Q&A With IBM Employees

Coworkers and culture

Working on code problems and solving them.

The amount of resources available and the global community/network.

resume fodder

there are people at my site that haven't been into the office in the last 4 months. but it varies depending on location.

No longer very flexible.

For many people working from home at IBM is very easy. However, the "colocation" bug hit marketing and other groups very heavily, in which many thousands were forced to come to the office every day.

Be wealthy: take unpaid internships, graduate from a Private University with latin honors, have an IBM employee who is best friends with your father from college, etc. Nepotism is a powerful thing.

Know someone who works at IBM, apply to remote/unpopular locations like Rocket Center WV, and submit an application for every position you think you're even remotely qualified for the 5+ years experience for entry level positions, line is a lie and doesn't mean you can't get the job fresh out of school.

Be a new graduate without expectations.

above market average

I haven't heard any complaints.

They are not bad, health insurance is very good, 401k is only paid out at year end so IBM earns the interest when you could/should be.

at least a shirt and tie, my interview was done via webex, if you come into the office, it never hurts to wear a suit.

Always dress for the job.

Normal business attire

Depends on the team and product.

Very rarely. Usually it is just a slight increase annually for inflation.

Not very often

both

I have a lot of good friends. Like foxhole buddies

a little of both

casual, (polo t-shirts and dark jeans) unless you're with a client, then you're in a suit.

Very Casual

Depends on the office. Anywhere from jeans and a t-shirt to three-piece suit.

leverage on other employees to shorten your learning curve

don't try to show off, you won't impress anyone.

Learn what you can and keep your resume VERY current. Layoffs are yearly and widespread.

give full freedom to succeed.

My direct manager

Dedicated to employee engagement

long tail sales cycle

Varies

I haven't heard any policy on the matter, I bet if you had a fish tank in your cubicle no one would notice or complain.

Not allowed...yet. Only Service Animals

extremely

A lot less than they say they are.

They tout innovation but decisions are made a glacial pace, it is frustrating to work on new ideas and then not be able to complete it because of the bureaucracy.

Not sure, but they should randomly check.

Not sure. I never knew who my HR contact was, so if I have a concern, question or requirement, I was a loss on who to go to for help.

Poorly. HR is unlikely to ever talk to you.

Poorly

Yes, collaborative

Excellent. They are brilliant people who are a pleasure to work with.

No

No

Yes

casual

that the cultural fit is important

fast and simple, lasts about 1 week

onboarding wasn't bad but it did last close to 8 weeks.

Depending on the department you will either be trained very thoroughly or not at all. Most divisions throw you into a job and you fend for yourself and figure it out. Find two or three peers with some time under their belt and depend on them for guidance...while you look for a job somewhere else.

collaboration, creativity, communication, critical thinking, problem solving,

Consulting focused skills: charisma, powerpoint, speaking, eye contact, the works. you're basically a salesman who writes code on the side.

Drink the kool-aid.

Making an impact on our communities and clients

IBM is on my resume for the rest of my career.

Meeting and learning from interesting and intelligent people around the world!

Interns ahve the opportunity to learn from the best and interact with clients or develop relevant innovative projects

There are no interns at my location, I do not know.

It can vary but in the marketing department it is normally a Summer program. Interns take on a project that is determined by their team and can be very specific in solving a real problem in their division.