Sales Support Analyst Review

I have thoroughly enjoyed my placement year here at IBM based in southbank, London, UK and have found it beneficial both in terms of my personal and professional development. Permanent employees are more than happy to work with you treating you like one of their own and respect the impact and importance of the interns in terms of contributing to the companies success. There is a large community of interns that integrate and socialise together on a daily basis and it is generally a fun and positive environment to work in.

I felt very much valued by my colleagues with my opinion and input valued within my team. I feel as if you are treated like other permanent employees and colleagues respect and understand the importance of interns in contributing towards the companies success. Once I had developed a professional relationship with my team and they had developed trust, I felt very much valued by the team with my input and opinions welcomed.

This very much depends on the business unit in which you work. Within the sales environment there is a large degree of independence and you are expected to be proactive in seeking out areas in which you can support the team and add value to the business. Guidance is available at the discretion of your task manager and from that sense, it varies widely. The 'Foundation Community' set up by IBM is second to none and your 'Early Professional Manager' is always their to provide you with support and guidance if required.

My schedule changed on a daily basis and depended heavily on the time of the month / Quater. During the first 3 months of my placement, I found my work very slow, with very small workload. This is partly to provide interns with a change to learn about the company and the nature of their work. The foundation community provides opportunities in which you can take part in if your work is slow. These have been very helpful and have led to myself taking upon another job role for my last 6 months of my placement, occupying half of my time. Due to this, the last 3 Months of my placement, where I was very occupied 9.00 -18.00 on a daily basis, was very busy and there was plenty of tasks to get involved in.

The amount of responsibility you get is very much at the discretion of your task manager and the mandatory tasks you are expected to complete. In the first half of my placement I felt I had limited responsibility. This however soon changed after developing and integrating myself within the new team where my responsibility has increased dramatically. the placement scheme within IBM is well tailored to provide opportunities to interns who wish to increase their workload and responsibility. I took advantage of this when I took on another role role in another business unit on top of my old role and responsibilities.

I feel both my professional and personal development have been evident to no end throughout my year at IBM and the skills and knowledge I have developed will no doubt assist me with my career to come. The placement scheme at IBM has facilitated my development and has offered a wealth of opportunities to invest in, learning about the business and developing skills essential to a future career within business. I feel that the work ethic I have also developed will aid me next year back at University.

The office atmosphere was generally suitable - with flexible seating employed throughout the office. The atmosphere depends on the team that you are in and the location of that team. There are also a number of interns and graduates with out a fixed team location that sit together. This atmosphere is good !

Overall the placement was very well organised with the foundation team doing a spectacular job organising and providing structure to the placements. The way in which interns are prescribed both a Task manager and Professional development manager works particularly well and is very successful in facilitating your development

The company offers a variety of mediums with which to help provide training and assist with your development, although these mediums tend to require the individual's initiative and hunger. From my own perspective, I was offered limited training outside of the 'handover' and introduction I took part in on my arrival. In terms of general development however, There was a range of opportunities provided by the foundation team to help develop skills essential for a future career in business.e.g Lunch and Learn's, Insight Talks, Presentation opportunities etc.

Future employment prospects within the company look good, with IBM offering a very attractive graduate program with lots of opportunities to develop. Positions available are anything from HR, Finance and Sales to consulting and various technical roles.

The social scene at IBM was very good, with over 100 placement students based at southbank. There is frequently drinks and social activities after work and both a Christmas and summer party was organised by placement students.

The cost of living and socialising in london was very expensive.

The nightlife in london can cater for everyones taste. There is always places to go and things to do. The only downside being the cost.

London offers plentiful opportunities to get involved in outside work - with loads of local sports clubs and teams to get involved in among other activities.