Corporate Citizenship Assistant Review

My role within IBM in Citizenship was working alongside charities, communities and schools to develop technical skills in society. The work varied from task to task and in enjoyability. Many of the client facing tasks were enjoyable, however, there were some highly repetitive tasks that I had to complete. Overall, the work was enjoyable due to the variety of tasks that I had to undertake.

IBM is a very friendly place. The best part about IBM is the people in there. Throughout the year many of my colleagues were available to help on requests with no issues. I felt valued in the community and appreciated the help everyone gave me. This was the highlight of the placement and made going into work an ease.

During some tasks, I do not think I was supported correctly. Sometimes, the tasks would not be explained correctly with little detail to follow. This caused problems further down the line as the work was incorrect. However, there were times when guidance was correct - but the balance was not level at times.

This depended on the time of year, however mostly, I was busy from task to task. Days would run smoothly with my schedule and it felt like a good balance during the busy periods. In the quiet parts of the year, there was sometimes a short workload. Overall, I felt like I had enough tasks to be getting on with during the year.

Within my role, I was given a lot of responsibility to run projects under the portfolio. This was great to add my own initiative and innovation in my work. At times, I would be running, delegating and managing larger projects throughout the year. This helped develop my portfolio of skills into the future.

The skills that I have developed during the year have assisted my studies and further beyond. Studying Management at University has allowed me to see different management behaviours in practice, allowing me to see what works best. Additionally some of the skills I will take forward later into life that will assist my employability skills.

At times the office would be very quiet, but other times the area would be very lively. My department in Citizenship was very quiet and at times it would feel awkward when it was so silent or that I was talking with colleagues. However, other areas such as Digital Marketing was very lively and was enjoyable to see.

The IBM Placement experience I had was very well organised. This included a step-by-step guide at the start of the placement. People to contact if you have issues and so forth. A schedule of work for the year helped organise priorities and correct guidance was given to prepare yourself for the year.

IBM is a fantastic company to be within as there is so many aspects of the organisation. This is something that you have to use your own initiative and find opportunities for yourself to gain extra development and training, outside of your job role. This is for you to go out and find and acquire, rather than being embedded into the role.

There were minimal roles available for graduate roles that appealed to me. Additionally, the graduate prospects depend on an application form and a rating system of your placement. Therefore, there is no guarantee that you will get a job after employment of the placement. This puts uncertainty on the prospects for the future

The intern community is great to get involved with. I have made fellow friends for life that I will stay in touch within the near future. No one was left out of place.

(London UK) The cost of living was very expensive. It was difficult to make much of a living off the wage you were on. This hindered the number of activities I got to do at weekends and so forth.

Didn't engage in too much nightlife around. But London was great for socialising and meeting up with friends. Highly recommended.

It depends on where you are. I got involved with a football team during the weekends which was an enjoyable experience. London offers many opportunities to get involved with many activities. I would encourage any other student to make the most of their efforts whilst they are on placement in any city.