PMO Analyst Review

Overall, I really enjoyed my placement at IBM as it broadened my experiences and introduced me to new roles I previously would not have looked into. It allowed me to gain transferable skills and build on ones I already had in order to increase my employ ability and improve my confidence in a work environment.

Throughout my placement I felt very valued by my colleagues and I was treated exactly the same as the permanent staff which made me feel very welcome.

I feel that throughout my placement I was always given support and guidance by management and that there was never a time where I had an issue with a task and I was struggling without any assistance available.

The workload daily fluctuated quite a lot during my placement year. At the end of the year I had a lot less to do however with this spare capacity, I was encouraged to complete external activities such as giveback, shadowing other people on the account and think 40. This allowed me to have tasks available to do at all times.

I believe that I was given just the right amount of responsibility whilst on placement as there was a few occasions I was challenged and put out my comfort zone which was definitely vital for progression. However, there were also times where I was comfortable with what I was doing and extra responsibility may have improved my motivation and drive.

The skills I have learnt will definitely help me in my degree studies as in particular, my communication and presentation skills have improved which are main competencies in university succession. The technical skills I have learnt too e.g. new functions on excel I feel will be vital for the future. I feel like if I was given a more finance role that I initially applied for before I was transferred to a business placement I would have gained more skills and knowledge relating directly to my degree.

The general atmosphere of the office was welcoming and a good chance to network with other colleagues and explore other opportunities that may be available. Although as IBM have a number of colleagues that travel to and from locations, Fridays were a lot quieter than the rest of the week which I also think reflects the work load/drive on that day too.

I think that overall the work placement was set up well although I think that it would have been helpful to receive a handover from the previous interns in person rather than through written documents. There was little amount of time that I did not have anything to do and my task manager was very understanding about giving time out of the office to complete giveback which is highly rated in Foundation.

There was always the opportunity to carry out online training and development through Think40 however there was no options for interns to access courses which is understandable as we are only there for a year. When asking for extra tasks to fill up spare capacity, this allowed development as it was learning on the job and expanding my knowledge.

I think that the future employment prospects within the organisation are definitely wider than I had initially thought when I started my placement. This is due to the fact that due to my experiences I can now see myself doing roles I may not previously have considered before starting with IBM. I have also seen the opportunities and courses that can become available for graduates which are very appealing.

Although there was quite a small amount of interns there was a number of colleagues that would also maintain relations outside of the workplace. There were many social opportunities provided by IBM too which was very good since we were all new to the area and had a small group of people to interact with.

The cost of living in the area was lower than I initially expected however this is as it is not a large city. In the area I worked in itself the socialising opportunities were fairly low however there were many activities to do a drive away which kept me busy.

The nightlife of the area I worked in was good as I am based in a student city. This allowed us to interact with all of the student events that were put on and meant that there was numerous activities to do several nights a week not just at weekend times.

There were many organised activities to get involved with outside of work including Divali, Summer BBQs, weekly 5 aside which were all very good opportunities to get to know people across the account. The interns also regularly go out for drinks which was a good way to get to know everyone informally.