software engineer

senior consultant

consultant

project manager

senior software engineer

People are the most valuable asset in any corporation.  With close to a half million active IBM'ers around the world you will be simply amazed but the variety of skilled, experienced, driven people in the organization.  The most diverse company I have ever seen, IBM has lead diversity in the workplace to the point where is should be recognized as a gold standard in this regard.  

IBM has been involved in so much of what we take for granted in modern society that it would hard to comprehend a world without it.  But of course in this age of technology you have to change - fast.  This requirement to change quickly is the most important aspect of IBM's survival and relevance moving forward.  IBM really does not have 1 single direct competitor, it really competes with just about everyone, just as it partners with those same organizations.  This is a delicate balance that is difficult to do well or consistently.

It's not all roses of course.  With an organization of this size - both in people and capabilities, consistency is a big issue.  Kind of like a very large orchestra - but one spread out over many venues and countries.  It's very difficult to execute consistently across all venues.  So what is beautiful music in one business unit in one country may be a terrible noisy mess in another.

This pliability of the organization makes it difficult to change with speed.  Speed, or lack of it, is what kills off organizations today.  To it's credit, IBM knows it has a problem and communicates its well but inertia is hard to change.  The really hard decisions with regards to compensation, business units, workforce revitalization are still to be executed and this is clearly accelerating the decomposition of the organization.  I do expect IBM to survive and prosper but process will be difficult for everyone.  For legacy IBM'ers some will ride their momentum and adapt, some will be enticed to take their valuable experience and leverage to their (financial) benefit.  Others will get (or have been) unceremoniously forgotten and dumped.

For people looking at IBM as new or professional hires beware of the inconsistency.  Expect your role to change in the 1st year and then continue to evolve.  If you are attracted this this type of uncertainty you can really use it to your advantage.  IBM is really a "chose your own adventure" kind of place.  If you take the initiative, you can really take advantage of the organizations size to learn, explore and experience just about anything.  I have always situated myself as client facing and actively looked for new roles every 24 months, those priorities have allowed me to dictate my own pace, experiences and resulted in a pretty fulfilling career.  There is pain and discomfort in seeing good (often REALLY great) people leave and be RA'ed (Resource Action - i.e. fired), but such is change.

IBM, on average, pays less than market.  It does how ever make up for a lot of that in flexibility.  Most IBM'ers come and go as they please and really are only accountable to their clients (1st) and management (2nd - sometimes a distant 2nd).  If you are being over managed you probably need a new role. - Again my perspective is as a client facing sales person - so I probably have, or have exercised above average autonomy.  I know a lot of people that are more technical delivery focused and struggle a lot more.  At a minimum, the contacts and the work experience are always valuable and worth the time invested.

Sticking with the musical theme here, overall IBM is filled with people who frequently make beautiful music.  If the organizational composers and conductors can figure out how to create more hits, they could kill it.  - The talent and venues are certainly ready for it, I personally think bringing in a lot more young talent (faster) combined with updated leadership could really transform the organization with the speed needed to continue to be essential to a modern world.

Clearly all these overly generous rear kissing reviews are being padded by HR folks at IBM.

•Do you like working long overtime hours for free?

•Do you enjoy being forced to take on 2-3X the work when employees are laid off and no replacements are in the budget due to unrealistic company goals?

•Do you love being told to do the needful by unqualified employees from India who you have to cover for and quality check every instance?

•Do you crave being antagonized in reviews for delivering in what the client wants but not overbilling enough?

•Do you fancy delusional out of touch managers telling you IBM is a fantastic place while all the best people leave every month for better companies in the GTA?

•Do you savor at award programs, benefits and eligible expenses being eroded away and cut ?

•Do you cherish being harassed to donate to ECF so IBM can take a cut of of it for themselves and take all the credit?

•Do you delight over sugar coated e-mails and department meetings that insult the intelligence of employees and demand more from them while giving no incentive?

•Do you prefer a mafia style mentality where higher ups threaten you to overbill the client and "find work" to charge them on weekends so they can profit and give themselves bonuses (aka innovation summits) ?

•Do you relish in getting a 2 rating for decades with 0% bonus and raises and no job security each spring during RA season?

•Do you agree with having to write 20-40 pages of paperwork and hundreds of hours of courses on your own time just to apply for a promotion which might score you a ~4-5% increase?

•Do you enjoy missing weekends and special moments with your family because IBM management lacks any empathy for anything but their business needs?

•Do you take pride in having to spend part of your job advertising yourself to some Personal Development Manager sitting at home who is responsible for raises and career growth despite them not knowing what you do or understanding what you face daily like a real manager in the trenches should?

•Do you appreciate paying for education out of your own pocket or forced to learn HR courses pushed down your throat to make Think40?

•Do you revel in bloated red tape and redundant layers in every aspect of your job and inadequate tools to accomplish your tasks?

•Do you believe sacrificing your health, personal life balance and higher earning potential elsewhere is worth sucking the happiness in life dry for this company?

•Do you prefer the negative strategy of being screamed at and bullied instead of positive reinforcement for motivation (ie. stick vs carrot)?

If you said yes to any of these, you deserve to be exploited by IBM.

When I started many years ago at IBM CIC Halifax was a great company to work for but it has been a downward spiral ever since.  
There is no work-life balance, managers require to work 44 hours per week and will often ask you to work weekends with no compensation to keep clients happy.
Promotions are not given based on your work performance. They are based off nonrelated paperwork and mindless business goals and how much time you spend outside IBM working to improve your skills for IBM so they can make more money off you. They expect you to give up your free time and the time you volunteer with other organizations outside work so you can focus solely on IBM increasing profit.
The benefits are extremely bad for a tech company, and seem to get worse every second year. Around 150$ for Optomitry every two years and it has to be the only tech company that offers absolutely no benefits for massage therapy.  They expect you to work 44 at least 44 hours a week and train at least 4 hours a week at a computer and won't even offer 1$ for massage therapy !! 
Management doesn't care about family life.  They often will demand you work what the client wants regardless of the hours, despite your family needs or any personal needs. You may be forced to work early morning or late at night.  
Management takes a lot of sick days and time off ... but if you as a regular employee get sick a few times, well, they will be the first to jump on you and tell you that you need to work more and the client needs your time.  Such double standard ita ridiculous.
They preach work-life balance but exêctpt you give up a lot of your free personal time to advance and earn. There is 0 work-life balance if you want to succeed.
Don't trust reviews from any Project Managers, they are the ones that get the bonuses decent salary, and time off, everyone else gets exhausted.

• Perform system analysis in a fast paced environment by displaying coaching, counseling and motivational techniques to the IBM Employees and one of IBM’s clients.
• Assist end users in solving the complex technical issues with all the applications such as Mainframe (ISPF/TSO, HOD and PCOMM), VMware, HP /Quality Center, MS Outlook 2010, Exchange Server issues, SharePoint 2007, Remote Computing, and Remote Printing issues in Windows 7 and XP operating systems.
• Perform workstation support services for the users including installation (operating system ,IIS and customized applications), upgrading, taking backups of the data before reimage or reinstall, troubleshooting, monitoring, VPN access configuration, printing problems, MS errors, connectivity errors, Symantec Antivirus (SAV) Issues, firewall issues, network issues and respond to system errors.
• Responsible for the deployment of new VMWare machines and training the end users on their functionality.
• Install and upgrade applications /operating systems, resolve all types of network issues, printer issues, access issues and other application issues on Virtual Machines which are located on VMWare ESXi 4 server.
• Add users to the virtual machines’ remote users group so they can connect from different computers and platforms.
• Assign the virtual machines to the people on four different VMware servers using asset center.
• Look up user’s virtual machines (VID) on vCenter server and perform power cycle to get them to work.
• Look up user’s Exchange server, Configure Outlook Profile and troubleshoot all types of outlook issues.
• Resolve Symantec Antivirus (SAV)/Symantec Endpoint Protection (SEP) related issues on end users computers.
• Use Active Directory to find user / PC information, also enable/disable PCs which are on the network.
• Perform testing, repair and maintenance on the PCs and handle various deployment of the project PCs.
• Provide expert and creative solutions to the remote users using RDP and Run As techniques to ensure customer satisfaction and high productivity.

• Customized desktops and laptops for end users; set up work stations, laptops and peripherals
• Resolved hardware /software issues on a daily basis
• Implemented and technically supported hardware and software applications for RBC, TD,BNS and large retail stores, HBC, Wal-Mart, GAP, Lob-laws, Shoppers Drug, LCBO
• Troubleshot, problem solved, installed, repaired and maintained hardware components for laptop, desktop, printers, peripherals and retail register machines
• Conducted ongoing research for challenges issues; supported and repaired such as IBM and Lenovo products and Lexmark/HP printers
• Implemented successfully different hardware IBM projects which included installation, configuration, troubleshooting, optimization of desktops, laptops and servers for more than 50 companies, 700 computers and 1500 end users a year at all levels
• Trained successfully new employees to become expert hardware technicians
• Analyzed technical errors and implemented new techniques for resolve problems
• Provided exceptional and high quality service to all clients and management
• Met and exceeded technical and customer service expectations in crisis situation
• Transitioned successfully Canada Post legacy servers (4 sites, each with multiple systems) outside of business hours and within 5 days
• Performed testing, installation, reimaged and updated applications
• Set up hosting facilities and installed and configured the network
• Trained successfully sales staff on new sales applications / IT products and software
• Communicated with end users to resolve ongoing concerns or problems over the phone
• Provided consistently technical training to end users and received excellent feedback
• Monitored and supported the backup process for LAN and recovery operations
• Resolved promptly customer requests and technical concerns
• Performed daily backup, hardware and software troubleshooting

Every day is a typical day. Supported all Loblaw related companies globally 24/7 for various sectors like corporate offices, warehouses, all the stores globally, all gas stations, pharmacies and different departments like Joe fresh, Photo studios/labs, optical section.
I have learned to manage to handle fast paced, hectic and critical situations and find solutions. Indeed it was really thrilling to work in that kind of environment. It is not an easy task, because we need to handle various hardware (like PCs, workstations, servers, POS related hardware, various printers,RF telxon guns, scanners, weighing scales, UPS, switches and routers) and software applications related issues, network related issues, Servers(Exchange,database,application,virtual servers), web sites and web services(various websites related to HR,finance,store related,global payment,gas bar,pharmacy,optical,etc..), RF applications, VPN,    Active Directory, authentication related issues. All of these are with different platforms like windows(xp,7,server 2008)
Unix, Linux, Mainframe etc and also SAP applications and many more. for all these we need to remember different user ids and passwords. from time to time induction of software upgrades,patches, fixes and new applications and we handled without any prior training. All the co-workers are really co operative , helpful in times of any clarifications, mutually exchange news ideas and method of resolving issues.
The hardest part--whenever there is a major power outage, network outage, internet outage, the calls will be pouring in unable to handle calls. the most enjoyable part --whenever an issue is resolved immediately without any time consumption. the client is happy and we are happy.

It is a good place to work for new grads, but if you don’t know how to be personable, it might be harder to move your way up. I’ve not been in the company for long; however, I have made a few connections through volunteering within the company. I did this at first because I was apart of the covid group who didn’t get much in person, but I wanted to meet the people I will be working with. The responsibility and the work I have received VS the other person who got hired with me in my department are very different as I made more effort with being interpersonal as well as work.

Training can be a bit bland, but most training anywhere is. The certifications that are offered are amazing and something to take advantage of. If you do, it will also be easier for you to move into different departments within the company and even outside. 

When you get a project, and if you do before you complete all your speciality training, the hours will be longer without a doubt. All specialty training is required to be complete within 6 months of being hired, but you can get a project within the first month or two. Try not to fall behind. Life happens; however, if you are working on a project and trying to complete training, expect to work more than just you’re 9-5.

Managers are understanding. I’ve personally been in the hospital a few times since being hired, and had to be on stronger medication. When I explained it to my manager, she did not put stress or pressure on me. She understood and was able to help me further. My colleague who got hired with me had the same situation happen to her, again our manager was more than just understanding.  

IBM has a high starting salary for developers ($70K) but it offers very little raise and bonuses (if any) even if you are promoted.

The benefits are okay. They are being reduced year by year though.

The company does not care about employees and its overall prospect the is negative, 

Career managers and career executives have run the company to the ground by gaming the books instead of innovating. The company tries to make up for its shortfall by regularly laying off people and cutting benefits/salaries/bonuses - instead of addressing why it is losing market share.

This causes many of the good people (including myself) to leave for greener pastures.

The management in IBM is over-bloated and inefficient. Politics between departments often pose severe obstacles to achieving business results. For instance, if we are to use an IBM product to serve a customer, then that product's department will try to rip us off by charging a premium (because that counts towards their quarterly results)

At other times, we can have departments rejected request of assistance to a customer by citing the request was improperly filed (in this case, it's my department doing it to others).

Job security is low if you are in a department that is not making a lot of money. On the other hand, if you are in a department that has good revenue, then you are also unlikely to be fired even if you are grossly incompetent.

In overall, IBM is a good place for people to start their career because it pays a fair amount for new graduates. It also gives people a taste of a typical corporate culture. However, the stay in the company should not exceed two years.

Creation of monthly billing reports for Manulife financial followed through from start to finish. investigated billing issues work area codes  and resolutions
Asset Tracking Database Verifications - inventory reconciliations and verifications. Asset reconciliation within and between multiple databases.  
Update to inventory databases, including new adds, variance corrections, moves, disposals. Financial tracking/reconciliation of asset value, in conjunction with Finance dept, where applicable. 
Maintenance accuracy, updates, renewal tracking. Audit ability of work within asset management scope to ensure consistent business controls compliance.
Manage asset deployment specifications, monitoring, and calibration. Costing and tracking from a multiple systems. Provides enterprise asset management software for long and short-term planning. 
Preventive, reactive and condition-based maintenance. Scheduling maintenance. Resource optimization and key performance indicators. 
Plan inventory to meet maintenance demand, making the right parts available at the right location when needed. Compiling with vendor contracts with comprehensive support for purchases, lease, rental, warranty, rates, blanket and user-defined contracts. Aligns service levels with business objectives by defining service offerings and establishing service level agreements (SLAs). 
Adapting to changing business requirements and connects with other global enterprise systems through a flexible business process configuration platform and service oriented architecture.

An incredibly frustrating experience. I was shifted from manager to manager several times in less than a year. Sometimes, I had no idea who I was reporting to, and at other times I had multiple people above me giving contradictory directions!  There were far too many directors/managers.

The hiring process was also deceptive - I was told that my work week would be 40 hours when I was onboarded. What I was NOT told was that those hours did not include any of the "learning opportunities" or "volunteer" hours that I was required to complete every week, pushing each workweek to a minimum of 43-45 hours. I was not aware of this until I tried to post a half hour of "volunteer" time, and apparently I was not the only one.  If the time is mandatory and must be completed on an IBM internal committee during working hours, is it really "volunteer"?

When I was finally assigned to a team, I had very good team members, from whom I learned a lot. Unfortunately, there was so much interference from all the management that the average day could be chaotic. For example, half our team could be pulled off our project at a literal 5 minutes' notice to attend a random "learning opportunity" meeting, while the rest were left to do twice the work in order to make deadlines.

If the job was well-compensated, I probably would have put up with the "volunteer" time, but the pay was poor and the benefits were mediocre. I had better health coverage working as a receptionist. If you can manage to stay longer than I did, you will get a pay top-up, but it was not worth it for me.

If you need experience in IT, there are other places to get it. I would never recommend this company to anyone who is starting out.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Software engineer 96 salaries reported	$110,393 per year
Senior consultant 16 salaries reported	$106,063 per year
Consultant 8 salaries reported	$97,750 per year
Project manager 3 salaries reported	$131,333 per year
Senior software engineer 4 salaries reported	$146,250 per year

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