Just wanted to hear thoughts of other members hereI have 13 yrs. experience and have been offered a role with IBM GBS - salary of 66k base with and about 70k with car allowance.Does band 8 for 13 yrs experience sound about right? Or should i pitch for a band 9 as part of my offer negotiation?Also does band 8 involve people management or is it a purely IC role?

Without knowing what you've been doing in those 13 years it's very hard to say whether a Band 8 is reasonable. But assuming you have been generally making yourself useful then it's a bit of a cheek - push for a 9.

I would but I am not exactly talking from a position of strength here....not currently working and dont want to loose the offer :(and the sense i get speaking to them is that they might be willing to give me more salary as opposed to a higher band - but then again i do not know if 70k offer for band 8 is already more than reasonable or is there room for improvement there?

What level is a band 8 please?

IBmer given the circumstances take the band 8 role - better to be inside and proving you are a band 9 than out of the market trying to argue you are a band 9.

Agree 100% - I hope the management is reasonable in promotion down the lineOne more thing - notice during probation period(6 months) in the offer is 1 week and they wont budge on this one. Whats the view of others on here-does the company culture treat you as dispensable during the probation period or are they more mature than thatalso does band 8 role involve team leading on client projects?

Dont worry about the probation period. Band 8 leads teams. You might as well get additional responsibilities e.g. business development etc.That what I can not understand is the new found optimism about IBM as an employer by "Mars"

Hi there, well done on your offer. I agree take the offer given your circustances and demonstrate your abilities for the next banding.Question, how long did it take to hear the outcome after completing the assessment centre?

Personally, I would push for the Band 9 role. The promotions process in IBM is painfully slow

Agree with Big Bloo, as a new joiner you'll be at the back of the promotion list, reckon on 3 years as good going. I would push for a 9.You're probably just above mid-point for a band 8 salary so have headroom for payrises even if you stay at 8. Pay will obviously rise faster if you can get in as 9.

IBM dont give a toss about band 8's, and only a bit more about 9's. It all depends on what options you have on the table. Personally, given the current state of the employment market, id go with 8, and try and proove yourself for 9 once in there. They may not give you the promo, but you can always leave. Probation is standard. Nothing you can do...if they want they can ( and have) shows 8's ( and 9's as well) the door before and after probation.

I am surprised that the title of a Band 8 consultant is Senior Consultant(as confirmed by IBM HR) and that he is reporting into a Managing Consultant? I thought that Band 8 goes in as a Managing Consultant and reports into a Senior Managing Consultant? It took me about 12 working days from the assessment to get an offer - another 13 working days before I could actually start- they literally crawl

Hi IBMer,Did you manage to negotiate your package to a band 9 or a higher base salary within the band 9 boundary? I was told during the assessment centre last week that a band 8 is a Managing Consultant level. Still waiting to hear the outcome of the assessment centre.

well, i did not bother to be honest - a 5 k increase pa would get me about 250 extra/month as net and for that I did not want to risk loosing the slot. I would have tried harder though if i had other options, having come in I notice that in general band 9 tends to be for 15 yrs. + exp. though it all depends of course on which practice you come into and how much IBM wants you - in commodity service lines like SAP/BI etc. you are unlikely to have it your way but in some niche ones like cloud computing you may well get lucky.

Given that I have just been offered £65k + car and I have similar experience to you in IT (actually one more year), then you are doing pretty well I'd say. Take it and stop asking too many questions!

Probation is a standard thing for any organisation except maybe the smallest ones. Unless you are unlucky enough to have a real bastard as a task manager you should survive. Just keep your head down and do what you are told, don't give them any grounds for complaints and you should be OK. Those who fail probation do so either because they have a big bust-up with their boss or show themselves to be incompetent - in the latter case the person in question should think hard about their career choice.

Band 9 is the senior management grade, generally populated by people aged 45+. You've done well to get in at the salary level you've been offered at band 8 - my advice is to take it.