Consultancy Assistant Review

IBM is a fantastic company to work for. They offer a variety of roles from business to technical and there is plenty of opportunity to work in different business units. Before my placement year, I had no idea about post-graduation and career options; I now have a clearer view thanks to the opportunities and support IBM provided me with.

It’s such a large company to work for and can be daunting for new comers. Luckily, I was in a team that wanted to see me excel and help make the most out of my year. All the Interns and Grads are especially friendly and willing to help also. A great work environment!

Every intern/grad/apprentice at IBM are assigned EPM’s (early professional’s manager) as well as a task manager. If ever you feel like you need help with something you can go to either of these people for support. I was lucky enough to have different supervisors who were all committed to helping me achieve.

How busy you are completely depends on where your role is in the business and especially, what quarter/ time of year you’re in. Near quarter end and end of the year was the busiest time for me as everyone is pushing to make their targets. There’s always somewhere to find work in the quite times though.

I had a variety of responsibilities during my placement. Most of it was revenue/resource tracking- those reports are passed on to senior management so it is crucial to get them correct. I was also lucky enough to attend various client meetings and entrusted with representing the business and various external facing events.

My role has nothing to do with my degree, however, I learned a variety of soft and hard skills which will be taken with me throughout the rest of my education and hopefully support me in attaining a grad role. What I have learnt at IBM will stay with me long into the future!

I believe the atmosphere in the office depends slightly on where you’re based! I find the office is relatively quiet during working hours as everyone gets on with their work. Lunch times are more social and a great time to relax with colleagues and friends- It’s a good balance for a workplace.

The Foundation team, who organise and manage the interns, have the whole system organised well. But anything can change in your role which means things may not run exactly as you thought. Your experience working at IBM will be exactly what you make of it and there is plenty of support available if needed!

I didn’t attain any formal training or qualifications but there is lots of on the job learning. I couldn’t quantify how much was invested in me personally but many people took a lot of time out of their day to help me understand different processes and activities. I really learnt a lot from my year.

IBM offers a great grad scheme that I will definitely be applying back to. There are endless numbers of different roles and the rotation every 6 months gives you a chance to understand what you like best and offer the opportunity to specialise. IBM invest a lot in their full time employees which is great for self-development.

All the interns are very friendly. We all get along in work and outside of work. We had a Christmas party and a summer leaving event coming up, I will be sad to leave but have made some great new friends who I will stay in contact with.

London is really expensive.. but worth it! Lucky for me I could commute from home.

Great, it's very busy and lots of variety.

Yes, IBM has a huge giveback scheme. I worked on a variety of projects helping schools, colleges and universities learn about what we do at IBM. You get to use new upcoming technology and do loads of creative bits. IBM encourages us to take part in these activities because you actually learn a lot from them!