Office of GM Watson IoT, Commerce and Education / Content Executive, Watson IoT Review
by IBM
This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
-
The Role
4.2
-
The Company
3.2
-
The Culture
2.4
- 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
I had two roles during my time at IBM, both challenging in their own way. There were times I really enjoyed both jobs, because they offered new and exciting opportunities which I had not previously faced.
I felt valued in both - the first role was heavily team based, working very closely with three other people. The second role allowed me to work on a more individual basis, and gave me the freedom to be more flexible.
Both my line managers and my foundation manager have offered me fantastic support throughout my year.
There were times when there simply wasn't much work for me to do, however this gave me the opportunity to do extra learning, e.g. I have learned how to code this year.
In both roles I was given a great deal of responsibility, in the first role I was thrown in at the deep end a little but was supported by my immediate team. In the second role I was running our external IoT blog.
This year has enabled me to develop some key career skills, e.g. my public speaking and networking skills have improved. In addition to this, it has taught me a lot about what I want from my future career.
The Company
The office space is poor, little effort is put into it to make it fun. There's no space to take breaks, etc. As a lot of my team worked at home it could also become lonely.
It's excellent - there are a few bits which I would recommend need to be ironed out due to experience, e.g. ensuring that line managers know what's expected of them when the placement student arrives. It's not a nice feeling having nothing to do when you first start your role (as though you've been forgotten about).
Think 40 is a key part of IBM life (we are allowed 40 hours a year to develop learning). In this time I have improved my excel skills and learned to code, as well as learning more about the business.
International Travel
Above 25 days holiday
Working from home
This year has taught me a great deal about what I want out of a future career, IBM has taught me a lot and I'd be happy to work here again.
The Culture
Yes, 300 placement students across the country with sports clubs and after work drinks - very social.
I lived at home so no living costs but socialising was very expensive in London.
Lots of bars and restaurants, no clubs but only a short distance to some.
Details
Placement (10 Months+)
London
June 2017
