Top IBM Interview Questions & Answers in 2024

IBM is a name that believes in transforming and modernising the ways clients use tech. IBM comprises individuals who are passionate and creative with a commitment to achieving excellence. IBM is a global leader in the segments of hybrid cloud plus AI. Ethics, transparency, trust and support guide the brand to foster an inclusive society while being committed to responsible technological stewardship. According to recent data, 76% of employees have stated that IBM is a great place to work, compared to 57% of employees at any typical US company, giving all the reasons why people are looking forward to applying at IBM.

If you are eyeing a position at IBM, you must be hankering for quick and effective interview tips that work. More specifically, getting some insight into how the IBM interview questions can be in an IBM interview process actually boosts your confidence before the big day. Take a look at some of the most common and relevant questions that are part of the IBM interview process for experienced and fresh job seekers.

Read further to understand the most relevant and important IBM interview questions that have been part of the overall IBM interview process over the years.

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Questions and Answers from IBM Interview

At IBM, a candidate is usually needed to undertake four steps as part of the recruitment process. The four assessment tests help gauge the candidate’s technical and analytical abilities. The rounds are-

1. Cognitive Ability
2. Coding
3. Technical Interview
4. HR Interview

Every round is eliminative. An IBM offer is sent out only when you clear each round. Take a look at the most repeated and common IBM interview questions that have been part of most IBM interview processes. This is primarily relevant to the IBM interview process for experienced folks. Read on.

1. Introduce yourself and state why IBM could benefit from you.

This fundamental question still puzzles more interviewees than you would imagine. The safest way to tackle this question is to introduce your education and degree, specifically stating the specialisation areas. You can state that you have a valid degree in the course as is relevant while cleverly highlighting your contemporary interest in technological aspects such as machine learning or, say, data mining. The idea is to highlight your strong points and only those that you may well justify. Do mention your weak points slightly and introduce your major strengths. Always talk in a way that makes the interviewer believe you are ready to add learning to your current experience for attuning to the company culture.

2. Mention the top qualities that you possess for the role you are here for.

Interviewers mostly look for character representation aligned with the role at hand. Do mention the qualities that can help you stay distinguished from competitors. A good response could include how you have strong communication skills along with strong interpersonal skills. Stress the fact that you are a team player while always highlighting your ability to take the lead when and where the need arises. Interlink your skills to the fact that these could enhance productivity at work naturally. 

3. Mention what your past experiences are.

A common question that IBM interviewers ask, this might be complex to collate compactly. However, this is the best means to highlight all your experiences and the projects you have pulled through. A standard response must include all your working experience in the same type of role over the years. Do mention your comfort with the technical aspects of the related work. Mention any specific innovations that you have pulled through past projects.

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4. What interests you about working for IBM?

Position your answer so that you drive home the message of how it is a privilege to work for a global and esteemed firm such as IBM. You must focus on how you believe the company has a high morale that reflects directly on the employees. Ensure you stress that you anticipate this opportunity to spike your performance growth and help you learn new techniques or skills.

5. What are your thoughts on working under pressure?

This is a tricky question that you need to handle well right at the outset. Mention that it would be a privilege for you to work in a well-respected organisation, such as IBM. Suggest how working under pressure could help you showcase your best skills. It would also help expand your knowledge while enhancing your expertise.

6. What is an operation exception error?

This question lets a hiring manager understand what level of expertise you have in this domain. You will need to frame your answer to demonstrate your technical knowledge. You need to explain the same in simple terms. An operation exception-related error is indicative that a code for operation is not assigned. It also might mean that some of the given operations are unavailable on specific computer models. The machine is unable to recognise such instructions or even the operation used. The best reason for explaining the same is that it could be a subscript error. The same might be caused due to the attempts to read files that were opened with DD statements that had been misspelt.

7. What is the difference between the cond parameter stated on a job statement and one that is specified in an executive?

This technical query will test your knowledge of various procedural techniques in the domain. Explain the differences between the parameters in your reply and ensure that the explanation is straightforward. The Cond parameter stated on a job statement determines if a job needs to be terminated or further. Whereas COND parameters in EXEC statements help determine if the step needs to be bypassed or executed. 

8. What is a temporary data set?

The question will help a hiring manager understand your depth and expertise again. It is best answered with a clear yet simple explanation. Temporary data sets are mainly stored for as long as a job lasts. Such data sets are marked as temporary by omitting DSN parameters or with the coding of DSN=&& dsname. The system will assign a name to datasets when a DSN partner gets omitted and when subsequent steps use the dataset by referring back to the DD statement.

9. Have you any familiarity with NL?

This is a highly technical question; an employer would ask this to test your skills. You must show how knowledgeable you are and what skills you have for the role you are applying for. The eligible answer to this could be: NL must be specified as a program needs to process the unlabeled tapes. NL needs to be specified even when a program aims to create an unlabeled tape. This is because the default action of the systems, whenever a parameter is not specified, will lead to the creation of the standard label of IBM.

10.  Name some platforms that IBM WAS supports.

This is a question that employers throw your way to understand your attitude towards company culture. Make sure you do ample research on such stuff. An ideal answer would be that the few platforms IBM WAS supports are Solaris, Windows, Linux, AIX and z/OS.

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Conclusion 

IBM is a revered company for anyone to work in, and it demands equal effort to prepare for the IBM interview questions. Be sure to stock up on skills to pass this interview process. We hope this blog helps you gauge what questions you might expect while preparing for IBM interviews. Enroll yourself in upGrad’s course for better preparation and to help you land a job at IBM.