AND WHY THE TECH GIANT WANTS TO HEAR FROM PEOPLE LIKE YOU
* EXCLUSIVE TO GRADUATE FOG! *
IBM is one of the world’s largest IT and consulting services companies: from helping transform healthcare to improving customers’ shopping experiences, it’s what IBMers do. Their work and their people can be found in all sorts of interesting places. Mathematicians, coders, and web designers contribute to creativity in the kitchen (check out ‘cognitive cooking’ with IBM’s Chef Watson), rerouting traffic jams… even designing the next generation fan experience in sports stadiums around the world. It’s the kind of thing they’ve been doing for more than 100 years.
Interested in any of the above? Then you’re in luck – because applications are open for graduate roles in IBM’s business, consulting and technology teams. But what does it take to bag a graduate job there – and do you have what they’re looking for? Graduate Fog asks Jasmin Curzon, graduate at IBM, for the inside scoop…
Graduate Fog: What sort of applicants are IBM most keen to hear from for their graduate positions?
Jasmin Curzon: The best and the brightest graduates from all universities, degree subjects, diverse backgrounds and abilities. Apple, Twitter, Facebook, Hootsuite, Box… These are just a few of the global partners who work with IBM to develop powerful mobile apps and help enterprises make smarter decisions with data analytics and cloud technology. IBM wants people that will make an impact, cultivate their expertise and collaborate with some of the world’s top business and technology professionals. So you need to be someone who thinks big and isn’t fazed by the scale of the challenges we work on. In fact, you need to be excited by those challenges.
Any must-haves?
The most successful people at IBM share a distinct set of characteristics. These begin with energy and creativity, along with a clear focus on delivering exceptional service to our clients. If you’re still studying, you’ll be working hard to achieve a 2:1 honours degree. If you’ve graduated, you’ll already have one. It’s also essential you have a genuine interest in the area of IBM you’re applying to. For most of IBM’s vacancies, it doesn’t matter which degree subject you’ve studied — that’s because the graduate training scheme can be tailored to your needs. IBM has no preference about which university you’ve studied at either. A strong applicant is a strong applicant, wherever they come from.
When and how should graduates apply?
All graduates looking to work for IBM must come through our two-year graduate scheme. Whether you’ve already graduated or are about to, you should register your interest on our website for all updates regarding graduates roles with IBM. Don’t leave it until the last minute before the deadline — remember that roles are filled on a first-come, first-served basis.
FAIR ACCESS: “A strong applicant is a strong applicant, wherever they come from,” Jasmin Curzon, graduate at IBM
What stages does IBM’s application process involve?
If your online application is successful, you’ll be asked to complete an online test which focuses on numerical problem solving. If that goes well, you’ll be invited to an assessment centre at one of our IBM locations. If you pass the assessment centre you will then be matched to a role. You will interview with the hiring manager for this particular role. At this stage you won’t be guaranteed an offer but the team will do their best to match you to the most suitable role.
Does IBM respond to all applications, whether successful or unsuccessful?
Yes. Every candidate who applies to IBM will receive a response to let them know whether they were successful or not. If you reach assessment centre stage you will also receive feedback on your performance if you ask for it. The team at IBM understands how important it is for graduates to be kept informed about progress with your application.
GRADUATE FOG CLASSIC! This super-popular post was first published in July 2014 and has been updated recently for accuracy
Any tips for standing out at application stage?
Make sure you have thoroughly researched our company. The person reviewing your application will want to see your understanding of our values, initiatives and your interest in projects we are delivering to our clients, such as data analytics, social, cloud services and security at Wimbledon. During the online application stage you will be asked to answer competencies questions. Make sure you provide very specific competency examples. The assessor will want to know what you did, how you did it and what the result was. An excellent applicant will have demonstrated they have all the required competencies, with varied and detailed examples.
What wows IBM in a graduate interview?
A passion for our company, and a detailed understanding of what we do. The interviewer(s) will be particularly impressed if you can link your passion for one of our products or projects to something in your life which you are passionate about. That is someone who really stands out.
What’s more important — knowing the right answers or handling the questions well?
Handling of questions is key. If you don’t understand the question or you aren’t sure which example to give, just ask your interviewer for clarification. It is always okay to pause and think about your answer before speaking.
What is a great question for graduates to ask at the end of their interview?
If all of your questions have been answered during the interview, ask the interviewer about their career history and what they enjoy most about working at IBM. This is a great way to finish the interview with a better understanding of personal experiences within the company, while you also continue to build rapport with your interviewer.
Any tips for impressing at assessment centres?
Be assertive and confident. Make sure you contribute to discussions within the group and don’t be afraid to ask questions to your fellow team members for clarification. Remember you can’t be marked positively if you don’t say anything! This could be your one chance to demonstrate your skills in order to land yourself a job at IBM.
What have you heard is the most common mistake that graduates make when applying for a job at IBM?
Not completing the online application form correctly, particularly the competency question section. Candidates can sometimes give very vague answers and not give any detail of what they did in their example. Be specific and remember to sell yourself.
Where are IBM’s graduate jobs based, and how much do they pay?
The starting salary for graduate roles at IBM is from £30,000. We have offices around the UK, but IBM requires its graduates to be flexible in terms of exactly where they will work. As a lot of the work is client facing you may need to be based on a client site.
What is the best thing about having a graduate job at IBM?
When our current graduates were asked what words they felt accurately described working at IBM, there were three clear winners: innovative, friendly, flexible. You’ll find yourself working in friendly environment with talented colleagues. And given the size and scale of our business you’ll experience huge variety in the work that you’ll get involved with and you’ll work with a range of clients across all types of business. Over 300 graduates join us every year, so although IBM is a huge organisation, you’ll instantly be part of a community of like-minded individuals.
* CONSIDERING APPLYING FOR A GRADUATE JOB AT IBM?
On the one hand:
“A strong applicant is a strong applicant.”
On the other hand:
“[Requires] a 2:1 honours degree.”
I find it frustrating that companies like IBM can’t seem to grasp that the world can be changed by and great innovation can come from a candidate with a 2.2 or a third.
I am not my degree classification and I wouldn’t change it even if I could.
@CostaDel
Thanks for your comment – actually someone made a similar point on Twitter earlier. They felt it was still ‘elitist’ for IBM to ask that candidates have a 2:1 or above.
Personally, I’m not sure I agree. The way I see it. IBM are offering a £30k job, including excellent training, prospects, benefits etc. Isn’t it reasonable that they ask applicants to have top-notch academic qualifications, as well as the talent / creativity (or ‘innovation’) you rightly say that less academically strong candidates can have too?
I accept that the 2:1 cut-off can seem like a blunt instrument to grads, especially as there is no real standardisation of grades across universities. And of course there are some great candidates who happen to have missed the 2:1 mark and got a 2:2 or a third, particularly if they had personal issues or circumstances which depressed their results somewhat (although – I don’t know about IBM, but – some employers will make exceptions if you have a strong case for explaining why missed a 2:1).
But as a general rule I think it’s fair for top employers to ask for top grades for their grad schemes. I also think it’s fair on candidates. What is the point of working your fingers to the bone for a first, if employers look at you and someone with a third as the same?
What does everyone else think? Am I missing something here? Should IBM and other graduate employers ignore graduates’ degree classifications altogether? In which case, what is the point of striving to get a first as opposed to a third…? I’m confused!
I assume IBM are looking for degrees in computer programming, physics or mathematics. IMO they have every right to ask for a 2:1 or more, because these companies want the most intelligent of their cohort.
I don’t really like the word “elitist”, but by definition that’s what it is.
I’m not saying it shouldn’t be their right or priveledge, but personally I don’t think that it’s right. If they truly value innovation and want to find the best candidates, they should look beyond the “blunt instrument” of a degree classification.
Some people are brilliant, creative makers, world changers and innovators who, academically, don’t excel. This is another barrier preventing those people from accessing a platform which might allow them to change the world.
Also, I don’t know if there’s any data about this but… Some students are poorer than others and need to work part-time in order to support themselves. Some students don’t need to work. I know that Universities expressly make it clear you shouldn’t work more than about 8 hours and study — but honestly, for how many students is that feasible? Maintenance loans just aren’t enough to get by on.
You ask what is the point of working your fingers to the bone to for a first if employers look at you and someone with a third the same: I’m not saying treat them the same, I’m saying balance out all the factors.
Would I rather hire a graduate with a first who did nothing but study hard and land grades, or a graduate with a third who did some really interesting things with their time? I would give a higher preference to the latter, because I’m not hiring an academic to do a Master’s degree or a PhD, I’m hiring a worker in a company who solves real-world problems.
Classifications measure ability in an academic environment and the ability to pass standardised tests. They do not test intelligence, nor is the world one big standardised test. If you want to measure intelligence, take a MENSA test. If you want to know how a person operates in the real world, look at what they do to occupy their spare time and perhaps what they were doing instead of getting a 2.1 / First.
I’m sure there are exceptions to the rule, such as a candidate with extensive work experience and knowledge of a string of programming languages.. but as an employer would you really want to do away with a degree criteria and sift through thousands of applications? They need to be practical. Students have the opportunity to seek work experience during the summer break anyway.
I think the idea that people with a 1st are only good for passing exams is short sighted. I do a stem degree and project work takes up a large amount of credits in the final years; This is work which can be tailored towards your future line of work. It’s definitely not all closed book exams.
It does not bode well for any organisation which, on the one hand, imposes a bar of a 2:1, but nonetheless require candidates to complete a “competency based” application form.
For candidates who complete any College/University Programme, their competences are fully defined by the Academic Credential which they are awarded.
What if I received my PhD diploma 4 years ago and worked in academia until now. Can I still apply for the graduate scheme?
Is it possible for you to provide an indication as to how long the matching process can potentially take. Several candidates I know have been waiting between 1-2 months and it is difficult to know when we should expect to hear back by.
Thanks
@Tanya de Grunwald
Your reply is both patronising and unjustified. It also fails to take account of the differing standards between universities so that what will get you a 2:1 at one university will get you a 2:2 at another.
Not only that, STEM subjects are themselves hard subjects to study and there is no real significant academic difference between final degree scores of 59.8% and 60.1% and yet the career opportunities and general life chances can be so different.
You ought to read Nigel Seaton’s 2011 article on degree classification and the late Richard Firn’s cogent criticisms of the current degree classification system.
Do you know roughly when in September 2015 the graduate programme starts. Is it at the beginning of Septmeber or near the end.
Thanks
Ife
“If your online application is successful, you’ll be asked to complete an online test which focuses on numerical problem solving. If that goes well, you’ll be invited to an assessment centre at one of our IBM locations. If you pass the assessment centre you will then be matched to a role. You will interview with the hiring manager for this particular role. At this stage you won’t be guaranteed an offer but the team will do their best to match you to the most suitable role.”
Okay…so, IBM recruit Personnel Clerks who, in assessing a graduate, rely on automated assessment of a candidates OnLine Test (even if the candidate possesses a Numeracy based Degree/Postgraduate Degree), and only then on an assessment at an Assessment Centre before any interview.
The main inference from this is that IBM need to employ Qualified and Experienced HR Professionals, who can assess a candidates Skills Profile on their basis of Academic Credentials.