GTS Business Development Advisor Review

I had a really enjoyable year at IBM. I met some great people and was lucky to be given a very interesting role which enabled me to work with people all over Europe and on different tasks.

I felt very valued by my colleagues. Being part of an European team, i thought it would be hard to integrate into the team. However from the offset, i was given lots of responsibility by my team and therefore the opportunity to showcase my capabilities and take ownership of my tasks and projects.

My manager was always there when i needed guidance and i never felt awkward or uncomfortable asking her for help and support. She guided me throughout the year but also gave me the opportunity to do things on my own which was great for me to show her what i was capable of. My Foundation manager was also helpful throughout the year in telling me about opportunities i could get involved in outside of work.

On a daily basis, my work amount varied. Towards the end of the week i was busy with weekly reports being issued to market teams across Europe. At the beginning of each week, it was quieter so i took this as an opportunity to ask for more work and help my manager on new projects in our team.

From the get-go i was given as much responsibility as i could possibly be given. I was practically running the weekly report system a couple months after joining an then handed over the process to another colleague when i left. I was also running a new program for senior project executives every week and in charge of my team's community pages. It was great that my team trusted me to use my own initiative and showcase my talents.

I have developed life long skills that i can use in any aspect of life. Communication skills, networking and organisational skills to name a few. I feel much more confident in approaching colleagues more senior to me and below me. i have developed my technical skills including Excel and Powerpoint which i will use in my final year at university.

The atmosphere in my office was fun but also quiet enough so that i could do my work. I could move around each floor in my office so i wasn't stuck with just one team which was good.

Very well organised by the Foundation team as we had monthly reviews with our managers to track our progress and if we were finding anything difficult etc. There was also lots of opportunities to get involved with events outside of work including socialising with other interns and graduates and 'giveback' opportunities.

I felt that the company did invest in me. They gave me the chance to make the most out of my placement by offering us additional training, giveback opportunities and networking events. They also tracked our personal development every couple of months to check we were balancing our work well.

Future employment is very appealing as after our final presentations, we will get assigned a score which will determine whether we get fast- tracked to the graduate scheme. As we have knowledge of the company and roles as we had the chance to shadow sectors, i think it would be wrong not to apply back as a graduate.

Great social scene with colleagues. We went out every week for drinks after work to bars with happy hours etc. It was great to make friends with interns at these events as everyone was in the same boat. We also had a boat party a month after we started which was amazing as we had a view of London too.

Cost of living was quite high in London but when we went out we would find the cheap bars with happy hour etc or book things in advance. Overall the cost is high but with a good wage and budgeting, it was manageable.

Nightlife was great, there were so many bars outside our place of work and we would go here every Thursday with friends. In London itself, we went to lots of different clubs throughout the year with all different types of music and cultures.

So many opportunities, including giveback. I volunteered at a sixth form college interviewing sixth form students to provide advice for intern schemes etc. I got involved with the 'Connecting Women' event which was great.