WW EPAC Co-ordinator Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my work at my placement. Initially it started off as basic admin work (understandably) but throughout the months I was delegated tasks that yielded significant results that many of my colleagues would use in their own work.

I felt very valued, I always had several employees willing to help me whenever needed and never got the impression that any were becoming impatient. They understood that I was relatively inexperienced compared to the other employees but that did not stop them from involving me in their work.

At the start of my placement I would have given this a 10/10, however as the year progressed I was given less guidance which was a good thing to begin with, as I enjoyed the fact that I was left to my own devices, it felt like I was trusted. However, I do feel that I could have been given more assistance when I asked for it later on in my placement.

I always had something to do, whether it was the basic foundation of my role (which is a constant maintenance of databases) or if I was carrying out Ad Hoc requests for people I don't usually work with on a day-to-day basis. I never felt like I had nothing to do, and to fill any spare time IBM has some fantastic learning opportunities that are constantly advertised.

I was always given as much responsibility as I asked for. Never in my placement did I experience a time when my managers would deny me a part in something I wanted to pursue. They were always willing to listen to my ideas and if they thought I was competent enough (and in accordance with the business process management) then I would be able to take on a task I had not done before.

Massively. I felt like I have learned more in this year than I have in the previous 2 years I took part in university. The experience was invaluable and it gave me much-needed insight into how a company runs, how to deal with people effectively and basic business etiquette. I believe this placement has given me an outstanding advantage in career development over others that did not do this.

I thoroughly enjoyed working in my office. The team of interns I was working with were very friendly and the other employees were incredibly helpful. Any time I needed help with something I always knew they would be there to offer a helping hand.

My placement was to take part in a well-established process in the company and the foundation for that process had been established many years before I joined. This meant that I was becoming another cog for an already well-oiled machine, one that had a structure that was adhered to on a weekly basis. Due to this, the majority of my week in terms of working with other employees was already laid out and any other Ad Hoc requests that were to be carried out were planned around this.

I would receive multiple invites on a weekly basis to career development opportunities that ranged from simple things like listening to graduates talk about their experiences in the firm, to business partner talks on their partnership with the company to many more options. I had an extensive range of events and meetings to attend that were always offered to be as the company constantly encourages the idea of personal professional education.

During my time in the company I learned that there are a vast range of different roles that I would like to explore. Being in only 1 of the 5 brands in IBM I feel like trying another would be a completely new experience for me but still allowing me to transfer the skills and experience I learned in one brand to another. I would very much like to hopefully one day experience this and see how this would vary to my current experience.

The opportunity to socialise with other placement students and even other colleagues was there. The team I worked for regularly scheduled monthly lunches / dinners to restaurants which was very enjoyable. In addition to this there was a christmas dinner with the whole team which I thoroughly enjoyed. The placement students would regularly get together after work to hang out and get to know each other, creating a small community within the branch and with another located in London as well.

The cost of living in London is always going to be a downfall, irrespective of the company you work at. I don't think this negative aspect can be something to put on the company itself, as ultimately I was the one who chose a placement in London. I like to think of it as a sacrifice I chose to make to be able to experience what living in London would be like as a working professional.

London has undoubtedly been the no. 1 experience I have had in my time when it comes to nightlife. Whatever time it is of night (or morning!) there was always something to do and always somewhere to go. Admittedly, I decided on a few favourite places a) close to home or b) just straight up great fun to hang out at and stuck with them, but I never felt short of options living in London, something I will dearly miss when I leave.

There were opportunities to get involved in other activities but I have to admit they weren't activities that I was particularly fond of. These activities tended to be academic in nature, things like mentoring high school students on your experiences in the workplace and others. The reason I would give this a 7 is because there was an opportunity to get involved in a weekly football session which although I did not go to, I did appreciate having the choice to do so. I think if the IBM community offered a bit more in terms of sporting activities then it would be even better.