L2 Support Workload Manager Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement year. I developed myself from both a personal and a professional point of view. For example, throughout the year I was able to expand my network and meet new people. In addition to that, I felt like there were great opportunities available and the training resources were limitless. I also really liked the culture and the open-mindedness of employees.

I could count on my colleagues at all times. They helped me get involved in various projects and I was able to improve ineffective processes inside the team. I was always included in my team’s discussions and was treated like a “member of the family”. It felt good having them by my side, and as a result I always felt motivated to achieve more and do better.

I have been given a lot of support& guidance throughout the year and my questions have always been answered. I worked very closely to my task manager and was able to create a relationship based on trust and understanding. She gave me feedback on an ongoing basis and helped me become more efficient in performing certain tasks& responsibilities. My EPM, on the other hand, encouraged me to expand my network and contribute to the company in various ways, especially by doing giveback. She reviewed my performance throughout the year and her enthusiasm/energy helped me push the boundaries and achieve what was expected from me.

I was always busy on a daily basis, thing I liked the most about my role. I always felt like my actions were adding value to the clients and because of that reason I never got bored. In addition to that, being busy helped me get the most out of the placement year and made me feel appreciated. There were times when the demand (customer requests) was higher than the supply (me), however situations like those ones helped me become more mature and responsible.

I was given a fair bit of responsibility from the start of my placement. I had the opportunity to work on different projects both inside my team and in collaboration with other IBMers. My team has always been supportive of my initiatives and getting ongoing feedback from them helped me move in the right direction. I never felt like an intern, my opinion was always taken into account and my manager trusted me for handling critical situations or contacting clients.

I feel more confident in my own capabilities and am ready to work on developing my skills further. What I learned throughout this year, is that being adaptable to change and willing to learn represent the key to success. Furthermore, I improved my time management skills and am now able to complete tasks and assignments in a prompt and timely manner. In today’s fast-paced environment, I know that priority setting is of huge importance and my mindset is set on getting things done.

The general atmosphere was calm and relaxed. The office wasn’t loud, and you were able to focus on completing tasks and getting things done. Even though I would have liked a bigger office, having a small office helped me bond with the people around me. In addition to that, I also had the opportunity to work from home on Mondays and Fridays which was quite convenient.

The work placement had a great structure and the expectations were set from the start. In such a big company, the tools and resources are limitless. There were lots of giveback opportunities available and in addition to that ongoing feedback was provided, as well as performance reviews at various intervals throughout the year. I started my IBM journey with a two-day induction and ended it with a final review. You can therefore reflect on what went well and what went wrong throughout the year. This is great for both the company and the placement students. It's the way to move forward.

The company is willing to invest a lot in you, however you need to have the potential and the willingness to learn new things. You're expected to dedicate time and passion in understanding how new processes work and you need to be highly adaptable to change. There are lots of free courses available, you just need to choose the right ones.

The future employment prospects within IBM are very appealing to students. There are amazing career opportunities available and IBM is a great company to work for. I would like to join the company as a graduate, however you need to work really hard in order to get through. Completing a placement year even though surpassing expectations does not guarantee you a role within IBM.

I enjoyed the company of another 10-11 interns based in Bedfont. They were great to work with and we've done a lot of things together. I was part of the intern location blog team and it was a pleasure to meet such smart and determined individuals.

The cost of living was decent but the social life was non-existent.

There was no nightlife in the area I worked, however there were good transport links to central London.

There were lots of opportunities to get involved in outside of work. For example, I joined a book club and was able to get good discounts through the IBM Club. I also organised different social events such as a "Bring and Share Lunch" event at IBM Bedfont and a "Christmas Lunch" at the Harvesters. I would have liked to join the "Learn a Language" Scheme for Spanish at a beginner level, however that was only available in Southbank, and not in Bedfont were I was based.