CECS Business Support Specialist Review

The entire placement year has been very beneficial for me. A fantastic experience that helped me compare expectations and reality of work, realise what my strengths and weaknesses are, find out where I would fit best in the company in the future. I enjoyed the feeling of being part of such a large community, where everything is possible as long as you are proactive, have the right contacts and are ready to work hard for achieving your personal and professional goals.

All of my colleagues have provided me with positive feedback on my performance and have always expressed their satisfaction with my work and our collaborative activities. The greatest sign for me that I am a valued member of my team is that whenever I have asked them for help/favour in a quick manner, they have been extremely responsive because of receiving the same attitude from me.

I have been provided support in and outside my role. From the start, we were invited to Induction, where we received our 'Starter pack' of information. After that I have been given guidance at regular checkpoint reviews, giving the opportunity to share anything that concerns me or ideas I might have. Job wise I had a one month handover, which helped me learn the basics of my role, whereas my task manager gave me greater insights throughout the whole year.

My busiest periods have been end of month /quarter. I do some routine tasks, however, most the time I would be dealing with unexpected problems/situations that would keep me busy all the time as it takes time to solve. For someone else doing my role this could be considered as too busy, but for me it was perfect, because I do not like sitting, doing nothing.

In the beginning I was given the chance to pick up my role and work on improving my skills and knowledge. As time went by I was given an increasing amount of responsibilities, when I was ready to take on more and managed to see the business from any perspective.

I consider this placement as the greatest contribution I have had so far in my life. Studies are extremely important to lay the foundation for my future and be an expert in the field I would like to work in. Nevertheless, practical experience such as the placement was useful to discover what the implications of my studies are, find out the direction in which I would like to develop and progress.

Because of the opportunity to work from home, the location I am based is not the busiest and I am surrounded by other interns predominantly. This does not stop the location manager from organising events for the people working here, which gives a better feeling of a community. I would have enjoyed being with more employees so that there are more socialising opportunities.

The organisation was really good, keeping everyone informed of what is yet to happen, what actions need to be taken by us.

There have been many chances for personal development. All interns were given access to online education, where you can look at videos or articles depending on your preferred style of learning. Additionally, various workshops were organised and for those that cannot attend online courses are available for us to view.

I believe IBM is a great company to work for especially because of the wide network of people and expertise it offers as well as career progression opportunities.

There are about 20 interns in my location, we all sit around the same area, which allows us to socialise on a daily basis. Other occasions on which we would meet are various workshops and meetings.

It was not expensive when compared to interns based at Southbank. I consider the living expenses as reasonable.

I would say it is more about the people you go out with rather than the place so I cannot say something less than amazing.

My role has been very busy and I could not do as much additional activities outside my role as other interns, whereas that was my choice. Nevertheless, I've been involved in several volunteering opportunities and enjoyed the energy these events create.