3 Reasons IBM’s Associate Program can Jumpstart your Consulting Career

IBM Consulting is a team of business, strategy, and technology consultants who help clients envision and build their future in Hybrid Cloud and AI. Here, you’ll work with visionaries across multiple industries, in over 170 countries, to help transform the tech journeys of some of the world’s most innovative companies. In this blog, we provide a summary of our IBM Associate program in DACH (Germany, Austria and Switzerland) – tailormade for candidates who are searching for entry level consulting positions. You’ll learn the benefits of the program, the kind of candidates we’re looking for, and details about applying.

What you’ll gain from the Associate program

1. Master the principles of consulting and feel supported along the way

Whatever your background may be, our world-class training program will equip you with all the skills you need to develop your understanding of business and technology. Some learnings you’ll take include:

• Foundational Training – You’ll start your career with training on working ‘the IBM way’ and learn concepts aligned to your career track and practice. This will ensure you’re supported with the skills you need to start your consulting journey on Day 1.
• Associate Career Coach – You’ll be assigned a dedicated Associate Manager and mentor, giving you the confidence to make the most out of every opportunity.
• Training and Certification – You will regularly attend trainings and have access to high quality virtual and face-to-face courses, allowing you to gain digital IBM badges as well as industry accredited certifications.

2. Grow your skills through hands-on, unique project experiences

As an Associate Consultant at IBM, you’ll move between different projects and clients, learn new skills, and build your consulting profile. You’ll be given real tasks from day one of your client project, and collaborate with diverse teams and bright minds, many of which are former Associates themselves.

You’ll also be supported by mentors and coaches who will encourage you to challenge the norm, investigate ideas outside of your role, and come up with creative solutions that will result in ground-breaking impact for a wide network of clients. With IBM, you’ll be empowered to become who you want to be!

3. Have the freedom to choose your own career path

Your career at IBM can take many different paths. We’ll help you develop a clear vision and action plan of how to make the most of what you love to do. As you’ll be part of our global graduate community, you’ll have many colleagues who will support you throughout your time at IBM.

There are three main career paths (tracks) for you to choose from:

• Associate Consultant – -you’ll work closely with clients and their customers to understand their pain points, bringing together IBM’s unique capabilities across strategy, innovation, design, data analytics, cognitive computing, and technology platforms to develop and deliver high-impact transformation programs.
• Associate Data Scientist – you’ll work to solve business problems using leading edge and open-source tools such as Python, R, and TensorFlow, combined with IBM tools and our AI application suites. You’ll prepare, analyze, and understand data to deliver insight, predict emerging trends, and provide recommendations to stakeholders.
• Associate Designer – you’ll focus on customer and employee strategies that explore opportunities to improve digital innovation, while addressing user needs and designing world-class digital experiences. You’ll help to uncover user and business requirements in the context of the technical landscape through applying User Experience, Design Thinking, and Information Architecture methods.

Candidates we’re looking for

We’re looking for eager individuals, from all walks of life, who are curious about technology and how it changes the world around us. People who are hungry to learn, expand their knowledge, improve their skills, and embrace a growth mindset succeed at IBM. As consultants, you’ll work with various individuals daily; so, it’s imperative for candidates to be highly collaborative and able to adapt to different viewpoints and situations.

Have we caught your attention yet?

Additional details and how to apply

• Location – we offer the following locations for you to choose from: Hamburg, Berlin, Cologne, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Munich, Ehningen (headquarters near Stuttgart), Chemnitz, Vienna, and Zurich.
• Duration – you will start with a permanent contract covering your 2 year Associate experience.
• Salary – we offer highly competitive starting salaries.

Read more about what a consultant actually does, the skills you need to become one and the career opportunities available for consultants.

If you’re interested in pursuing a career with IBM Consulting or want to see the Associate positions available now in DACH, visit our careers website to join this inclusive, powerful, growth-oriented organization.

If you don’t see any open roles that align with your skills and interests at the moment, please consider joining our Talent Network to receive updates on career opportunities that match your skills.