First, I had to fill out an application online. The next stage was an online numerical test. It was pretty tough, especially since you had 20 minutes for 25 questions.

Afterwards, I was invited to an assessment centre in Hursley.

It lasted from 8 am till 4 pm, ish. First, we had a 'test' for one hour that consisted of 20 questions about simple, logical things and problem-solving. There is no way of preparing for this.

Then we were split into groups and had three different group exercises.

• One was to prepare a 10-minute presentation in 30 minutes about a topic chosen from a few options.
• Another was solving a puzzle in a group. Make sure everyone in the group speaks and contributes to solving the problem, and use the whiteboard. You are assessed on how you work in and as a team, so it is more important to work as a team while solving the riddle instead of just trying to solve it the fastest.
• The last group exercise was about hypothetical situations in a workplace. You would be presented with a problem, and you had to answer how you would solve it. Think about what would be best for the company if a certain situation happened.

After lunch, we were asked to present our presentations. The topic was sent to us a week before. The presentation was 10 minutes long, with 5 minutes left for questions. Make sure you stick to your time limit. It wasn't stressful as it was just a one-on-one presentation, so I felt comfortable, which helped my confidence when answering questions.

After that, you have a technical interview, which in my case wasn't very technical. The interviewer went through the application I filled out at the very beginning of the process and asked me questions about it, about my previous projects, and a couple of HR questions as well.

In the end, I had a competency interview with a different interviewer. Again, I was asked a few questions about my application, and then a couple of HR questions, what I would do in certain situations, and how I would solve certain problems at work.

Overall, it was a very good experience. I felt very relaxed and not stressed during the whole day because everyone was very nice and friendly, and the interviews often drifted into a conversation about something completely different. This just made it easier to simply be myself, and that's what IBM looks for at interviews and assessment centres.

I got an email a day after the assessment centre saying that I passed it and I am being allocated to a team, but that I would be notified if they found me one. It wasn't guaranteed that they would find me one.

In roughly three weeks, I got an email with an offer.

Where do you see yourself in 3 years?