Business Operations - Public Sector Review

I have thoroughly enjoyed my placement year at IBM. The opportunities I have been presented with have been amazing and nothing I could've expected from only a year in a global company! You are able to get involved with as little or as much as you like and supported in doing so.

I feel valued by all of my colleagues, across the business and I would class some of them as genuine friends. I feel comfortable going to any one of them should I need advice or have an interest in work they are doing to be able to shadow them.

I am lucky enough to have three management figures on my placement year and I would feel comfortable going to any of them should I have an issue. I have scheduled meetings with all of them across the year on varying topics and always been given constructive feedback which has only helped my development.

My day-to-day role has very rarely been the same due to the variety of work I have chosen to get involved with. On quieter days I tend to do badges or catch up with university work, but ultimately there is always something I can be doing.

I am fortunate enough to have worked on numerous large projects whilst I have been on placement, each with varying amounts of involvement and responsibility. From the offset I made it clear that I will try anything and put my optimum effort into any task I am set. This was recognised early on and has led to my colleagues being able to trust that if they ask me to do something, I will complete it to the best of my ability.

Much of my experience in business before placement came from educational studies and theories. By taking a placement year I have been able to apply these theories and studies to a job role and really find out for myself which are realistic and achievable. I will be going back to university with a new level of confidence in my abilities thanks to my year at IBM.

The team that I work within are very client focused, meaning they are on client site most of the time. Because of this I built strong relationships with people over email and phonecealls. However, I know that should I have an issue or need to speak to someone I can always call them and be able to resolve it. This isn't the case for all teams, so it means there are always people in the office, as well as other interns.

The placement scheme at IBM is built around such a strong structure with an amazing support network should you need it. Each intern works alongside a very senior member of staff, meaning the level of work you do and are responsible for is always of a high level.

IBM offers A LOT of online training and tutorials for almost every area of business. Whatever it is you want to read into there will be a training course via our online learning tool.

I am most definitely going to apply back to IBM due to the experiences I have had during only a year here! The investment in early professionals is second to none and they really value new and upcoming talent.

A lot of placement students live within the surrounding area of my base location office, meaning there is always something going on should you wish to participate. The intern community is very strong, with events happening internally and externally!

Socialising and living in Englands capital city is never going to be cheap, but this is taken into account and reflected in our salaries. There are of course cheaper and more expensive options so it's all about being wise to the surroundings!

Being based in Central London means there is always something to do. We are located on the Southbank whilst being very close to Covent Garden and The Strand. Whether you like the theatre, shopping, dining or drinking there is something for everyone!

This isn't something I have really explored due to already having my own commitments outside of work, but I have heard about sports teams and other social activity groups within the company!