RFS Manager Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement year at IBM. I was exposed to much more responsibility that I would have expected and had to chance to work in an amazing team. Even though challenging at times, it really helped me develop key skills that will benefit me in the future and makes me look forward to moving on with my career in the future.

I felt very valued by my team and other IBMers. As I developed throughout my year I was increasingly approached by colleagues, asking for my advice in certain situations and asking for help with issues they faced. I was also given lots of responsibility and trust in different areas, which helped me develop and increase my value within the team.

My manager and senior management were fantastic. My manager was by my side from day one and helped me develop in the role without micro-managing. She let me deal with issues on my own and come to her for advice when I needed it and gave me her full attention. Senior management were also brilliant and treated me as a fellow employee and not just as a temporary placement student.

I was very busy within my role. It was a special position within the placement scheme that assigned me to a client. I was consistently busy within my role as there was a consistent stream of work from the client, and being on client site always provided me with opportunities to pick up any additional work and responsibilities if I needed it. IBM also offer lots of further education and opportunities outside of your role so there is always plenty to do.

I have been shocked at the level of responsibility I was given during my placement. This ranged from leadership responsibilities, running conference calls, hosting meetings with the client and many more. I never expected to have so many responsibilities given to me as a placement employee

I believe my year at IBM has allowed me to develop key skills that will benefit me in my future studies. Working at IBM has helped me develop a very strong work ethic that I will hopefully transfer into my studies and use to create more of a structure for study and university life in general. I have also learned to work hard when the time is required and also relax when I can and not become too stressed. This will help me especially during exam periods and I will be able to stay calm and keep a level head.

I really enjoyed being in the office, especially on client site. My team and fellow IBMers were very calm and The atmosphere was very relaxed and light-hearted, which made the day-to-day experience in the office enjoyable and relaxing. In my immediate team we had a very good relationship and could have a laugh and a joke when needed. However, this doesn't mean that work was not serious. When required the entire team came together and could tackle the most difficult tasks.

The overall set up of my internship was very good. The application process was very streamlined and you were moved to the next stage very quickly with all of the required detail. Once offered the job, I was quickly put in touch with my direct manager and was given all the details of my role with plenty of time before my start date. However, you will need to organise meeting your team and introducing yourself on your first day.

IBM provided lots of training and development opportunities to all of their employees which can be very beneficial to personal and career development. However, in terms of investing directly to me to help me evolve, I didn't feel like there was any direct investment to me or other interns.

I will definitely be reapplying to IBM for future employment. If I get into the right area I believe there is potential for a great career path that will be both enjoyable and challenging. I really enjoyed the culture within IBM and believe it provides the perfect balance of hard work and recreation. However, I will need to be careful about what areas I join as it can be easy to be moved into a position you don't want that doesn't provide career progression.

There is a very good social scene between fellow interns. There are many events throughout the year, such as the Christmas party, which provides many opportunities to get to know new people. However, if you find yourself in a team without any other interns and if you are away on client site regularly, you will find that you won't interact with other interns much. There is little effort by the intern management to bring interns together unless you are part of the business where lots of interns work together.

Working in London comes with the costs that you expect. London is very expensive in terms of living and socialising. Luckily I live just outside London so I didn't have to worry about the cost of rent. This is definitely something you will have to consider if taking a role in London will require you to move.

The nightlife in Central London is great. There are always plenty of bars to go to after work if you need and lots of events and other exiting things to do on the weekends. But, make sure you are aware of how much this will cost.

IBM are very good at providing you with opportunities outside of your role through 'Giveback'. These opportunities can range from running assessment centres to attending learning sessions to help you develop your skills. Depending on what team you are in there are also opportunities to take part in activities outside of your role with people in your team, such as a 5 a side football tournament against the customer.