I applied online. The process took 6 weeks. I interviewed at IBM (London, England) in Feb 2017
Interview
Filled out online application form, which involved interview style questions. Then completed cognitive assessment tests, which were very difficult. About a week or two later I was asked to an assessment centre down in London. They do reimburse travel/accommodation which was a bonus. Assessment centre a half day and if you pass the first half, you are put through to the afternoon session. I didn't make it to the 2nd half. But first half consisted of two group work activities - one logical and one presentation. A lot of waiting around, we were there for about four/five hours and only assessed for 90 minutes.
On my assessment day only 2 people out of 21 got through to the afternoon/interview stage, which was pretty brutal, and as they weren't in my group, I'm not sure where the rest of us went wrong.
Other Business Consultant interview reviews for IBM
In my IBM interview, I was given a simple market entry case. I clarified the objective, structured my approach, analyzed market size and competition, then summarized a concise recommendation overall.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
In my IBM interview, I was given a simple market entry case. I clarified the objective, structured my approach, analyzed market size and competition, then summarized a concise recommendation overall.
Process really depends team to team and there is no one standard process for the role. some will give you cases, others can be more situational or focus on your resume specific bullet points
I interviewed for a position at the Taipei office, and unfortunately, the online interview raised several red flags. First, the HR representative contacted me to ask for my availability and instructed me to prepare a PowerPoint slide about myself. I responded with my available time and asked whether the slide should be in Chinese or English.
Red flag #1: She replied only to confirm the meeting time and completely ignored my question.
After a week with no response, I followed up with both HR and the interviewer.
Red flag #2: Neither of them replied.
On the day of the interview,
Red flag #3: The interviewer’s webcam was off, which made the interaction feel unprofessional.
Red flag #4: After the interview, I sent a thank-you email. I did receive a reply, but it contained several grammatical errors.
During the interview, I answered most of the questions in English and used Chinese for more casual conversation. However, I got the impression that they didn’t fully understand what I was saying, possibly due to their limited English proficiency.
Overall, it felt like no one was handling their responsibilities professionally. It’s disappointing that a company as large and well-known as IBM came across as disorganized and unprepared—more like a startup that doesn’t know what it’s doing.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
tell me about yourself and how you handle uncertainties