Amira met IBM at IT's not just for the boys! Since she has secured her dream security placement with IBM

My name is Amira Remadna and I am second year student at Oxford Brookes university; studying a combined course- computer science with business management. During my studies it took me a while to realise what I really wanted and what my passion is. The support I received from family and friends and TARGETjobs IT’s not just for the boys! event really helped this process.

I have always been a maths girl, which lead me to study maths stream at secondary school. At the very last minute before applyi

ng through UCAS I changed my personal statement and my course from foundation degree in science to maths with business management information, international business and research studies- in order to have a business management and computer science degree.

After my first year at university and getting involved in societies especially being the Oxford Brookes faculty ambassador for both departments (business school and computer science) I started to lean towards the computer science route. I attended IT’s not just for the boys!, which is a special event  ran by TARGETjobs, designed exclusively for female students who are looking to find out more about opportunities within technology . It was an excellent day and it made me realise how big the sector is and the amount of different opportunities available. At the end of the day you gain such confidence and inspiration you realise that you can achieve anything regardless of your gender.

When I first decided to apply for a placement I had very little confidence because I had no work experience related to technology. I thought it would be impossible for me to get experience as I knew other students already had a lot of experience. However I did not give up, I decided to start working and build my CV before applying. The event extremely boosted my confidence and has allowed me to develop as a candidate and helped me to secure my placement.

My dream job has always been with IBM and luckily for me they happened to be one of the companies that attended the event. During the day students participated in a team challenge, which was a perfect chance to showcase my skills to IBM. The longer I spoke to IBM representatives and current graduates on their schemes enabled me to gain more information from them, which helped me stand out from the crowd. It was simply the perfect chance to meet IBM and learn tips for their applications. Moreover, I spent all day interacting with various companies and great people such as senior managers at Dell.

Straight after the event I applied to IBM and it was my one and only application, so I put in all my efforts, to get my dream job. After passing the first stage of the application form, I attended many interviews where I showed my interest in security. Each stage of the application grew more challenging, until one day I received an email stating I had passed the assessment centre, where I then received an offer for a security role interview.

My interview went well, despite the fact I am not studying a security degree. Nevertheless, it was exactly the job I wanted and after a few days I called IBM and I told them that I’m ready to take the challenge and willing to learn before the final interview. Within a short period of time I was able to learn Linux and various other technical systems, which I believe enhanced my application and prepared me extremely well for the interview. Shortly after my interview I received the news that I secured the job! I was one of three students who secured a placement with IBM and the first and only Oxford Brookes student to secure a role within security. I am now extremely excited to start my role with IBM on 28^th June and grateful to the IT’s not just for the boys! event for helping me in gaining the confidence to land my dream job! 

Ruth tells us how attending IT's not just for the boys! helped her secure her role with IBM!

I attended the ‘IT’s not just for the Boys’ event in November 2014. I wasn’t very sure where I was going post degree; I liked the idea of doing a graduate scheme but wasn’t sure if I’d suit them or who to apply for! So when I received an invitation to apply e-mail from Target Jobs I thought it sounded the ideal networking event for me. Since the event I applied and was accepted onto the two year IBM Consulting by Degrees Graduate Scheme and started in July 2015 as a Technical Consultant!

IT’S Not Just for the Boys Event

There was an application process consisting of a form and phone interview when I applied for the Bloomberg London event. I was super pleased to hear I’d secured a place giving all the big employer names who were attending, such as; Bloomberg, IBM, Deloitte, HP and ThoughtWorks.  The event itself was held at Bloomberg HQ in London which is an amazing building! We were all given had a chance to network with each other before going into the event and the mix of degree backgrounds was really interesting.

The event comprised of several talks from high profile women in the tech world who spoke about their journeys and achievements. It was surprising how many career changes they’d had and how many had only moved into technology careers later on!  There were also team challenges where we got to work with each other and representatives from the attending companies. These challenges includes such things as coming up with a new technical venture for a telecom company and were a great chance to work with new people and ideas whilst getting feedback from the company reps.

The day was finally wrapped up with refreshments and the chance to network with the company reps. I had come to the event most keen to speak to the IBM reps so made my way over there! The IBM reps were really friendly and encouraging and after a short chat convinced me that I stood a good chance with applying to their grad scheme!

IBM Application

I applied for 5 grad schemes, but IBM was the one I really wanted. The first step was a CV check to ensure you met the minimum 2.1 degree. From there I was given the IPAT test to take – a numeracy and logic exam which had me mildly terrified since I hadn’t touched mathematics properly for a few years! However, my revision paid off and I passed the IPAT and was through to the full CV check stage. Shortly after this I received an invitation to an assessment centre in Southbank!

I heard the next day that I’d passed the assessment centre but still didn’t have a job as my CV now needed to undergo a business review. Luckily I only had to wait three weeks to be called up and offered a position starting at IBM Southbank in July as a technical consultant!

Working at IBM

I’ve really enjoyed my time so far working for IBM. I started with an intake of 23 graduates and underwent a month of training down in Hursley before embarking on client projects. Since joining I’ve worked in Edinburgh and London and had the chance to work with some big clients and have also been lucky enough to be sent to Copenhagen and Amsterdam for training which was awesome!

I also now write for IBM as part of an international Graduate Blog, so feel free to have a look to get an insight into the scheme! https://consultingbydegrees.wordpress.com/category/all-countries/

Ruthy,

Technical Consultant @ IBM

My CbD grad Group

 Amsterdam Training

 Exploring Copenhagen

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