This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
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The Role
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The Company
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The Culture
- 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
- 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
- 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
- 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
- 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
- 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
- 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
- 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
- 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
- 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
- 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
- 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
- 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
- 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
- 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
The Role
Loved working at IBM. Great relaxed atmosphere, a lot of focus on development of placement students, very sociable.
Part of a small team so was able to play a real role. Had plenty of reports and tasks that I fully owned from day 1. Once I had the knowledge I could put myself forward for new tasks and my team were happy to pass work on to me. I was always asked for input on the weekly team calls.
Regular meetings with manager to check everything was ok, I had no problems and I had plenty of work to do. Also regular meetings with my Personal Development Manager to review my Individual Development Plan. We set regular goals for me to make sure I got everything I wanted out of my placement. Also had regular meetings with my 'Buddy' for guidance on next steps in my career.
Month end/Quarter end very busy. Always had plenty to be getting on with, during quieter mid month periods I could find time to review my progress over the previous month and draw up new targets.
My predecessor handed over their entire workload to me in the first month and from then I owned all these regular tasks. Added plenty new tasks that I owned to my monthly workload over the course of the placement.
The regular review of my achievements and progress really forced me to recognise my strengths and identify personal skills to work on. The whole placement sends you back to uni with a new attitude, teaches you to be pro active and constantly re-assess what you could do to improve your personal skills.
The Company
Got on with my team very well. The open plan office encouraged everyone to talk to each other. Relaxed and friendly atmosphere. Obviously during busy month/quarter ends, atmosphere was a little more pressured.
The handover period between me and my predecessor was very useful. I then did the same for my replacement a year later. Plenty of training/inductions at the start to teach us about working at IBM and how our teams fit into the bigger picture. The Personal Development Manager and Buddy in addition to team support was well organised and very useful.
Lunch and Learn sessions, induction events, teamwork activities, Professional development managers...
Flexi Time
Working from home
Would definitely consider working for IBM again. From placement student you simply have to fill in the application form and pass the assessment centre to make the short-list for a Graduate role.
The Culture
Amazing social scene with the 70 other interns at my Portsmouth location. Regular nights out, christmas party, Thorpe Park trips etc.
Pretty good value for accommodation, food/drink, cabs.
Only a few clubs but a great night out. Plenty of pubs/bars.
Sports teams, 'Giveback' which involves joining/creating some form of opportunity to giveback to the local area... e.g. tutoring a school student, painting a playschool fence, running recruitment events at universities, helping out at assessment centres for future placement students.
Details
Placement (10 Months+)
South East
September 2011