Financial Analyst Review

My placement has been a fantastic introduction to 'working life.' Within the office I have been given a lot of support and help when necessary out with the office there have been several social occasions too which was great.

I feel very valued by my colleagues. During my first month I was given a month handover from my predecessor which was key to getting me up and running. Throughout the year I have been given a very I level of responsibility billing a client for the work IBM does.

Throughout the year my manager has tried to mach my skills with the tasks she thinks would best suit/ interest me, this is a lovely approach. Furthermore she is always checking over and advising me on the work I complete which is reassuring, especially at the beginning

Currently I am very busy on most days and have many tasks to complete and deadlines to meet. During the first 3-4 months it was a bit on the quiet side. However, I think this was because my manager wanted to gain trust in me before she gave me extra roles.

A high level of responsibility. Much of the work I do is billing a client for IBM's work i.e. actually bringing money into the organization. Of course this is key to the running of the business, hence I feel the work I do is important.

Throughout this year I have used excel, extensively. I am sure skill is something I can use in the future. Other training includes a Careers Fair academy IBM hosted for all placement students, here we were taught interview skills, and how to find a job that is right for you.

Very friendly, everyone is eager to help if you have a problem

Very well! I had a 2 day induction to begin with. I was then given a month with my predecessor to hand over the role. I think I was lucky I got this long. But nonetheless the whole team were very helpful when I began. Furthermore when problems to arise for example my laptop broke I was given a replacement one within hours and a brand new laptop in about 2 weeks.

We had a careers academy day which included lots of talks/ seminars about different areas of IBM but also how we can improve our interview skills. On top of this there was another day of talks I attended focusing on communicating effectively and presenting. These were both very useful. In comparison to the grad scheme I was aware that grads were exposed to far more extensive training over week long periods. This was not offered to us.

There is a separate application process for placement students which bypasses some of the stages. I think the top 20 interns go straight to a matching interview, however, everyone else who applies must pass a assessment center beforehand. I think out of those who apply 30-40% get grad jobs, this is always changing though and depends on the market, company performance.

I was mainly based at a client site with another placement student. It was great to have another intern here, however, as we were the only two it was fairly limited. From time to time I would be able to work from IBM Southbank. Here there are well over 100 placement students and the social scene is awesome with after work drinks most Thursdays.

I have been based in London so of course the cost of living & socializing is expensive. IBM do appreciate this and give us a slightly higher wage than over regions.

Super being in London I'm spoiled for choice

Yes! again being in London there are endless opportunities.