Salary.sg Forums

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Hi, I have already graduate, local U with Business/ Marketing, but with a second lower honors.

Is it too late to even try to break in? Can't seem to find direct-hiring positions, are those called Assistant-manager roles?

I only have 2 internship, but only 1 relevant marketing internship.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Why do marketing in FMCG? Why not try marketing in other industries instead?

Originally Posted by Unregistered

I don't think you can compare both companies on such a definitive basis. Both are huge firms, and both have its own draw.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but as I mentioned earlier, both companies do not have MA programmes at the Bachelor's Level. Hence, it largely boils down to which internship has the better job scope and responsibilities, and which job appeals to you more.

If your end-goal is conversion, this depends on a bit of luck - whether they are hiring at that particular point in time. Typically though, from what i hear from the grapevine, P&G does have a better track record of converting their interns to full-time hires.

At the end of the day, as a fresh undergraduate, there is still a lot to learn, and I don't think you can go wrong at either firms.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Interesting rundown of the different companies. Between J&J and P&G, which would be a better company for an regular internship (not those for getting fast-tracked to the MA program)?

Originally Posted by Unregistered

I think what the other poster said earlier is largely correct. A huge part of whether you get into competitive MA programs is dependent on your performance on the actual day. Having a FCH only helps you get through the initial screening stage. Once you get into the AC, its how you perform that matters.

To go more into detail on the the various FMCG MA programs:

Unilever: I'm not too sure about the numbers they hired for 2016, but 3-5 would be a safe bet. Unilever don't do intern conversions, instead they "fast-track" one intern and one only to the final AC stage. So out of 12 candidates (2 AC rounds of 6 each), 3 - 5 would be chosen

P&G: P&G does not have a MA program per se. Instead, they prefer to convert their interns to full-time hires. They also typically have a open-house around March for graduate roles (one just ended not too long ago)

L'Oreal: I haven't heard good things about the MA program, or even about L'oreal itself. The program itself is 1 year (far too short IMO) and from what I know pays well below market.

JnJ: Like you rightfully mentioned, no MA program at the Bachelor's level.

Mondelez/Nestle: No MA programs for Singapore. I'm not too sure about their graduate roles, haven't been keep track of them that much.

GSK: Not too sure about this program. But from what i know, pay is average.

Diageo: Same as GSK, not too sure about this

Heinenken: VERY VERY competitive. From what i know, despite the requirements stated, this caters mainly to MBA holders.

As for timeline, typically most programs start their first round resume submission around Sept - Nov. First round interviews (phone/video) is in Dec, with the AC to be held early next year.

Having said all that, only you can best decide whether taking this LOA is worth it. You don't have an FCH, that's okay. But, how does your resume currently look? Discounting the difficulty of the AC itself, the challenge and hence the dilemma (correct me if i'm wrong) for you is on whether you currently have a stellar resume to pass the first 2 stages of resume screening.

My advice thus hinges on a few factors
1. Where are you interning this summer? I see that you have done 2 internships. Brand name IMO is not that important, more than your job scope. Its how you sell the job that you did that really counts
2. An alternative route might be to consider getting into Unilever/P&G internship programmes, which is much easier. From there, you can work towards getting converted (P&G) or fast-tracked (Unilever)
3. If you are not confident of your current resume, then I would say to go for the JnJ role. Its a good brand name, and would definitely aid your bid for MA programs. I don't think you should worry about off-cycle employment opportunities, there are always available. Graduating in Dec and starting in July is also pretty good, you can take some time off for yourself before becoming a wage slave.

Just my length 2 cents.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

I have friends who have one semester left to go and still managed to get into both firms during summer. After all, you are technically a penultimate year student as your last semester falls in the next academic year.