PMO Coordinator Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my year at IBM. The training and experience I received were phenomenal. I wasn't just stuck doing the same role as I was encouraged to shadow and speak to different people from different departments. This helped when it came to applying back for the grad scheme because I knew exactly what role I would enjoy. IBM also has business resource groups (BRGs) where you can meet people from different teams and work towards achieving a similar goal.

Within my small European team I felt very valued and like I was a member of the team rather than 'the intern'. This greatly helped my confidence and allowed me to develop new skills. I was not located with my team, but the other people in my office made me feel very welcome and not like the 'newbie'.

When you first start it is natural to be afraid to ask for help because you think you should know what you're doing. I quickly learned that I should not do that and instead ask for as much help as I needed. My managers were never too busy to answer any questions I had, they would even stop what they were doing to explain things to me if needed.

At the start, I was not busy at all but over time, work started to build up and I found myself having a lot of work. However, I learnt how to prioritise tasks so that I focused on the most important ones first. This took some time to adapt though because I saw all tasks as being important.

I had alot of responsibilities. The majority of my tasks were client facing, which I loved! As an intern, you may think you'll get typical 'intern' jobs but at IBM you are given real roles that matter. I was given an opportunity to manage a project that was worth 150K, and this project was deployed not only for the clients but it was also deployed to the public.

The study law but did a business role. Although there aren't any direct correlations, it will contribute to my degree and career. I learnt how to organise my time better, work in teams, perform excel tasks (I had little knowledge of Excel before), business acumen, design. My roles also required excellent attention to detail and analysis which would definitely help when I return to final year

As mentioned earlier, my department valued work culture a lot! There was never a dull moment in the office. However, there were times when we had to really focus on the work you were doing but I never dreaded going to work. We wear casual clothes in my department so that should pretty much sum up the atmosphere.

The placement scheme has been running for years and is very established and so it was very well organised. Any questions you have, somebody has probably asked them before, and so they are well equipped to guide you and help you through your intership. It is very well structured with a great deal of guidance involved.

IBM has a badge system which promotes personal learning. This is a good way to learn new skills and receive an e-badge which can be displayed on your linkedin it, which will definitely gain recognition. Interns aren't usually placed on actual paid courses but if your role requires it then you were given the opportunity.

IBM is a large company where you can find any role possible from legal to development and design. You will definitely find a role that is right for you there. If you start on a specific role you are never stuck with it as you can always move around and change roles.

Yes. Every Thursday interns would go to the pub for drinks or any other social activities. My department had regular socials so I quickly felt welcomed into the team. My immediate team would have designated days for various lunch cuisines eg. Wasabi Wednesdays. Overall, a great experience and got to experience alot of different cuisines

I worked in london so the cost of living was high - but this is reflected in the fact that interns working in london are paid more than those in other areas. There are of course ways around this and throughout the year you learn where the cheapest places to socialise are.

The Nightlife in London is really good - there are so many different places and events you can attend depending on your interests. The only real difficulty I faced was the fact I didn't live in London and so I was restricted by having to get the last train home. Overall it was good.

There are lots of different opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work, for example IBM have different sporting teams (e.g. Netball and Football) and also attend events such as The Corporate Games - where you compete against other companies in a variety of different sports. Working in London especially there are so many options.