IBM Global Business Services Reviews (558)
| 01.27.10 | National Marketing Manager |
| 04.24.10 | Marketing Representative |
| 10.30.09 | Systems Support Rep |
| 07.29.09 | Principal |
| 02.21.10 | Application Developer (applied for a U.S. Green Card via Diversity Lottery :) |
| 11.11.10 | Sr Project Manager |
| 01.01.10 | Information Designer |
| 10.29.09 | IBM Global Business Services Review |
| 07.29.09 | DB2 DBA on AIX |
| 06.06.09 | Last Job -- Sr Hardware Planner |
"IBM Global Services is recognized as a source of the highest level of skills in the industry."
IBM Global Business Services Review by National Marketing Manager in Chattanooga, TN on
What do you like about working at IBM Global Business Services?
Tremendous levels of responsibility. High business goals constantly required innovation to achieve measurements. Ability to work with the best resources available. Constant challenges in meeting multi-billion dollar revenues. Opportunities to lead major projects, work with fortune 100 clients, develop strategies with IBM sales and resellers. I was also given the most difficult products to change the revenue trends. There was great satisfaction in being recognized as a senior resource with the proven ability to turn around bad situations to IBM standards.
What don't you like about working at IBM Global Business Services?
Loss of loyalty to their employees. Multiple job actions annually resulted in general decay of morale among all employees. Constant shuffling of responsibilities among resources resulted in degredation of their contributions as subject matter experts.
What suggestions do you have for management?
Too many changes to affect short term conditions will negatively affect the overall performance and position of the core revenue products. The right course is more important than speed when it comes to tactical decisions. The strategic direction is still the best in the business.
Do you have any tips for others interviewing with this company?
IBM roles and responsibilities are at a much higher level that you may be accustomed to. Be prepared for quotas that are 10x the industry average, and complex business structures based on matrixed organizations. The expectation for entrepeneurial thinking is extremely high for all senior level and management positions. However, they attract the highest caliber of professionals who seek the acknowledgment of having IBM experience on their resume.
"It's not the company that it pretends to be."
IBM Global Business Services Review by Marketing Representative in Riverside, CA on
What do you like about working at IBM Global Business Services?
I dearly love that IBM at least maintained ’dedication to service’ among its core beliefs of respecting the individual, dedication to service, and striving for superiority.
What don't you like about working at IBM Global Business Services?
Management mistook termination threats for motivational tools from day one. A manager's attempted to unload a money-losing account onto an employee from another department was not even frowned upon. A branch manager actually said that he wanted 'greedy' marketing representatives. The meaning of ’greedy’ to intend the risk of unpleasant consequences to customers was clear. I took pride in providing customer with IBM equipment that correctly solved problems. Correcting a predecessor’s inferior solution cost me personally $20,000 in commission. But I was scorned for placing so high a value on professional relationships with customers. Management interfered excessively when marketers’ efforts began to pay off, attempting to take credit for themselves. When times were hard, and encouragement needed most, managers distanced themselves from subordinates; neglecting, abandoning, and blaming them instead. During a time of mass firing, I was singled out in a test for retention. By I had complained about management. And so a co-worker was instructed to take my result and claim it as her own.
What suggestions do you have for management?
Respect the individual, dedicate to service, strive for superiority in all things, and do no evil.
Do you have any tips for others interviewing with this company?
Hold to your own high standards. If IBM does not support them, take them elsewhere.
"IBM doesn't want to compete for US business anymore"
IBM Global Business Services Review by Systems Support Rep in Chandler, AZ on
What do you like about working at IBM Global Business Services?
Working in support of various Global Services customers makes the job more interesting. Installations in various environments and types of busnesses kept the OJT growth on a grand scale. Able to work from home and without direct day-to-day supervision.
What don't you like about working at IBM Global Business Services?
No security in any job. At any moment the needs of the business change and the company makes no effort to assist in maintaining trained personnel. The feeling of what is cheaper is the answer, and it never would have been in the age of when my father worked for International Business Machines before me or me in my job in later years. It is no longer a US company ,,, when a majority of its employees live and work in another country ... and no hire tickets within the US border. Why should people have to move to depressed areas within the US to keep their jobs when it offers no future or any job guarantees. So, it's okay to move me to the depressed area ... and when IBM laid me off there, there certainly was no assistance to find other employment, and I forced to pay for my own move to find employment.
What suggestions do you have for management?
Listen and adapt to the needs coming from those that report to you in either a business need or HR related.
Do you have any tips for others interviewing with this company?
store money and food for hard times ahead.
"Observations of diminished quality and market viability"
IBM Global Business Services Review by Principal on
What do you like about working at IBM Global Business Services?
For the first 5 years I was employed by this organization it was a growing and dynamic place with great opportunity to learn and many personal opportunities to take on different jobs and different roles. There was very little overhead, very little bureaucracy; it was all about get the job done and client satisfaction. Great environment to work in.
What don't you like about working at IBM Global Business Services?
The last two years the organization changed and not in a good direction. New management was moving it more into the Big 5 model with all the backbiting and finger pointing that went with that. IBM sacrificed dedicated resources in 2001 in a massive layoff for lower cost off-shore resources prior to the purchase of PWC and has suffered in quality, performance, and reputation since that time.
What suggestions do you have for management?
Focus on what makes IBM great as a brand! Quality
Do you have any tips for others interviewing with this company?
IBM still struggles with who they are...PWC or IBM. The cultures did not meld well initially and continue to have issues even 6 years later. From friends on the inside, be ready to discuss your technical capabilities and realistic in your expectations.
"Great deal, would do it again, any time anywhere in California, Nevada, New York"
IBM Global Business Services Review by Application Developer (applied for a U.S. Green Card via Diversity Lottery :) on
What do you like about working at IBM Global Business Services?
Great deal, would do it again, any time anywhere in California, Nevada, Atlanta, New York thinking global ... livin', working, seeing, listening globally
What don't you like about working at IBM Global Business Services?
I like IT Global, I do NOT want to be burried somewhere neither in the desert nor behind a fence in a very small very unknown village with cottages and lots of fields around and not the smallest business company in sight as far as your eyes can see ...:). That's why I don't consider it a good idea to send employees (that want to be part of some action) to such places (where they can only mooh with the cows, I mean: I would never go to e.g. Texas :)
What suggestions do you have for management?
Keep on doin' IT. You did and do a great job. Keep using and supporting Zend Technologies/PHP/Sun/Java/JEE/open source/linux and the established IBM Technologies like AIX/WebSphere/Rational Developer Tools,z/OS,Cobol,DB2,Lotus Notes, etc.
Do you have any tips for others interviewing with this company?
Try to train (body,soul,brain, whatever :) whenever possible, since being on the road/in the air/wherever for the IBM Global Services is definitely no time for "weenies" :)
"Got a lot of good experience and training, but I am definitely ready to move on."
IBM Global Business Services Review by Sr Project Manager in New York, NY on
What do you like about working at IBM Global Business Services?
There are still some truly exceptional individuals in the US divisions, based on acute competition and repeated layoffs of the "lower performers." This will change, though, as the US IT market loosens up, assuming it ever does.
What don't you like about working at IBM Global Business Services?
Working forty plus hours straight with catnaps only on deployments, being held accountable for performance of new hire offshore technical and PM Staff who are put on projects immediately without a clue, waiting to hear from my manager once or twice a year if I still have a job. . .
What suggestions do you have for management?
Take a longer perspective, understand that IT skills are not directly and immediately portable: knowledge and experience matter, fund travel so that I can at least meet my manager ONCE. I have had four managers in the last five years and not met ONE of them in person.
Do you have any tips for others interviewing with this company?
Get training, save, be ready to get cut at any time. Do not expect a career.
"IBM in MA is entering its "Campus" phase, so many will not follow from Cambridge to Littleton, MA."
IBM Global Business Services Review by Information Designer in Cambridge, MA on
What do you like about working at IBM Global Business Services?
Wonderful access to information. Bluewashing brings new employees up to speed quickly and efficiently. I completely enjoyed ArborText, creating online help, modifying the very heavy documents (how many thousand pages?).
What don't you like about working at IBM Global Business Services?
Taking 6 months for Politico/Executives to make decisions. With such a massive corporation, change is like watching mustard seeds grinding on huge stone wheels. Reorganizing the DataPower documents 2 or 3 times, adding to customer confusion as each new release comes out. I did not like the political infighting of tasks and task owners. I don't expect to go to work and hear bombs.
What suggestions do you have for management?
None, Management was excellent. It's not easy to run a global company and I think all in all, IBM has a great template.
Do you have any tips for others interviewing with this company?
If approaching Littleton by 128, the traffic will be so bad AM and PM that you might not want to work there.
"Need to re-engineer the company"
IBM Global Business Services Review by IBM Global Business Services Employee in San Ramon, CA on
What do you like about working at IBM Global Business Services?
The exchange of ideas and information with some really bright and intelligent people
What don't you like about working at IBM Global Business Services?
IBM resembles a government organization with a great deal of bureaucracy and nepotism. Individuals who are not qualified to perform their jobs and who are promoted into management positions that are not qualified in anyway to perform their jobs. A great deal of the long term employees are very lazy and hide behind management incompetence to keep their jobs. IBM is not a meritocracy!!!
What suggestions do you have for management?
Too much turnover and staffing reduction is not performed based on needs analysis and the individuals contribution and the management staffing is similar to a high school talent contest of who they like and who does not threaten my position.
Do you have any tips for others interviewing with this company?
Be aware of managerial staff that are not qualified and profess to be industry experts.
"IBM is too International, not for US folks anymore."
IBM Global Business Services Review by DB2 DBA on AIX in Apex, NC on
What do you like about working at IBM Global Business Services?
- Flexibility of work schedule, which is good and bad. -- Good because you can do doctor etc without issues -- Bad because you usually work at home and miss camaraderie, besides working long hours, 24x7
What don't you like about working at IBM Global Business Services?
- Too many meetings, early morning and late evening, to accommodate worldwide members. - Off-shoring of jobs/skills to India, Brazil, China, etc., leaving those left behind with an overload of work while new members learn.
What suggestions do you have for management?
Stop off-shoring the base skill set. Foreign members do not take ownership, but want to be spoon-fed tasks. Eventually those accounts/projects will fail as no one will step up to take responsibility.
Do you have any tips for others interviewing with this company?
Don't plan to be with IBM for a full career, it will never happen. Take advantage of learning and get out before they send your job overseas.
"I cannot provide enough negative information about IBM in the space allowed."
IBM Global Business Services Review by Last Job -- Sr Hardware Planner in Boulder, CO on
What do you like about working at IBM Global Business Services?
Work from home program.
What don't you like about working at IBM Global Business Services?
IBM is only about profits, CEO compensation, and not about their personnel. The caste system at IBM reeks of good ole boy networks, corruption, and contempt of those who try to give some level of whistleblowing. I would put IBM at the bottom of a list of 'Best Places To Work.' My failed marriage is a direct result of IBM's inability and inflexibility to balance their employees' work and personal life.
What suggestions do you have for management?
I would advise IBM to fire CEO Sam Palmissano and total change their work ethic perspective....to go back to the five basic beliefs and again capture the title of being the 'best place to work.' Without decent personnel IBM will eventually fail and become one of the most hated places to work.
IBM Global Business Services Stats
- Industry Average
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