Support Analyst Review

I have greatly enjoyed my placement year. IBM have lived up to their promise to ensure that every employee is valued and that, as an intern, I would gain from my experience with them. As part of that, in addition to my main Business analyst role, I have been involved in a variety of projects. This enabled me to utilise each experience to develop a range of soft and hard skills meaning that I was able to maximise every opportunity to the fullest.

Working with more experienced colleagues on client centered projects during my placement year afforded me the opportunity to develop a range of professional relationships. Being given specific responsibilities which enabled me to develop my own skills whilst contributing to both IBM's and the Client's business ensured that I felt my contributions have been valued by my colleagues. As each IBM team has a vast range of employees - from interns to grads to experienced managers - being an integral part of that ensured that I felt valued.

I have felt that all of my managers have worked to ensure that I have had the best experience possible. IBM's 'Early Professionals Manager' scheme provided a managerial point of contact throughout my placement year. In addition, my task manager has ensured that I have always stayed on track throughout my placement and have directed me to projects that reflect my interests.

Generally my days were full with a range of tasks. However, during the year I went from being extremely busy to the Team's work being put on hold. This hiatus gave me the opportunity to get involved with other IBM projects which further extended my skills and ensured that I could continue to contribute to the wider business.

During my placement, I was given the responsibility of attending many client deliverable meetings from day 1. I have also been given the responsibility of reviewing new products prior to releasing them to the clients. On top of this, I have been given the responsibility of developing and releasing a new internally used website.

IBM has helped me to build upon my soft skills, with emphasis on good communication. These transferable skills will be useful when re-entering the workplace after completing my degree studies. I have also developed both analytical and document writing skills - which will stand me in good stead for the remainder of my degree studies.

There was a friendly, relaxed atmosphere amongst my team and with other colleagues. From day 1, emphasis was put on the fact that it was a team environment and any and all questions relating to the work were welcomed. This meant that any issues were quickly resolved; with ideas and input coming from across the Team. This in turn ensured that everyone felt valued and part of something bigger.

The regular check-ups that are an integral part of the 'Early Professionals Manager' scheme ensured that my placement had a solid base. I was given a Business Analyst role within a well established team - ensuring that my role had structure and purpose. Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, part-way through the year the client suffered a major change, meaning that my role was put on hold. Internally there was nothing in place to help me to find a different stream of work. However, by internal networking I have been able to get involved in some other business opportunities.

From day 1 I was given access to IBM's internal learning resources, which included many online courses on different applications and roles within IBM. This ultimately helped me to understand my role and to see how else IBM technology is being used. During the year, I was given the opportunity to attend 'academies' which included optional training sessions for placement students.

Future employment prospects within IBM appeal to me greatly. During my placement year I have been given the opportunity to network with employees from a variety of business areas. Not only has this has given me a broad overview of the range if services IBM provide it has also provided me with knowledge about the various roles and opportunities that exist throughout the organisation.

During the year, there were several events aimed solely at placement students, including both networking and 'party' events. However, because I was working on a remote client site 5 days a week, I didn't have as much of an opportunity as many other placement students to socialise with my cohort. Additionally, my other colleagues on the client site were generally much older than me and had family responsibilities. This meant that opportunities to socialise with colleagues outside of work were severely limited.

Fairly average for the UK and certainly cheaper than other areas such as central London. However, because I was living in a hotel near to the Client site my experience of the general cost of living in the area is quite limited. Additionally, because I was the only person from my wider team regularly staying in a hotel, my general experience of socialising in the area is largely confined to the hotel and a limited number of local restaurants.

There are a variety of restaurants and bars near the area in which I worked. Additionally there are a number of local sports facilities and gyms that are open to the public. There were also regular local trains to Birmingham; although timing of the last trains meant that visits were restricted.

There were not many opportunities to get involved in activities with colleagues outside of work. However, I was able to make regular use of the hotel gym and I was also able to make some use of local rail transport to visit Birmingham occasionally. Additionally, when I was aware that colleagues from the wider team were in the area, I was able to arrange to meet up with them.