Top students explore bright careers
PROCTER & GAMBLE (P&G) Malaysia rec ently held its first-ever Open House with the aim ofattrac ting and rec ruiting loc al students from private and public universities and c olleges.
The Open House 2 016 was attended by some 2 00 ofthe c ountry’s best and brightest young minds who rec eived valuable, first-hand insights from team members on how a c areer in the c ompany c an develop them into leaders.
P&G Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei c ountry CEO Ong Yuh Hwang shared with the students how he started his first job at the c ompany 2 0 years ago and has sinc e worked in four c ountries, over 10 assignments holding loc al, regional and global roles.
He openly disc ussed the c hallenges and adventures experienc ed throughout his c areer.
“As an organisation, we pride ourselves in attrac ting and hiring top talents as our strength lies in our talent pipeline,” he said.
“We believe this generation of passionate and tec hnology-savvy youths brings a spec ial set ofskills with them, and we are c onfident that we c an provide an environment that will c elebrate their individuality and allow them to perform at their peak.
“There’s no substitute for handson experienc e when it c omes to leadership development. That’s why we c reate meaningful and c hallenging responsibilities for every employee from day one.
“We groom our employees from the start to prepare them for future roles, so as to build mastery and c apabilities.”
Ong added that he himselfhas seen how employees are the most important sourc e ofthe c ompany’s c ompetitive advantage.
During his session with the students, he shared former CEO Ric hard Deupree’s famous quote, whic h was “Ifyou take away our money, our buildings and our brands but leave us our people, we c an rebuild the whole thing in a dec ade.”
Said Ong: “To identify talent during rec ruitment, c andidates go through three rounds ofinterviews whic h also ensures impartiality.”
Evan Ho, P&G Malaysia’s human resourc e direc tor, said that staff will rotate their assignments and also undergo experiential on-the-job learning.
“In Malaysia and elsewhere, we seek out staff with princ iples, values and purpose. Those who are ac c epted will be given an early responsibility as manager,” he said.
“They c an also expec t to be rotated loc ally as well as internationally.”
Ong, a Singaporean, was based in the USA when he was still single, in China after he was married and now in Malaysia, where his sec ond c hild was born.
“The students who were invited to the Open House were those with a rec ord ofc urric ula ac hievements along with ac ademic exc ellenc e,” said Ong.
“Among our staff, we are not only results-driven but also look at their potential. There are some people who c an deliver high performanc e but have low potential.
“We want to advanc e those with the right attitude, ability to think strategic ally, func tion in a group, have good personality and high EQ.”
Ho added that P&G is keen to work with millennials and empower them with the development tools to grow in a long-lasting c areer within the organisation.
The event also saw the students taking part in a c areer panel session and a networking dinner where they had ac c ess to several P&G leaders and employees from various divisions.
These sessions were arranged so that the students c ould engage with the c ompany and gain valuable insights on their likely c areer progression.
P&G leaders are ac tively involved in the rec ruitment and mentoring proc ess among tertiary-level students, guiding them towards maximising their skills set with their internship programme and full-time roles.