Sales and Operations Support Review

I was treated as a member of the team from day one. My work was business critical and valued by all. I was never made to feel inferior or any less important to any other IBM employee. There are many Interns, Apprenticeships and Graduates across all areas of IBM and people recognise that the work we do is of importance to the business.

I felt fully supported throughout my placement by various individuals. Having both a foundation manager and a task manager meant that you were always supported by both your direct team and the business in general. The general team were also very helpful, as many of them had come through the IBM placement/graduate scheme themselves.

This varied day to day, but generally there was always something to be getting on with. When not completing specific tasks/elements of your role there is always online training/education programs to be getting involved in. I also got involved in some projects outside of my business unit which were quite time consuming on the side to my main job.

My role was critical to the business, and seasoned IBMers across other teams had similar responsibilities for other teams. I was given the opportunity throughout my placement to take on additional responsibility after demonstrating trust and reliability within the tasks that I completed. This resulted in me being responsible for producing reports which were used and reviewed by our Director in his upline reporting process.

The skills and training I have received this year will definitely add value to me as a person and make me more employable in the future. The level of independence and responsibility I have been allowed is something I had no experience of prior to my placement. The discipline of working to deadlines and organising my workload and time will also help me through my final year of university and beyond.

The atmosphere generally wasn't great. There were a very small number of interns and therefore few planned events and the office was quite quiet in terms of staff numbers also. That said, I had the opportunity to travel to other offices where the intern community was much larger and the atmosphere there was great!

The placement scheme at IBM is very well structured and managed, from induction, to reviews, to the final presentation. Your line of management is clear, and your progress throughout the year is closely monitored by both your task manager and foundation manager to ensure you are getting maximum value out of the year. This is something I have overlooked in the past, but definitely helped me to get the most out of my placement experience.

I was given endless opportunity to attend training and enablement sessions throughout my placement, both online and in person in various IBM offices. This was also encouraged through an online badging programme which is recognised externally through which you could select courses to take either role related, or to pursue personal interest. This investement wasn't personal, but the opportunities are definitley present!

At the moment future employment at graduate level is limited to positions in London, which doesn't appeal to me unfortunately. Depending on the roles and the location however, I would be interested in rejoining the company later in my career, as the clientele and individuals within the company are great.

No. As we were not all living close to the office, social events had to be planned well in advance. The student community was also small and the social scene reflected that. This will vary year by year depending on the individuals you are working/living with, and in another year could have been a very different rating!

Poor nightlife. Great restaurant/bar scene but not much more than that.

The IBM club is a great programme which offers discounted tickets/entry to various attractions/events which are organised by staff for the benefit of their office community. There are also various IBM sports teams and an annual inter-company sports convention. There are generally more activities going for those based in the London office however.