IBM Commerce Worldwide Channel Enablement Support Review

I enjoyed my role at IBM very much. I was given a role with lots of responsibility and I was able to add personal value by offering my skills to the team. With lots of placement students and graduates, there is a young environment, especially at the larger offices, which provides great networking opportunities.

From day 1 I was treated as equal by my colleagues. I did not feel like a temporary employee, but a regular one. Having responsibility for a number of tasks allowed me to achieve tangible results, therefore earning the respect and praise of other IBMers. IBM certainly provides the opportunity and platform for placement students to excel in their role and be valued by colleagues.

At IBM you have two managers, your task manager and a development manager. The task manager is there to manage your role from a business perspective and I received a great deal of support and guidance in terms of developing my skills and abilities as well as how to perform my role. The development manager is there to support your professional development and provides brilliant support from a personal perspective, including applying back to IBM.

Due to having a role with lots of responsibility, that I wanted to grow, I was very busy executing my daily/weekly/monthly tasks as well as spending considerable time developing my role. IBM also puts great emphasis on personal development. Time is provided for training and education as well as completing any University requirements.

I was given a surprising amount of responsibility. From day 1 I owned and managed one particular programme, with more following later in my placement. I was able to develop this programme, and others, giving me tangible achievements at the end of the year. I was also given the responsibility of interacting with external clients on a regular basis.

Degree studies require a large amount of theory. When I joined IBM I was able to put that theory into practice and execute it in a real business environment. The skills I have developed such as greater interpersonal, organisational and teamworking skills will be especially useful in my future career. I've developed these through a mix of training and performing my role.

My base location was a small, quiet office. This atmosphere complimented the working environment well and I attribute much of my achievement to the ease of getting work done here. In terms of out-of-work activities, these were limited, however I also spent a considerable amount of time in the main London office, which has more going on.

IBM's placement scheme is very professionally organised and due to the large number of placement students each year, it is a very well established scheme. I was given a real role with real responsibility and development prospects.

IBM invests and extremely large amount in its early professionals. I was able to attend many training events, as well as making use of virtual education. I was also able to travel abroad three times, enabling me to develop my interpersonal skills and gaining experience of conducting business oversees.

Applying back as a graduate is an opportunity that is encouraged by IBM. Each placement student that applies must submit an application form and go through the recruitment process, however strong performance can aid your application.

Yes, especially at the main offices, there is a lot of social interaction and out-of-work activities such as sports and social events. At the smaller offices, the number of placement students is limited and therefore there are fewer opportunities to socialise, however it is up to the students to create these.

I lived and worked in Uxbridge, west of London. The cost of living here is nowhere near as high as central london and, although not 'cheap', the cost of socialising was acceptable.

The nightlife in Uxbridge is not fantastic, however it has great transport links to London, where the nightlife is brilliant.

Yes, I took part in various sports and social activities, however there is also much more than this available, largely due to the vast number of employees and placement students.