Generally people have the perception that IBM is still a hardware/PC/laptop company, even till date. I believe it is part of my role to change that perception. I have not touched the IBM AS400 before, but feedback from my customers has led me to believe that it is one of the most stable/robust servers ever created. I want to own this machine one day.

Although hardware is an easy sell (in terms of sales cycle), it is no longer profitable with all the vendors being engaged in price wars. If I have the chance to meet you one day, I can probably share with you IBM’s acquisitions over the years. The company’s vision of building a smarter planet (http://www.asmarterplanet.com/) is pretty much in-line with my vision of “digitizing the world”, and working in ways where technology can help make the world a slightly better place.

As time moves on, I’m gradually begin to appreciate the company for what it is, and has built a love-hate relationship with this firm. It will take me months to share with you the journey and learning experience I’ve went through over here the past 5 months. Till date, I have been involved in a few global projects, and have customers calling me in from overseas to share with me their requirements after going through my repsite. .

More updates to come as we go along – There’s too much on my mind that I like to share with the world.

Career Planning 

Ever since my return from California, I was contemplating my career path. I didn’t really wanted to go into a career in banking because I can never really understand what the banking profession entails. My impression was that the skill-sets I learnt in there is not easily transferrable – Which other industry will care about how well you can analyze numbers. I was not satisfied with the kind of pitch that banking recruiters gave – “A career full of challenges, projects, exposures, and networking opportunties, only for the brightest and smartest”. What I had in mind was – How do I know whether I’m a fit for your company unless you give me an overview of what is it that you do. Don’t give me generic high-level answers – Tell me what are your challenges. How do you add value? It’s a stark contrast from the technology sector – where information is shared openly and innovation is the key.

Fundamentally I believe that technology can change the world in some ways. It’s about helping businesses and enterprises live a better life. I have always wanted a life like this since I was 8 years old. Wireless mobility, office productivity, and the ability to access and share information around the world. Interacting with people that you never met before. Instant communications instead of snail mail. In a way, the digital age is my age and my dream which I’m living right now.

I have strong beliefs about the kind of company that I want to work in. I wanted to work in a company that innovates (ie Google, Salesforce) and is willing to challenge the status quo. I want to educate businesses how they can use technology to solve business problems. I wanted a company that values performance over attendance. Mobile workers who can work from home. A company that uses the least effort to achieve maximum productivity.

Job Searches
I went for quite a few job interviews. However, it comes to a point where both the interviewer and myself did not see a good fit between their job and my vision/wants. thought I was really specific about what I wanted – A career in technology consulting/sales, and that turned off a few consulting firms.
I took a shot at Accenture. I heard quite a few negative comments about them, even from one of my mentors – But I guess I wanted to give them a shot. Insane working hours should not matter that much if I’m working in a role that leverages technology to solve business problems.

The HR and the first two interviewers were professional and warm, and I already had the impression that I will be working there. The final interview was with a partner of the firm, who I think did not like me. He was 20 minutes late for the interview and I thought he spoke to me in utter contempt. I think the straw that broke the camel back for him, was when I asked whether there’s any networking opportunities within and without the firm. Whether I have the opportunity to go for technology conferences to meet people. But again, probably I did not do well enough for that interview.

I got into IBM eventually, but it was not a smooth path. I went for a consulting position interview, but the interviewer thought that I was a better fit for sales. I went through another 3 rounds of interview before I got in. I received the letter of offer 3 days before my first day.

Being in IBM
I think the nice thing about being in IBM is that it cleared a number of misconceptions I had about the company. Before I went in – My impression of the company is a huge giant who has limited innovation capabilities. Corporate. Boring. Bureaucratic. Lacking in innovation (Dead wrong on this one though I will not elaborate more in this post!). The next best thing is the amount of money they invest in new hires to get us oriented to the company. 12 weeks of sales training, which guided us through various projects on how to engage sales calls.

The innovation scene at IBM is pretty amazing. You can check out how IBM leverages enterprise social media in the presentation below.

I’m an account manager for the banking and insurance industry in Singapore. It’s not exactly a good time to start a career in sales, nor is it the best of times to be serving the banking industry. But nonetheless I will give my very best to work with my clients and understand what they really need and want at this point in time, and how we can help them further. 2009 is not going to be an easy year – But I work hard for it.