Hiring this extent of graduates is not at all unusual for Dell Technologies in Ireland as Dell usually hires upwards of 120 graduates and interns in any given year. The reasons relate back to strategic decisions and direction from Michael Dell himself. Dell have set global goals to achieve by the year 2030, in areas such as sustainability, diversity and inclusion, as well as corporate social responsibility among others. In addition, and with a significant focus on cultivating innovation, Michael Dell also included that 25 per cent of all external hires at Dell will be graduate hires. A target that Dell Ireland are on track to accomplish, last year 24 per cent of all external hires into Ireland were graduates.
One common misconception can be that people interested in a career in technology may need a background qualification in technology. While there are certain roles in networking or programming for example that do require a technical expertise, the reality is that the 150 opportunities will span a range of areas across the company, from HR to finance to sales and more. Margaret Flaherty, who started as a graduate in Dell Ireland and is currently working for Dell based in the US makes the point that, “in Dell, you choose your own career path and there are so many supports and people along the way from managers, mentors and an infrastructure to help you get to where you want to go. I have certainly benefited from our culture that places such emphasis on personal and professional development.”
As to why a graduate or intern should look to join the Dell Ireland family, Gareth Cullen, director for Talent Acquisition points to three reasons: innovation, career development and flexible, agile working. Innovation has always been central to the way Dell thinks as an organisation. Cullen states that, “our graduates have always played a key role in helping us and our culture stay fresh and forward thinking.”
From an innovation standpoint, Dell Ireland offers graduates and interns the opportunity to bring innovative ideas to their teams as well as have hands-on experiences with the latest technologies. Isabel O’Connor, a solutions architect who started her Dell journey as an intern, shares that she, “gets to work in an innovative environment, the Customer Solutions Centre in Limerick, helping customers achieve their business objectives with Dell Technology solutions.”
Dell recently held the first virtual tour of their Customer Solutions Centre, allowing customers to still have access despite the travel restrictions.
John Gunning, vice president of UK Mid-Market Sales in Ireland, agrees with the concept of innovation in that, “graduates and early-in-career candidates give my business a unique energy and drive innovation in what we do to bring solutions to our customers. In my business, we have a tagline #ThePlaceToBe and that certainly stands true for anyone looking to start a great career with the world’s greatest technology company.”
Training and development is central to Dell’s culture. Indeed, 50 per cent of Dell Ireland's total annual hiring is internal movement within the company. Bob Savage, VP regional chief information officer for EMEA makes the point that “both personal and professional development is key, especially for graduates as they are just starting out in their careers.” Dell Technologies offers continuous training and support for its employees. From workshops to courses, employees are encouraged to upskill in areas both in their industry as well as personal interests.
Joseph Murphy, who just completed a Production Operations internship at Dell and is looking forward to returning as a graduate next year notes that during his internship, “I was able to take advantage of Dell’s extensive training platform. There is an abundance of courses available for Dell employees, so in addition to the experience from my hands-on work, I’ve also had the ability to learn in other departments as well. My interest in the field of data science has been piqued as a result of the projects I was working on in my internship so I’m glad I was able to complete courses in this area.”
Dell offers a wide variety of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) designed to help employees grow, develop and network both personally and professionally. From Pride, which creates an inclusive environment for employees who are members or allies of the LGBTQ+ community, to Planet, which promotes sustainability and environmentally-friendly practices, there is something for everyone. O’Connor says, “ever since joining Dell Technologies, the opportunities have been endless. I get to be a core team member of the ERG GenNext, which helps recent graduates connect and work together with employees outside of their normal teams.” Even in this time of uncertainty, the ERGs are continuing to find ways to connect employees both near and far. Virtual cooking demos, lip-sync battles and quizzes raising money for charity are just some of the activities that the ERGs have hosted over the past few months.
Generally, 2020 has been a year of change. More and more companies are moving to remote working and requiring their employees to become agile. Dell has been enabling its employees to work remotely for the last 10 years. Their most recent group of interns got a front row seat to Dell’s ability to conduct business remotely as the majority of the intern class were onboarded remotely as country restrictions went into place. The incoming class of graduates will be facing the same scenario as they are welcomed remotely. As the current work environment is always changing, one thing remains constant - Dell will continue to support the incoming grads, interns and experienced hires with trainings, onboardings and more despite the virtual landscape.
Andrew McCormack, a previous project management intern at Dell shares his thoughts on his internship experience; “When I received the call from Talent Acquisition to inform me that my internship was going ahead was a day of mixed emotion. I felt overjoyed that this amazing opportunity was still being afforded to me, but on the other hand I was worried what working from home would be like and feared being disconnected from both my team and the organisation as a whole. However, within the first few weeks all of my fears had been reconciled and I soon realised that I had nothing to worry about. The team took me under their wing and the onboarding process set everyone up for success.” Andrew looks forward to returning to Dell Technologies in Autumn 2021 as a supply chain graduate.
Doing one's best work, whilst maintaining a balance in life is something that is important for Dell team members. At Dell, they offer flexible working to fit your lifestyle. For many groups, early finishes on Fridays in the summer help to maintain the balance between work and play. Employee wellbeing is a priority, especially in this challenging climate. Murphy shares, “I’m glad I was able to experience life working from home. In addition to the work experience, I was able to pick up new hobbies like running, reading and meditation. It is clear, after being part of this company, that Dell cares for each of its employees as individual people rather than seeing them as ‘just workers.”