Are you ready for IBM?

Name: Lucia
Job Title & Business Area: Modular Systems Pricer

Why did you apply to IBM?
There were a couple of reasons actually. First of all, IBM is a large multinational organization with a variety of job possibilities and secondly, the active usage of English.

IBM is a well-known worldwide organization and offers an interesting selection of career opportunities, either oriented towards finance or customer services. Furthermore, the ‘official’ business language within IBM is English and since my studies were in English I really wanted to continue to use it actively, on a daily basis.

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  What was the selection process like?
  I was recommended through the ‘Employee Referral Bonus Program’ and was invited to an interview. I had a one hour interview with my current manager and also with another finance specialist. After a few days, I received a call to confirm that the interview was successful and that’s when my career at IBM has started.

  What do you do? What does your job involve? Describe a typical day/week.
  I’m a Pricer for System X products. Basically we process offers (bids) for our customers and we try to set the best prices that would lead to win-win situation. My job requires a good understanding of our guidance, creation of the bid economics, and communication with the Profit management team, Sales team and Deal Hub team.

  A typical day would involve a lot of communication with my profit manager and the sales team (as they are the ones who have insights into the deal) to agree on the best pricing for specific bids. As many of the cases I deal with are very urgent, a quick response from my side is crucial.

  What has the training and development been like?
  During my first two weeks at IBM, I’ve participated in the general finance educations and presentations. Then I had an additional education module with a pricer from IBM Germany who walked us through the main principles of this role.

  As we gained more experience and started overseeing different regions, we needed to be up to date with our range of products. Therefore we participated to all System X product presentations that are available via online education or are organized internally. So far we had three product presentations from which two were purely focused on system x products. I also enrol in various online education modules that are available and interest me, for example communication skills for resolving conflicts. I take every education session as an opportunity to learn something new that would help me to better understand my role, perform better and help me move forwards.

  What activities outside your day to day job do you get involved in?
  This would mainly concern preparing presentations on System X pricing for our newcomers or for colleagues outside the pricing department. I’m also responsible for our internal document storage system which I have to keep up to date.

  What would you highlight about the IBM culture, way of working and life as a graduate hire or intern to someone considering coming here?
  I would definitely highlight flexibility: at IBM, you have the option to work from home. Then I’d also highlight the young and diverse teams of people coming from different parts of the world.

  What’s the one main thing that you think you’ll remember from your placement year at IBM?
  For sure it would be my colleagues who are great people. Then I’d obviously remember the performance feedback that I received from my manager.

Name: Lenka
Job Title & Business Area: Financial Specialist for US GAAP Acc, Global Fixed Assets

Why did you apply to IBM?
I was interested in finding an accounting position and IBM offered me exactly what I was looking for. I aspired to work for an international company where I could gain experience and knowledge and where I’d have numerous opportunities for career development. My decision was also influenced by the culture of the company, the working environment and the wide range of benefits. Actually, I have to say that IBM gave me more than I was expecting at that time.

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  What was the selection process like?
  I submitted my CV online and my first interview was with a Recruitment Agency. The agency provided me with detailed information regarding IBM vacancies and I decided to apply for the Financial Accountant position. I was then invited to an interview with IBM managers who provided me with comprehensive information regarding IBM and gave me a clear picture of what the role would actually involve. The following day, I received a call from IBM and was happy to be offered the job, which I obviously accepted.

  What do you do? What does your job involve? Describe a typical day/week.
  As a Financial Accountant, I work in a team that provides accounting support in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (US-GAAP). I am working with SAP AP0 to complete various transactions such as asset capitalization, transfer, depreciation control and so on. I am also working with various databases where I am using QMF /SQL to pull data, prepare reports and perform balance sheets reconciliation. The role also involves daily communication with different sites, units and customers.

  There isn’t such a thing as a ‘typical day at work’ as the position involves many different activities that occur at different times during the month. Each day brings something new and I think that’s what I enjoy the most.

  What has the training and development been like?
  When I started at IBM I was trained in US GAAP accounting and gained a full understanding of the Fixed Assets accounting process as a whole. I completed education modules on SAP and QMF systems where I learned how to use them. My colleagues were always available to answer any questions and have helped me a lot to become an active member of the team.

  There are lots of development resources, training modules and e-learning courses which I use to improve not only my technical skills but also my soft skills. I feel that my manager fully supports me and encourages my career progression by pointing me into the right direction.

  What would you highlight about the IBM culture, way of working and life as a graduate hire or intern to someone considering coming here?
  I think the best part is the flexibility that we enjoy. Employees can adjust working time to their needs and there is also opportunity to work from home. I would also like to mention the exceptional relationships and friendly atmosphere within the work place.

  What’s the one main thing that you think you’ll take away/remember from your placement year at IBM?
  The main thing I will always remember is the amazingly friendly atmosphere and the openness of the people who work here. My colleagues have been of incredible help especially when I started working at IBM and they were always available to advise whenever I needed assistance. I like the open space office as it gives me the opportunity to know more people.

Name: Linda
Job Title & Business Area: Complaint Dedicated Resolution Owner UK and Ireland, IBM Global Sales Operations

Why did you apply to IBM?
In my case, it was quite an easy decision to make. Despite the fact that I am not technically or IT oriented, I viewed IBM as probably the best option to begin my career for various reasons.

First of all, IBM is a well established, respected, and stabile company with enormous possibilities for graduates who want to develop and grow. What is also very important at the very beginning is a job market research and to specify what you actually want. I need to admit that at the beginning, financial compensation was the key motivation factor for me strongly influencing my final decision. Nowadays, I realised that pay check is only the thing that kicks me out of bed in the morning but does not motivate me to become better performer. As the time went by, I realised that there are way more important things what a graduate should take into consideration such as corporate culture, physical and mental environment, and good relationships with fellow co-workers, supporting management, and overall happiness or satisfaction with what I do.

Secondly, international environment and working in English rather than Slovak language I personally see as a benefit that cannot be found in many companies. I communicate with colleagues across Europe on daily basis which makes my work even more interesting.

Third, IBM is a large organization enabling its employees to rotate from one department to another which creates a unique opportunity to learn, obtain new skills and experience, and thus avoid outflow of people to competition. So if you apply for a job which doesn’t fit your expectations, you have a choice to move into a new position and not just to leave the company.

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  What was the selection process like?
  I started to intensively think about my career approximately one year before graduation. I set up my priorities like what industry I want to work in, what I actually expect from my first job, and so on. Then I started to attend career weeks and workshops to get an idea of what is on the job market and can I expect. I also discussed work experience with my friends who graduated some years before me and had experience in various companies and positions. I believe that it is extremely important to think about future career before you finish the school and not leave it at the last moment. It is an important step that will affect your future career. First steps are always the most difficult.

  When I have finally decided for IBM, I contacted a Recruitment Agency and applied for a position. After an initial interview with a representative of the Recruitment Agency and discussion about my expectations, I was contacted back to discuss a potential role in the Complaints Department. The Complaints Centre of Excellence was a newly created center and thus I had an interview with a transition manager responsible for establishing this new department. The interview was professional and despite my initial nervousness, it all went well.

  What do you do? What does your job involve? Describe a typical day/week.
  I work as a Complaint Resolution Owner supporting the UK and Ireland. My role is to manage customer complaints by coordinating internal activities with the aim to expedite the resolution process and ensure customer satisfaction. In brief, this includes cooperation in creating action plans, moderating and attending conference calls, sometimes escalation to the upper management, and updating customers on progress. It is not an easy job and definitely not for everyone but I trust that it was a good decision as I have learned lot. I have improved my communication skills, learned about business networking, how to handle stress and work under pressure. It is a good school that gave me a lot.

  What has the training and development been like?
  The best thing about working in IBM is the variety of learning activities. The IBM intranet contains a versatile spectrum of on-line or in-class courses that are handy in your work but also very usable outside of the company. When I started to work at IBM, I along with other newcomers went through one day training called Your IBM where we learned the basics of IBM. After that, there was a two day session about how to use Lotus Notes. These two trainings are the basics that all newcomers get. After that, I had a complaint and CMT training for several days. When the training finished, I was assigned my first complaints and started to do my job with the assistance of a mentor. The mentoring sessions lasted several months and during that period, I build a very good relationship with my mentor. Thus, don’t be afraid when you begin with your actual work, I am sure that your colleagues will help you during your first weeks or months until you will get a perfect confidence. Each beginning is difficult as you have to learn everything from zero but with support of your colleagues, it will be much easier.

  How do you believe the skills you’ve learnt during your placement will help you when you return to university?
  Definitely, it would be a combination of practical experience such as ability to handle stress, time management, negotiation skills, and escalation process. The actual work experience is something that no school can teach you.

  What would you highlight about the IBM culture, way of working and life as a grad hire/intern to someone considering coming here?
  What I most admire about IBM is providing equal chances for employment to all people. I have instantly realized that the company is serious about that during my first weeks. Hiring people with disabilities is not unusual and diversity is an inseparable part of the IBM corporate culture. This is something what I personally very much appreciate.

  From a grad perspective, I recognize the opportunity to learn, grow, and work in a dynamic international environment.

  What’s the one main thing that you think you’ll take away/remember from your placement year at IBM?
  It helped me to be more realistic about my life and it restored my priorities. I adopted people skills like resistance, the ability to face stressful and often dead end situations. I become more organized and I feel that I better communicate with others. Overall, I feel that I evolved on a professional as well as on a personal level.