Interviews over, now the fun begins

Hi guys,

It has been a long time since my last post but I have been very busy with interviews recently. I am not going to disclose the names of the companies I have had interviews with but they are all fantastic companies with great training programs and career development.

The purpose of this current post is to provide interested parties with information about my interviews and hopefully offer some insightful information on how to be successful at IT and Business related interviews for aspiring IT Consultants.

The first company I had an interview with had 2 numerical tests. In order to become successful at numerical tests, practise definitely makes perfect. Of late I have bought several books which have numerous practise questions and extensive explanations to complement these questions. I bought a GMAT book and the questions contained are quiet similar to the questions I encountered.

Additionally the following books were useful:

How to Pass Graduate Recruitment Tests: Psychometric Tests - Amazon.co.uk order number: 736-7560689-7377113

Psychometric Tests for Graduates: Gain the Confidence You Need to Excel - Amazon.co.uk order number: 736-2054487-4243557

I will really like to help with verbal reasoning but those sometimes are just hit and miss, good luck.!

I had 2 group exercises; I guess to assess my team working, collaborative and communication capabilities. I vowed not to disclose any information relating to any of the group exercise but I feel that if you exhibit the following qualities you should be in a good position to progress:

- Excellent communication skills - What some individuals sometimes misunderstand is that you don’t necessarily have to speak all the time. Speak when it’s necessary and communicate your ideas with clarity and confidence.

- Good listening skills - "We have 2 ears and 1 mouth for a reason." Most of us :)

- Team work and collaborative skills - In the industry you have to work within a team environment.

- Creative thinking and problem solving capabilities - The exercises are not particularly difficult but they do require come creative thinking, an individual that "thinks outside of the box" stands a better chance of progressing

- Adaptability and Flexibility - Critical for dealing with changing client requirements as I encountered on the assessment day

- Passion for the business and the drive for success.

I didn’t have a personal interview but I am through to the final stage and I have been informed that this stage will include 2 interviews, 1 technical and the other a personal interview. I feel that doing my research on the company is key, especially knowing their key service lines.

That’s all for today guys. I will update the blog tomorrow, providing details relating to my second interview. Watch this space...

Graduation Day

Hi guys, here are some of the pictures I took from my graduation day in Canterbury.

Research on IBM

Diversity

IBM is committed to creating an inclusive working environment across EMEA. Our continued success in this region, and indeed worldwide, depends on ensuring that employees feel comfortable, productive and able to reach their full potential. We call it 'Respect for the Individual' and it's been a basic principle of IBM since its foundation.

Business Areas

IBM Global Services

The world's largest information technology services provider, with professionals serving customers in 160 countries and annual revenue of more than $36 billion (2002), or 45 percent of IBM's total annual revenue. IBM Global Services integrates IBM's broad range of capabilities - consulting, IT services, hardware, software and research - to help companies of all sizes realise the full value of information technology.

• Strategic Outsourcing
  Strategic Outsourcing offers and creates business value through the strategic management of IT Services on behalf of our customers. Our aim is to work in partnership with the business, and align business needs with strategic objectives.
• Integrated Technology Services
  Integrated Technology Services address the issues that lie at the heart of our customer's use of information technology. This involves the strategic application of networks, software, servers, management processes, tools and technology. We transform leading edge technology into "industrial strength" systems.

Global Business Services

Born out of the fusion of IBM's former Business Innovation Services (BIS) and PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting (PwCC) following the latter's acquisition in 2002. The world's largest consultancy operation, it offers customers a unique combination of Information Technology (IT) services & business and management consulting.
Its mission is to deliver lasting economic advantage for customers, helping them to capitalise on IT to improve their business performance.

Public Sector

IBM´s mission in the Public Sector is to help governments improve citizen/business access and service through technology, which it does through consultancy, managed operations systems integration and building and delivering solutions in selected market segments, including Central Government, the Ministry of Defence, Police, the Civil Aviation Authority, and the Post Office.

Benefits

When it comes to having competitive compensation and benefits, IBM has long been a leader and remains so. The design of the IBM package is intended to promote a high performance culture and the delivery will differentiate rewards based upon an employee's individual contribution to the business. We want to 'pay our best people like the best in the market'. But today, life and work have changed profoundly. We still offer more of the things that make work a pleasure and a fulfilment:

• Greater flexibility in managing family life.
• Greater freedom in charting your career development.
• Greater say in shaping IBM's products and culture.

IBM UK offers Flexible Working to its employees because it makes all round good business sense.

It enables IBM to retain skilled employees, increase productivity and potentially reduce costs. It reflects what our people want. Every request is considered by balancing the business need with the individual employee's request. It is centred on trust, one of IBM's core values. It also recognises that our people -- their skills, experience and knowledge -- are the very fabric of our business.

There are success stories right across IBM UK -- male and female employees; across a range of ages; and for a multitude of business and personal reasons.

At IBM, flexible working may involve a change to workplace location (including home), working hours and times of work.

What is an IT Consultant?

As an IT consultant, you will work directly with clients to help deliver their business strategy through technology - enabled business change and you will provide technical expertise to help deliver IT solutions.

What work will you be involved in?

A typical project could involve producing an IT strategy for the client, transforming and operating a client's IT systems, involvement in project management, acting as a systems integrator or implementing a change management or learning solutions programme.

Which part of the business will you work in?

IT consultants work within business areas that sit within IBM Business Consulting Services. These areas of the business assist clients with the design, build and management aspects of their business transformation to an on demand e-business. They also help clients manage their IT applications to increase revenue and productivity, reduce costs and ensure that their IT strategy maps to their overall business objectives

How will your career develop?

Over your first few years you must be prepared to move between different roles and gain a wide range of skills and experiences. You will gain an excellent grounding in product, business and technology which you can then build on in your future roles. You may decide to specialise in the design concept of a solution and become an IT Architect; you may enjoy technology leadership and move into project management; or you may choose to focus on the analysis and requirements of a project and continue your career path in consultancy.

Who does it suit?

You will need a keen interest in business and technology, however you don't need a computing related degree to be considered for these roles as we will ensure you get the grounding in the IT skills you need during your induction and that you receive on-the-job training as and when necessary. You must, however, be prepared to develop your technical knowledge to fully understand technical products and solutions.

We are looking for those high calibre candidates who have a real passion for Business and IT that display a genuine desire to succeed and thrive in a vibrant environment. You will need to demonstrate an enthusiastic, "can do" attitude and the flexibility and willingness to travel.

Training

We place a great deal of value on the training of all our graduate hires at both an entry level and on an ongoing basis. You will already have the aptitude and perhaps some of the skills that we are looking for - our aim is to refine and develop these so you are equipped with everything you need to work effectively.

Click here for a quick guide which will help you understand what specific induction and training you can expect to receive in your first two years with us.

We have a self-directed learning culture. This means that after any core induction and training that you go through on the graduate scheme, further learning is initiated and driven by you. You will need to understand your core skills, be responsive to changes in the business, anticipate future business needs and form clear objectives. This is about much more than just attending a class once a year - it is about noticing and responding to different types of learning needs as part of daily work.

2 - 5 years into your career

You will experience a variety of "blended" learning solutions, from Web Lectures to classroom based training. This on-demand learning will address your needs in delivering IBM's business and your personal and professional development needs as you start out in your career. Tailored to you, the learning will provide breadth and depth of knowledge, skills and capabilities.

5 years plus

As your career progresses, you can expect to be developing specialisms with particular methods, technologies and client groups. As well as ongoing learning being core to all you do, more specialised and in-depth learning solutions will become appropriate to support you in your role in the business.

We have state-of-the-art tools in place to ensure you get the right kind of training when you need it and a 4 tier learning model.

Goal setting

At the beginning of your career with us (and each year after that), you will set personal business and development goals. Your personal business goals will align with IBM's overall business goals and values. Your development goals will identify ways that you can improve to achieve your business goals.

These goals will guide you through each year and will be documented with your manager as part of our Personal Business Commitments program.

At the end of each year, your manager will evaluate how well you have achieved these goals compared with your peers, and rate your overall performance. This is a key factor in determining any performance bonus and future career opportunities. This framework is designed to reinforce our high performance culture and will effectively differentiate employees based on their contribution to the company. To sustain markplace leadership, we operate in an environment where every employee is stimulated to perform at their best.

Manage your career

We have developed a virtual career coach designed to help you understand who you are, where and how you do your best work. Once you have evaluated your personality, workstyle, interests, skills and experience the coach will then help you explore the options available to you - understanding IBM and our business strategies, what is going on outside IBM, helping you understand about other areas or professions in IBM. The coach will then help you identify the experience you already have and where there are areas for development. This will all then feed into your individual development plan.

Everyone at IBM has an individual development plan - a framework to identify strengths, interests, goals, needs and development activities. This will then be aligned to your personal business commitments identified each year. You will work with your manager, putting together your individual development plan, and it will provide you with a clear layout of your short-term objectives as well as long term goals and aspirations. You will then review this on a regular basis with your manager to keep it up to date.

We have produced career roadmaps that help plan your career within IBM. These maps will help identify what skills you need and how to gain proficiency in these. They also detail what specific experiences you need and projects you need to have worked on to move up the next step on the career ladder. They will help you understand what relevant education you need and will show you, where appropriate, when you will be able to achieve professional accreditation within your profession. They are essentially a guide and a map to help you plan your career.

News

Latest News

1. 05 Mar 2007

BBC and IBM create strategic alliance to embrace the digital future
The BBC and IBM have forged a strategic alliance, following the signing of an agreement for a framework outlining several joint projects between the two companies.

2. 22 Feb 2007

Home Farm Foods opts for managed services from IBM
Home Farm Foods mixes ingredients from IBM and Triangle to secure data and improve productivity.

3. 19 Dec 2006

IBM Service product transforms computing environment at Cardiff University
New Virtual Infrastructure Access service product from IBM provides students and staff secure access, anytime, anywhere to Cardiff University’s new Modern IT Working Environment

4. 13 Nov 2006

Natural England chooses IBM as its transformation partner
Newly formed government advisers embrace government shared services strategy.

5. 12 Nov 2006

Hampshire County Council to use IBM Software to Underpin Services Growth
Responding to increased service demand without a corresponding increase in costs, using IBM Service Orientated Architecture software.

6. 07 Nov 2006

UK Science extends to new fields of research with IBM supercomputer
UK National Academic Supercomputer doubles its capability again

7. 24 Oct 2006

IBM's Express Advantage provides simple solutions to complex problems for mid-sized businesses; new offerings target business flexibility, employee productivity and asset security
IBM offers solutions along with a strong network of business partners and enhanced customer experience cpabilities, targeted to mid-sized businesses

8. 18 Sep 2006

IBM-led consortium wins ground-breaking transatlantic defence research agreement
International Technology Alliance formed to drive joint research for U.S. Army and UK Ministry of Defence

Good to be back

Hi guys,

it is good to be back, as I had restricted access to the internet I have been reading up on the latest developments concerning technology and general news articles since I got back. It interesting how so much can change is such a short timescale.

I have been speaking to a few of my close friends regarding the kidnapping of the 3 year old girl in Nigeria. Initially I was enraged but after some time I was able to understand the plight of the local people who live in putrid and desperate conditions in a sea of vast mineral prosperity. Nigeria is the 5th largest old producing nation in the world and on that account, theoretically Nigeria should be one of they most economically developed nations in the world. Instead Nigeria is a land of underdevelopment, underachievement and a place where regions are controlled by feudalistic tyrannical dictators who selfishly transfer money belonging to their local communities to offshore bank accounts facilitated by western regimes, I guess this is why Nigeria is so corrupt.

During the Abacha regime our president, put in a position to serve the interest of the people had a standing order of $15 million a day to be transferred into his private Swiss bank account.

All im trying to say is that we should not judge a book by its cover, we live in a society that tries to fill headlines with trivial information when we should be more concerned with more life threatening issues such as the crisis in Dafur, how 24,000 people die a day from starvation and half the world population live on less than $2 a day.

There are huge social and economic inequalities in the world we live in. We need to make a change individually and use the advantages we have in the west to benefit the lives of people not as fortunate as we are.

Sorry but I just had to get that off my chest.

If you are interested you can view all my holiday pictures at the following location, http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/femipaul