Extreme experience

Jenna Goldsmith is studying Marketing at the University of Portsmouth. After two years at university, Jenna went on an internship at IBM in her third year. During the placement, Jenna’s interest in technology grew and she continued onto the twelve-week Extreme Blue scheme at IBM over the summer.

When I first applied for IBM I was more interested in the consultancy and business side of marketing and following the placements I am definitely considering a career in technology - working with clients to see how we can promote products so we can develop the systems they need. I have since learnt that technology is so much a part of our daily lives and is always changing which is exciting.

My role was very varied on my first year-long placement; I worked in human resources and recruitment. I went out to universities and gave presentations on IBM as a company and the recruitment process and I was really busy. I was surprised about the responsibility they gave us and being part of that team for IBM is certainly going to stand well on my CV.

New technology

For the Extreme Blue placement, we were given the task of getting large events like presentations or conferences streamed simultaneously into virtual worlds like Second Life. For me, coming from a non-technical background, it was a steep learning curve. But I think one of the good things about Extreme Blue is you have got access to so many highly technical people with loads of time for you so it was a good place to learn.

At first I was a bit nervous about applying for a technology company because I had these sort of images that it was going to be really difficult and it was all going to be guys and really technical, but at IBM they concentrate on all your qualities. They always find the best in people and put them together so that even though I wasn’t really technical there was certainly people there to help me, and I picked it up quite quickly. There is a real focus on collaboration and I really enjoy the whole team working culture.

Focus

During Extreme Blue I have been involved in writing a lot of communication and I have written thousands of words - similar to a dissertation that I will be doing in my final year. It just sort of prepares me for getting back into university and focuses me. Plus I have got some ideas for my dissertation now that I wouldn’t have if I didn’t come to IBM.

Challenges

Learning all the technology was a challenge. On my team we had different ways of thinking, I was studying marketing and I worked with three computer scientists. We had different interests and backgrounds and ways of working. I always came from a business perspective, thinking about processes and how long this was going to take, and theirs was the technical approach, so getting together and sharing ideas was a challenge, but also something I have learnt from.

Soft skills

Communication with peers and professionals is a big skill I have developed, because before coming to IBM I would never have got the chance to talk with executives and senior technical and business leaders and you don’t realise until you are in the situation how important it is to present yourself well in a company.

I think I have become more confident, because you are sort of thrown into it. Even though you are a student and they understand you are still learning, you are expected to be professional at all times. They give you a lot of responsibility and it is a good thing because it pushes you to do your best.

Key skills I gained, particularly from Extreme Blue, were time management and organisation. We only had twelve weeks to get a fully working proto type up and running, to get all the business documentation going. You really had to hit the ground running, so I can definitely take that with me and there will be no more leaving my assignments to the last minute!

Jenna’s tips on getting in

• Don’t let applying for a large company or a technology company put you off because companies now look for personality and all your skills. It is not just your technical expertise or your grades - it is more about how you communicate, if you are a team player, if you demonstrate leadership or if you are a good organiser. You need all these sorts of things to work together effectively.

• Definitely do the research in the company - that is important because IBM in particular, being a global brand, is highly competitive and people want to get the experience.

• Do a bit of preparation in terms of the interview, so predicting a few questions and getting a few sample answers together, because you are always really nervous in an interview so if you have something in the back of your mind that you know what you want to say you will be more prepared.

• With the group and team working exercises, be yourself and realise that they are not necessarily looking for leadership all the time they are looking for other qualities that are just as important so be yourself.

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