PMO Review

Thoroughly enjoyed the experience working at IBM. The company provided me with a lot of responsibility from day one but constantly gave me support if I was overloaded with work. The people made the job as the company has a family like feel to it allowing me to feel at home immediately. The only area for improvement would be in the variety of work each day but that is largely down to my specific role.

As before mentioned from day one I felt valued by my colleagues. Initially it's quite overwhelming as you are given personal responsibility so if anyone needs anything from your business area then they rely solely on you. Whilst this may seem like a bad thing everyone in the business is really appreciative of the help you give them and you'll immediately see where you fit into the bigger picture of the account you work on.

The management were extremely helpful throughout my placement providing a lot of support and checking on my development regularly. I worked closely with my task manager and felt I could walk in and talk to her about anything. The guidance was also there from the account manager and VP who offered advice on how to progress within the business and get a place on the graduate scheme.

My primary work day depended on how busy my inboxes were. Some days I'd have loads of emails to work through and others I'd have very few and it would be quiet. This also fluctuated weekly with some weeks being busier than others due to monthly meetings falling on the same week. Despite of this I always found that I had work I could be doing even if it wasn't in regards to my primary role. I was often asked to help out different business areas and so prioritising work become of high importance.

I was given a lot of responsibility on my placement as I was given the role as the primary worker on account deliverables. My team when I joined contained five members and within a couple of months dropped to just two. This meant that if my colleague was on holiday then I was the only person on the account working this area as their primary responsibility showing how much trust IBM give you.

My placement helped massively with my hard skills in regards to excel and word which are extremely useful for my university course of Economics and Management making navigating the tools much easier but also helped develop soft skills such as communication, work ethic and work prioritisation. IBM also have a compulsory Think40 programme for employees which encourages 40 hours of learning a year to help develop these skills in your chosen areas too.

I worked on a fairly small account in comparison to most of IBM's other clients and so the office had a small number of employees. This meant that whilst everyone was extremely friendly and I felt I could have a long conversation with almost anyone on the account, the office was generally quite quiet.

The work placement scheme was very organised and IBM is well renowned in this regard. There was a very effective handover system in place where my previous intern passed over her responsibilities efficiently and over a long enough time where I felt comfortable in my role once she left. IBM's placement scheme is very effective and has won many awards.

The company offers a lot of workshops and course both internally on your account and as a whole throughout the wider IBM. Just this year I've gone to a careers workshop in London, had internal consulting skills management workshops on the account and automation workshops. IBM do try to develop you as person to not only help you become better at your job but also as a person. It was more difficult to be involved in things outside of my account do to the geographic location in regards to other areas but the offers were still there.

Future employment prospects are huge within IBM who allow all interns the opportunity to apply back to IBM within a graduate position. They allow you to apply back to the business area you want and if successful with you initial application regarding your performance on your placement skip straight to the interview stage. I know a number of people with offers so will be hoping for the same myself.

The social scene was poor for myself personally as I worked on a small account including only one other placement student and a couple of apprentices. There wasn't a lot to do after work and most people just went home after work. I'd say this was the area that could be improved most however know other accounts have a much better social scene.

Again the socialising was poor where I'm based. The account did host a monthly drinks in which there was an open bar and you could socialise with your colleagues. IBM did place me close to where I live which allowed me to live at home and save some money however there's not loads to do.

The Nightlife is pretty poor where I'm based (Warwick). There are a number of good pubs around and there are a couple of nightclubs in Leamington which is the best place to go but overall the area is fairly quiet. I've been on a couple of nights out with work but it's not a regular thing.

There wasn't loads on offer immediately but you will find a group of friends within the workplace to do stuff with outside. The account I was on had a 7 a side football game every week which was fun and even included the client. The various teams have events every so often too, for example I went out with the project management team as well as various Christmas parties and intern events.