I applied for the position after attending a full-time HR/campus informational webinar a month before the first outreach.
The initial outreach was friendly, yet the interactive parts made me disengage and raised red flags, as highlighted below.
Initial Outreach: My primary point-of-contact was an HR Campus Recruitment Manager/Chief of Staff for PepsiCo's food division, and they were very prompt to schedule our first interview (of which they were 1 of two interviewers). No phone screening was involved; you'll want to sleuth the careers site and grab a copy of their interview prep guide, as it will not be included in your confirmation e-mail.
Stage 1 (2 -on-1 Panel Interview): This discussion was approximately 30-45 minutes long with brief pleasantries and strictly involved answering behavioral questions centered on PepsiCo's Great5 principles. I spoke with two managers.
Anyone in this process stage should know that these behavioral/situational questions are general and *not* tailored to address relevant, required core HR competencies noted in the job description. I was not asked any questions to verify basic familiarity with the CPG industry or the PepsiCo brand. It was a missed opportunity to discuss recent strides the company has made to expand its reach and how HR is instrumental in that.
This aspect made for a shockingly disappointing and nerving candidate experience, and understandably, it can throw people expecting a more refined, profession-specific set of questions off guard; nonetheless, I did my best to tie some top HR competencies and leadership experience into responses.
I was also asked about my degree completion date and availability to relocate as opportunities arise. Salary expectations were not addressed since it is a non-negotiable term.
After the formal portion of the interview, my questions to the team touched on potential logistical/organizational pain points I had funnelled from the job description and previous interviewee reviews. The managers were open in their answers, and I imagine they have several people to interview (there are 45 vacancies]. However, the lack of personability and fatigued reticence to assess my fit/potential as a contributor to the culture felt unattractive.
Step 2 (Final 1-on-1 interview with Senior Manager): I await feedback on whether I'll proceed [and will update here accordingly]. Based on previous/similar roles, this stage should last approximately 60 to 90 minutes and is primarily a cultural fit discussion.
Stage 3: Offer.
Final thoughts:
Overall, I would be hesitant to accept the position if offered.
Firstly, considering this is an HR generalist/HRBP-oriented position targeting master's degree students, the CR team needs to reflect on their future approach: create behaviorally-based, competency-informed/subject matter questions by adapting the G5 framework to your recruiting roles. Although this is a campus hire, a large brand can objectively do much better.
This role is best suited for folks with <2 years of HR experience and who yearn for big-brand exposure. If you are an advanced degree student with 3+ years' experience, the compensation and scope of duties could feel like a career regression.
However, learning that *all* HR Representative roles are field-based in order for new hires to understand business operations/relationships took some coaxing from the managers I've spoken with, which is good to know.