IBM: Careers Review

Editor’s note: Anina Ot contributed to this article.

Of the many prestigious companies in tech, few have a history as far-reaching or a reputation as sterling as IBM. With roots stretching across a century, IBM has grown from a modest business machinery manufacturer to a global technology provider and consultancy, employing over 370,000 workers and offering services in over 170 countries. 

Today, it ranks in the top 10% of the Fortune “500,” netting an annual revenue north of $70 billion in the last several years. IBM’s services are wide-ranging — including cybersecurity, microprocessor manufacturing, artificial intelligence (AI), and data analytics — and it is a major contender in the competitive fields of cloud computing, cloud storage, and enterprise data storage solutions.

IBM is a leading employer for tech professionals looking for a long-term career in data and enterprise-grade storage:

See more: Data Storage Job Market Trends

Locations

Headquartered in Armonk, New York, IBM maintains major campuses across the world: such as in Cambridge, Massachusetts; Delhi, India; Zurich, Switzerland; and dozens more. 

These are where the largest concentrations of IBM employees are located, according to LinkedIn.

• 220,000 employees are based in India
• 125,000 employees are based in the U.S.
• 18,000 employees are based in the U.K.
• 16,000 employees are based in Brazil

As of 2021, 80% of IBM employees are expected to be working in a hybrid model, where part of three workdays will be spent in the office. Furthermore, 10% to 20% of employees could work entirely from home.

Culture

As an employer, IBM has been consistently forward-thinking, being one of the first companies to introduce group life insurance and other now-staple benefits, such as paid vacations. From a corporate culture standpoint, the company promotes from within and emphasizes the importance of career development pathways for its employees. 

Over the last 100 years of operating, IBM has developed basic beliefs to guide and direct employee behavior:

• Excellence
• Respect for the individual
• The best customer service in the world

The company challenges its pool of talent to be independently motivated, think creatively, and live “A Culture of Think.” Though these high standards can be demanding, IBM has also adopted a work-life balance philosophy, similar to many other major companies seeking to retain their talent rather than burn it out.

The work culture at IBM operates under three core values:

• Individuality: Employees shape their paths at IBM. No matter who they are or what defines them, they’re all an integral part of IBM.

• Curiosity: Everyone has the power to make changes that’ll shape the future of millions of people, starting with the desire to be and do more.

• Possibility: Driven by purpose and ambition, IBM employees solve problems and develop solutions that alter the fabric of IBM and their clients.

People

IBM has embraced a culture of diversity and inclusion, welcoming minority groups and attempting to carve out a workplace that is accepting of all walks of life. 

These policies extend beyond the corporate campus, and the company has made numerous investments across the globe in furthering LGBT+ awareness campaigns, civil rights issues, and uplifting underprivileged citizens. 

IBM launched its Be Equal initiative in 2019 to “expand, enable, and ensure equality for everyone.” After the first year, IBM says:

• 41% of women at IBM were promoted to executive positions
• 87% of IBM employees are able to be their authentic selves at work
• 15% of new IBM hires in the U.S. are from a non-traditional background

Despite offering a wide variety of services at IBM, the majority of employees are information technology (IT) professionals (156,000) and engineers (116,000), according to LinkedIn. Other specialties include:

• Operations
• Program and project management
• Business development
• Consulting
• Finance
• Human resources
• Research
• Art and design
• Marketing

IBM’s pool of expertise is reflected in the majors and degrees its employees have earned.

The most common degree is in computer and computational science, with 82,000 employees, and the second most is IT, with 23,000 employees at IBM. Thousands of employees at IBM also specialize in:

• Business administration and management
• Electrical, electronics, and communications
• Computer engineering
• Mathematics
• Finance
• Marketing
• Human resources management

When it comes to skill set, many employees at IBM are knowledgeable in project management, leadership, and business analytics as well as a handful of programming languages, such as Java, SQL, and Python.

Recognition

In keeping with its commitment to diversity and inclusion, IBM was recognized last year by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) for being one of the “best places to work for” in terms of LGBT+ equality. HRC has given IBM similar endorsements in past years. Further, Mediacorp Canada recognized IBM as one of “Canada’s Best Diversity Employers” in 2020.

In a broader sense, business publications have praised IBM for its innovative strategies and leading-edge work in blockchain technologies, cloud computing, quantum computing, and AI development. 

For 27 consecutive years, IBM has topped the U.S. patent list for various technologies. In recent years, the market analysis firm IDC has named IBM the “#1 Storage Software Company” in the world.

IBM has received many other awards and accolades over the years, including:

• “World’s Most Admired Companies” by Fortune in 2021
• “Top Company for Executive Women” by NAFE in 2020
• One of the “World’s Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in Enterprise” by Fast Company in 2020
• One of the “World’s Most Ethical Companies” by Ethisphere Institute in 2019

See more: Dell Technologies: Careers Review

Ratings

More than 80,000 former and current employees share their impressions of IBM at Glassdoor. Here’s how they rate IBM: 

• Overall: 4.0/5
• Cultures & Values: 4.1
• Diversity & Inclusion: 4.3
• Work/Life Balance: 4.0
• Senior Management: 3.6
• Compensation and Benefits: 3.5
• Career Opportunities: 3.9

• 90% of employees approve of the CEO
• 82% would recommend working at IBM to a friend
• 66% have a positive business outlook
• 69% found the interview experience positive and pleasant

Benefits

Employment benefits at IBM provide a solid foundation on which to build a career and include:

• Heath, vision, and dental insurance
• Disability coverage
• Health savings account (HSA)
• Flexible spending account (FSA)
• Wellness benefits
• Parenting support benefits
• Parental leave
• Family medical leave
• Paid time off and holidays
• Employee discounts and perks
• Tuition assistance
• Retirement plan
• Professional development programs
• Charitable giving match
• Professional support and assistance

Other benefit ratings for IBM at Glassdoor include:

• 3.5 out of 5 for 401(k) plan
• 4 out of 5 for maternity & paternity leave
• 4 out of 5 for working from home
• 4 out of 5 for adoption assistance
• 4 out of 5 for tuition assistance

Job Openings

Being one of the largest global employers comes with having a constant demand for talented, prospective employees. IBM currently has more than 15,000 job openings posted on its site, ranging from full-stack Java application developers to security consultants with expertise in identity and access management to talent acquisition partners. 

The company seems to be hiring on nearly every continent, so if you’re seeking to develop a career in business and IT services, odds are there’s an IBM office in your region. And for those looking for a career in the realm of data storage, here is a sampling of what’s available at IBM:

• Storage Consultant, Data Protection & Cyber Resiliency: Creating full data life-cycle solutions with high-availability backup and recovery. Position in Germany.
• Storage Solution Architect: Designing the storage architecture, solution briefs, and producing canned demo videos. Position in Maharashtra, India.
• Cloud Storage Software Developer: Responsible for designing and developing storage integrations to enable business cloud platforms. U.S. position, available country-wide.
• Storage IO Integration and Bring-up Engineer: Developing next-generation storage and IO drawers, integrating and testing storage subsystems, and supporting current and legacy products through the product life cycle. U.S. position, available in Minnesota.
• Cloud Storage Support Engineer: Entry-level software development and support position available to high school graduates or those with a GED. High degree of customer interaction and support. U.S. position, available in the Chicago area.
• Storage Specialist: Client interface and support specialist. Responsible for providing in-field and on-site residence support services for high-end storage systems. Position is in Mumbai and Maharashtra, India.
• Storage Sales Specialist: Work closely with clients to understand their needs, maintain the relationships, and implement technical solutions. Position in Madrid, Spain.
• SRE Storage Lead: Software development focus, along with monitoring of hardware availability; latency; performance telemetry; and planning of capacity allocation, emergency response, and change management. U.S. position, available in multiple cities. Preferred location is Austin, Texas.
• Storage Administrator: Responsible for the design, installation, configuration, security, and maintenance of enterprise data storage systems. Follow, maintain, and produce in-house documentation for disaster recovery and other procedures. Position in Radford, Virginia.
• Storage Service Expert, Big Data & AI: Creating high-performance computing and object storage solutions for customers. Position in Germany.

See more: Top 5 Data Storage Companies Hiring