IBM

Can you let us know what company you are working for and which area of the business you work in or which rotation you are currently in? 

I am currently in the IBM Consulting Associates Program working within the SAP practice.

What was the first 6 months like?  What have you really enjoyed? 

My first six months at IBM were filled with new experiences, challenges and memories. Coming into the business with little knowledge on SAP created a steep learning curve but it also meant that I was able to achieve so much in such little time and learn many new skills. IBM puts a lot of emphasis on employee training and growth and I have learnt many things about my industry and grown in many ways through the mentoring opportunities provided by IBM. The exposure I have had in these first six months have been such a great learning and developing experience. I have enjoyed the exposure to so many different working environments, in the first few months I was allocated to a project where we had the opportunity to travel to Regional Victoria to one of the client's sites, and in the first few weeks I was able to speak and connect with IBMers from all over Australia but also different countries like India and New Zealand.

Was your position with the IBM Grad Programme as you expected it to be? Did anything take you by surprise?

To be honest, I wasn't sure what to expect when starting at IBM. I think I was expecting a typical working environment where you have your set team you are in, whereas, IBM is different with more of a matrix structure. There are so many people in different areas you can speak to and learn from which allows for enormous support when you're unsure there is always someone who is able to help you. I also was surprised at the fact that you work with so many people outside of IBM, whether that be clients, contractors, -business partners etc.

Everyone is keen on maintaining work/life balance, with that in mind what is the longest day you have put it and have you worked weekends at all?

In my first project I was working 'unconventional' long days and times. The project team travelled to the client site, where we stayed for approximately 4 weeks to assist in the Go-Live for the project. During a Go-Live it is pretty standard to work long hours (10-12 hours), weekends and sometimes overnights. 

On a day to day basis, what do you work on?

Consulting on a day to day basis can be vastly different depending on your project, area and client. I work within the SAP Practice which means most of my work revolves around that! My days involve collaborating with my clients and other contractors on the team, as on these projects you could be working together with people from other companies, to reach the end goal for the client. In terms of my current client, I am apart of the Testing team, so my day to day currently involves creating data, scenarios and test scripts to test in the SAP system being built. I also seek to identify any potential errors or missed information which will create problems in the end to end scenario. As it is early stages of testing I do a lot of reading and analysing of  documents to find links or areas of improvement. This part of the project is quite crucial so when the project is deployed and we have the 'Go-Live' everything goes according to plan as we've identified most and hopefully all errors.

Have you worked on any projects at IBM?

I have been part of two projects so far. I have been quite fortunate that both projects are so different to one another, this way I have had great exposure on different areas of SAP. SAP is huge system to learn, so it's been beneficial to work within different areas of the application to better determine which area I'm best suited and work towards that.

What systems do you use for your role in the graduate programme?

The main systems I use are SAP, Word and Excel.

What sort of support are you provided at IBM?

It has been such an incredibly supportive environment, IBM have quite a matrix organisational structure which has a great benefit in having various people to seek help and advice from, you never really feel in the dark about anything. There are also so many Slack groups to keep you involved and create open communication with my practice and my fellow associates. I was provided a buddy from my first day to have someone in the business to speak to directly. You are also allocated a people manager who is there to support you in your IBM journey.

What skills do you think you need to succeed in your role and do they differ from what you envisioned?

I was quite nervous starting at IBM, I didn't come from a prominent tech background, although I was presently surprised by the enthusiasm from IBM to provide me with the learnings, certifications and more to be able to succeed in my role while also helping me to improve myself. I think having soft skills will help you succeed in the role as well, as you're working in team based environments and with clients communication and team work skills are important. As the role is very project based, flexibility with your working environment is important too, as clients can hold different standards of work and you need to be able to adapt and learn.

What are the best perks or benefits at IBM?

IBM provides quite a few perks, such as Great Place for Deals which gives you deals for all different retailers. You get to travel, whether that be within Australia or globally, and you get Per Diems as well to cover some costs when you travel away from home. You're usually able to get your Birthday off too!