Ask Melinda

As we spread the word that IBM now has a new hiring program for candidates who are studying outside of their home countries and interested in going back after completion of study, we received a lot of interests and questions from international students. Our team has been working feverishly in the last few months on collecting the hiring needs and establishing recruiting processes for different geographies. While you can find general introduction of our international hiring program on our website, you may want to learn more details about our ongoing efforts and communicate with us directly. So, please "Ask Melinda "-- raise your question by commenting on this post and I will try my best to give you the answer. As our program evolves, I am sure I will have more to share:)

Globalization &Growth

Securing a good job here in the US is not easy for most international students, especially facing the current economic crisis which has direct impact on job market. While some international students are eager to gain more global experience in the US, multinationals are busy building up capabilities around the globe which will enable local employees to have global experience without going outside their own country while driving global talent to the places where the growth is. Just in a single year within a single country (my home country-- China), let's see how IBM is aggressively expanding its global reach. (source: IBM Press Room)

2008-10-14: IBM announced the opening of a new research facility in Shanghai which is an extension of the IBM China Research Laboratory -- one of IBM's eight research labs worldwide focused on delivering high-value technological innovations that help solve clients' most challenging business and technology problems. The IBM China Research Laboratory was established in Beijing in 1995. "The very nature of research is changing. It is more open, more global and more collaborative," said Dr. John E. Kelly III, IBM senior vice president and director of IBM Research. "The establishment of IBM Research in Shanghai reflects both the rich pool of science and engineering talent in China as well as our continued commitment to expand our collaboration with Chinese enterprises and academic institutions."

2008-7-28: IBM announced that it will establish a branch of its Worldwide Banking Center of Excellence in Shanghai to support China's banking clients and to address their issues in core banking systems and payments. The Banking Center will bring together world-class business and technology experts to design and implement next generation payment and core banking systems for China's leading banks.

2008-3-13: IBM announced the opening of the first supply chain innovation center dedicated to helping companies worldwide integrate and transform their global supply chain capabilities. IBM's new Supply Chain Innovation Center located in Beijing, China will leverage the company's expertise in supply chain research, business consulting services, software capabilities and its own Integrated Supply Chain experience to create new solutions for companies around the world.

Through these examples (only a few from a long list), you can see how IBM itself operates as a globally integrated enterprise. Global integration is embedded in IBM's strategy development, workforce demployment, leadership development and operations.

p.s.

Read what Dah-Chuen Chien, CEO of IBM Greater China Group have told media about the IBM's strategy in China given the current environment. (Chinese Version)
http://www.eeo.com.cn/eobserve/eeo/jjgcb/2008/10/13/115954.html

Lastly, I want to share the informationa of a cool project IBM just finished with the cooperation of Palace Museum in Beijing to re-create the Forbidden City in the virtual world. As a Chinese IBMer, I feel so proud of my employer's fabulous work to demonstrate one of the most valuable national treasures of China to the people around the world in such a creative way!

http://www.ibm.com/ibm/ideasfromibm/us/forbiddencity/20081013/index.shtml?sa_campaign=message/ideas/leadspace/all/cityflash

Innovation Jam 2008@IBM

Innovation is a hallmark for IBM, and it is also a hallmark for many other companies. To stand out from the competition and become a real trendsetter, IBM has some uniqueness in its way of innovation. As a new or prospective IBMer, you may be very proud of the IBM unparalleled achievements in inventions, patents and Nobel Prizes. However, at IBM, innovation is not a patent for R&D group. As I start to explore the secret of IBM's success, I am surprised by the breadth, depth and speed of innovation at a company of this scale. Through a series of innovation programs, every professional has the opportunity to turn ideas into reality.

Today an eye-catching image on the home page of our intranet led me to learn more about a very exciting event at IBM -- Innovation Jam. This three-day (Oct 5-8) online brainstorming event will engage tens of thousands of IBM's employees, partners and clients around the world to examine and shape the Enterprise of the Future. Jam participants can share thoughts on new business model and strategic issues by using web sites, wikis, forums and other online tools.

This kind of "Jam" is not new for IBM. Back in 2003, IBM initiated a "Values Jam" to invite more than 300,000 employees around the world to examine and redefine the core IBM values, which gave the leadership team and the entire workforce more confidence in its critical transformation. During IBM's 2006 Innovation Jam - the largest IBM online brainstorming session ever held - IBM brought together more than 150,000 people from 104 countries and 67 companies. As a result, 10 new IBM businesses were launched with seed investment totaling $100 million. (https://www.collaborationjam.com/)

The major topics of Innovation Jam 2008 are developed from the Global CEO Study conducted by IBM consulting:(http://www.ibm.com/ibm/jam/)

• Built for change
• Customers as partners
• Globally integrated
• The planet and its people

The leverage of collective creativity enables IBM to experiment new ideas in a way that few companies can match and IBMers can always be dedicated to one of the core values --"innovation that matters, for our company and for the world".

My new life@IBM

It has been nearly two months since I joined IBM's brand new Global Employer Branding and University Recruitment Team as a recruitment specialist. As an international student from China who just graduated from Cornell University in the US, I will have the opportunity to work as a liaison between the headquarter and other countries to build up a new talent pipeline for IBM in the emerging markets. I am also the focal point for those international students who want to leverage their US education and/or work experience to make bigger impact in their home countries. After working in the US for a period of time to help build up the capability of global recruitment while developing my professional skills in the field of HR, I will go back to IBM China for my next role.

I myself am a perfect example of a new model at IBM of developing global talent and will be developing and improving this model to create opportunities for more talent to prosper in a broader stage made by IBM. This unique role enables me to look at the organization from many different angels and make real impact in implementation of IBM's new strategy of global recruitment. I am so lucky to land this job straight out of school and strongly feel I should share my experience with more people who are interested in IBM and a global caree at IBM.