leadership roles globally," Makhathini said.
"The long-term career ensures that you know where we are going, it is about your future and our future. We have had employees who have been with us for more than 40 years. I have been here for nine years despite the commonly known job-hopping trend that is characteristic of the South African labour market.
"This is because our work requires a long-term focus and we pay very well."
Being an international company, there is a need for international experience, which is priceless. Local exposure is not sufficient in today's world.
"We don't call our graduates 'trainees', we refer to them as key account managers who acquire crucial experience with training combined with global resources," Makhathini said.
The organisation has succeeded due to its use of a global recruitment system. It assesses its candidates using success drivers that determine what the candidate needs to prosper.
According to Makhathini, candidates fail during interviews due to certain reasons.
"If we feel you lack leadership values, which is crucial to us, then it becomes hard for us to employ you," he said. "Our success criteria also demand that we hire those with the ability to think and act decisively, building diverse collaborative relationships, adapting to change and operating with discipline.
"The candidates' character is analysed to see if the company can embrace it for both of us to be successful. Past experiences are also crucial for us."
Makhathini said that factors such as skills and knowledge can be built, but not leadership skills.
"At some stage you will be required to leave your comfort zone to relocate to another country, so you need to also be the kind of person who embraces diversity, which is a requirement for your career progression."
In the interview, conflict solving skills are also required.
"Have you been in a conflict situation where agendas differ but can all be merged to solve it? This means that there was a lack of dictatorship and you managed to mediate successfully.
"This means that you are solution driven, not violent, and you have no problems about anger management. We also prefer all-round people who can work and also network with all types."
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