Sales Operations & Marketing Support for ENG & WAL, Retail ESU1 Review

My placement year has had many highlights. I have enjoyed great exposure to the world of business along with opportunity to develop my professional skill set. I have been part of a great social group of interns all in the same position as myself, adding to the enjoyment I have gained form the experience. While finally I have had the opportunity to work in really friendly teams of IBMers. However I had hoped for more of a workplace culture/atmosphere along with better employee facilities and more consideration for occupational health.

I became and integral member of the team, ensuring that the rest of my business unit was able to operate and function on a day to day basis. However a lot of this value was due to the dependency of the business on the processes to which I was responsible rather than the value of my intellectual property. There was scope to branch out into areas where you could have more opportunity express your skills and knowledge, however I found it hard to find time to do this on top of all the operational work.

My manager and I had a great level of communication. This mainly orientated around the work at hand but also developed into a social, professional relationship. However in terms of support and business development, given that his role was very busy there was very little time dedicated towards this. We were allocated a secondary manager to aid in any workplace queries, however this was more of a supportive role, which was executed very well, yet left room for active professional development. In future having dedicated time to help with your education and professional development, including feedback sessions from managers would help to fill this gap.

I felt the level of work was pretty good. It was a slow start but towards the middle of the year onward I was kept busy, occupied and engaged day to day. My only issue was that most of my time was taken up by operational, process driven tasks, leaving little room to branch into more creative or intellectually valuable work.

I was given a good level responsibility in that the team was dependent on the work I was doing. I felt valued and included in the efforts of the team. Again the only improvement would be for responsibility of more value adding work.

The skills I have developed throughout my year at IBM will be extremely valuable for my future degree and career. I have improved my technical skills, including data analytics, excel and java script and my professional skills, including presenting, professional etiquette and time management. These will stand me in good stead in my future endeavors.

The general atmosphere was something where I felt there was a large room for improvement. There was very little workplace culture, vibe or atmosphere. There wasn't the feeling of a common goal or a collaborative effort for success. At points, especially around Christmas there we're some office games going on which really added to the atmosphere however these were few and far between and were mainly pushed by the interns. In addition the workplace facilities were extremely limited with no hot water (unless paid for), only 1 microwave in the whole office and no kitchen facilities open for public use. I would have also been nice to have a chill out area where people can go to relax on their lunch or have quiet relaxed meetings, as right now the only area to sit away from your desk is the canteen.

The placement was extremely well organised. From the initial application through the recruitment center through to on-boarding and then all throughout the placement itself. Even the leavers process has been clearly set out. I commend IBM on this as it outshone the other placements I applied for in this right.

I had the fortune of being able to attend an extra curricular coding course while at my year at IBM. In addition I was able to attend various expo's and conventions around technology along with a range of lectures and events. This all gave me valuable insight to the world of technology and retail (my business unit within IBM). Further than this most of the learning came on the job, a style that suited me well. However as stated before it would have been good to have dedicated time for professional development sessions with managers and time for personal development while on placement as you can easily get caught up in the operational work and not have time to do so.

For me I have chosen not to return to IBM as I have realised throughout my year that it is not an industry I want to work in. I would like to look in social enterprise or social/medical research organizations. I see this as a positive as half the point of placement is to learn what you don't like, not just what you do like. However having said this they do offer a lot of opportunity to return as a graduate as from my friends who are looking to apply the prospects are great.

Yes, a great social scene. For the London Southbank office most of the interns lived in Clapham. Drinks on a Thursday/Friday were a regular occurrence and with most of the interns living together there was an effective continuation of the university lifestyle.

I lived at home for my placement so my rent was minimal. I lived in zone 5 so my travel card was £212.00. However you can get student discount on this if you apply for a student oyster. In terms of cost of living, going out in London is expensive, drinks are typically between £5-8 for a single depending on where you go and cabs can get expensive on the way home after a night out. Don't be put off by this as I think it's worth it given the scope of opportunity and amenities in London, but be prepared to spend!

Nightlife in London is great. I've lived here my whole life so it was nice to be back in the city with some real money behind me for the first time. You could go to a different club/bar every night for the entire years placement and you wouldn't be going back to the same place if you really wanted. You'll find some places that you like and with the tube network everything is easy enough to get to. Just be aware of drinks prices and cost of cabs for the way home. I recommend Prince of Wales in Brixton and Queen of Hoxton near Liverpool street.

In terms of sponsored activities by IBM, there were not many publicised opportunities. In terms of the city as a whole, there are plenty. Just depends how much you want to get involved in.