450 executive recruitments in 2022
Just before the first containment linked to the Covid-19 crisis, IBM announced the appointment of Arvind Krishna as CEO. A change in governance which marked the beginning of a vast phase of transformation for the IBM group. Today, the century-old firm is divided into two entities:
- IBM Technology, dedicated to the development of new technologies
- and IBM Consulting, focused on business support.
The 500 recruitments planned by the end of the year aim to strengthen the teams of these two divisions.
We are looking for salespeople, engineers, consultants from the service world, cybersecurity experts and developers including data scientists. Both juniors but also profiles with more solid experience in project management over time.
Alexandra Ruez, member of the Comex of IBM France, in charge of the Business Transformation Services teams of IBM Consulting.
So many profiles that are difficult to find, due to the shortage of talent, and already highly sought after by Gafam and more broadly ESNs.
A group that invests billions in innovation
To attract talent within it, IBM has no choice but to sharpen its arguments. The first is a number.
IBM invests $6.7 billion a year in new technologies. That is about 11% of its turnover.
A colossal figure which shows the innovative capacities of the American group and which constitutes a strong argument for executives who like to be challenged on a daily basis and learn about the latest technologies.
This figure is not isolated. In 2020, IBM positioned itself for the 28th consecutive year at the top of the companies having obtained the most patents (9130 exactly) in the United States, according to IFI Claims Patent Services. These relate to the hybrid cloud, edge computing, artificial intelligence but also quantum computing, THE subject that agitates the sphere of Tech and on which many developers dream of working. In December 2021, IBM finally inaugurated a 3rd innovation center in France. Located on the Paris-Saclay plateau, it is dedicated to artificial intelligence and will bring together more than 350 professionals (researchers, data scientists, etc.)
The IBM Paris-Saclay center dedicated to AI will host 300 researchers and engineers
A flexible work organization
Like the majority of Tech companies, IBM relies on the flexibility of its work model to capture the most advanced profiles already adept at nomadism. ” We have integrated remote work in our collective agreement. Today, our employees can work up to 3 days a week remotely and up to 10 days consecutively per month, with the agreement of their manager. “Explains Alexandra Ruez.
To meet the expectations of employees who have moved to the provinces following the Covid-19 crisis, the American firm has also installed regional hubs called “Smart Remote Center” in several French cities including Bordeaux, Lille and Nantes. These workspaces accommodate development teams who can also choose to telecommute from the location of their choice for 80% of their time. The rest is more dedicated to the coaching of young talents. The icing on the cake: when they telecommute, IBM grants them ” a budget allowance; resource envelope to buy and maintain their work equipment “, she specifies.
Inclusion at all levels
Appointment of women to executive positions, coaching programs for women in AI, recruitment of seniors, support for high school students in priority education areas, free learning paths for all, support program for the transition of transgender people, training of managers in neurodiversity (autism, Asperger’s), recruitment of workers with disabilities (7% of its workforce), internal mobility program reducing bias by relying on AI… The company is increasing the initiatives to provide a truly inclusive working environment for its “IBmers”. Almost all topics related to inclusion are addressed.
More generally, the group goes beyond the simple declaration of intentions when it addresses the subject of CSR. The young executives most sensitive to environmental protection (Tech is responsible for 4% of greenhouse gas emissions, according to Gricad), will particularly appreciate IBM’s commitments in terms of product recycling and design of less energy-consuming technologies.
What about salaries?
At IBM, no figures are given on executive compensation. This information is even absent from the group’s job offers. At best, the company speaks of a “attractive compensation policy” and a “alignment with market competitors”, said Alexandra Ruez. In their various speeches in the press, the president of IBM France Béatrice Kosowski and the vice-president of IBM France Lab Harley Davis indicate that they are ” well positioned » and know how to offer attractive remuneration to “very good profiles with advanced technical skills “. However, on the salary front, the Gafam are pulling out all the stops. Since the beginning of the year, Meta (ex-Facebook) has poached the talents of Microsoft and Apple, for example, to set up its metaverse. To achieve this, the firm goes so far as to double their salaries. A one-upmanship in which IBM obviously does not want to take part.