What It Does: IBM designs, produces and sells computer hardware, middleware, and software. The companies also offer services such as IT consultation, web hosting, quantum computing, and blockchain. The company also specialises in AI, robotics, and computer automation.
Mission: IBM's mission is to be a pacesetter in the design, creation, and production of the most advanced information technology systems in the industry and the world, by extension.
Size and Presence: IBM employs about 20,000 employees across its 10 locations in the UK. IBM in the UK is located in Bristol, Edinburgh, Woking, Manchester, Belfast, Greenock, Hursley, Manchester Lab, London, Warwick, and North Harbour.
Best Known For: UK 300 named IBM UK as one of the best graduate employers in the UK. This company is best known for groundbreaking inventions such as the floppy disk, the UPC barcode, and the hard disk drive.
The Good Bits: There is job security. The company offers its employees numerous opportunities to grow and develop professionally. IBM has an excellent welfare program.
The Not-So-Good Bits: Pay raises tend to come occasionally.
IBM materialised into existence when several companies banded together to form Computing-Tabulating-Recording (CTR) in 1911. Three years after its inception, Thomas Watson was appointed as the General Manager of the new company. In 1915, he ascended to the post of the company’s president. In 1924, the company rebranded to International Business Machines (IBM), which it retained to date. The company expanded its product line to accommodate the production of office equipment such as electric typewriters.
In 1964, this company introduced IBM System/360, an instalment in its first computer series, into the market. This product was commercially successful because it didn't require users to rewrite its application before upgrading to more advanced models. In 2002, IBM bought PwC Consulting, a subsidiary of PwC, and merged this member firm with IBM Global Services. IBM has made other acquisitions over the years.
A memorable period in the company's history was between the 1980s and the 1990s, when the computer industry witnessed a shift from mainframe computers to personal computers. IBM has been a fixture in the United Kingdom since 1912, which was when International Time Recording Company, the firm preceding IBM UK, was established. Today, IBM is one of the largest IT companies in the world.
IBM has an excellent work culture thanks to its sound corporate policies. The company is a community, and it's people-centric. Even the staff members have a collective name -IBMers. Initially, the company mandated a strict corporate dress code for its employees, but the dress policy was eventually relaxed. The employees lend support to each other when needed, making it the ideal place for fresh graduates and interns. Its core values include collaboration, openness, trust, and inclusion. The company opens its doors to every qualified employee regardless of sexuality, gender, religion, race, or age.
As one of the world's leading IT companies, IBM is packed with some of the brightest minds in the industry. These are people whom fresh graduates and interns can learn from and realise their potential. Though the company is rife with red tape, the company provides its employees with the necessary support to learn and grow. The employees also gain exposure from the rich work experience.
IBM receives numerous applications on a yearly basis. The company selects its employees by reviewing the submitted applications, subjecting the selected applicants to a virtual test for the initial assessment, and then to a series of interviews. The successful candidates will receive a job offer.
IBM pays its freshers an annual average salary of £40,000.
IBM intends to equip several youths with soft skills and train them with new digital technologies.
There’s no widely published controversy tied to IBM in the UK.