I received an email to complete the IBM online test (NPAT) within 7 days. It took around 45 minutes to complete. The test was very difficult, but I think they have a very low cut-off.

Around 3 weeks later, I received a call from IBM stating I had cleared the test. We had a quick chat about my skills, experience, and work permit.

About 2 more weeks passed, and I received an email inviting me to a half-day assessment centre. At the assessment centre, we were split into groups of 5. We had two group discussions, each lasting 30 minutes:

1. Given a logical problem, we needed to come up with a solution as a group.
2. Given a list of topics to be addressed in a company, we had to select 3 topics that we felt were most important, find their pros and cons, and present them to the assessors as a team.

Two people sat back and assessed us. The key was to understand the topic, speak up, and encourage others. It was most important not to compete with others but to treat them as colleagues. They assessed how we behaved in a group.

On the same day, I had a 1-1 interview, which was basically a walkthrough of my CV.

Later that day, I received an email saying I had passed the assessment and that a technical telephone interview had been arranged with one of the managers. The next day, I had the telephone interview, which lasted about 45 minutes. It consisted of basic questions related to the position I applied for.

One week later, I received an offer by email.

Why IBM?

Tell me a situation where you suggested some process improvement to your manager and the response.