Service Designer Review

I have really enjoyed my time at IBM. I have learnt so many new skills in career paths that I did not even consider before joining IBM! I strongly feel that my time at IBM has really shaped my aspirations for the future and will be something I will always remember.

IBM is great at recognising talent and achievements when it is due. However, I do think that this varies from project to project and which sector of IBM you are based in. Nevertheless, on the client account I was based on, we had a 'points channel' where we were able to give 'points' to colleagues who did something really well or were just helpful in general.

I would say IBM are excellent at supporting early professionals during the whole placement year. As well as having a TM (Task Manager) for all your daily roles and responsibilities, you are assigned an EPM (Early Professionals Manager). Your EPM conducts regular checkpoints and reviews to ensure you are working to your desired goals and objectives for the year. I think this is one of the best parts of IBM as I know that not many other large corporations invest in their employees own professional development and career growth.

During my placement year I was always given the chance to get involved in new opportunities. Although this allowed me to gain experience in an array of things, it did mean I was at times stretched in my workload. However, I also got involved in other 'giveback' activities which did of course make myself busier. Nonetheless, although I was busy, I always enjoyed it and don't regret any of it!

Overall, during my placement year, I did receive some responsibility throughout my placement for example, content managing a website or leading giveback projects. However, in my day to day role, this was quite limited and I would loved to have been given a larger responsibility to take ownership of key tasks and deliverables.

I think the skills that I developed and training I received will greatly help not just in my university degree studies but also in other job roles. At IBM, I was able to develop and improve key soft skills such as communication, teamwork, organisation, multi-tasking and interpersonal skills etcetera. As well as soft skills, I also had the chance to improve specific industry skills such as visual & UX design, marketing skills and chemicals & petroleum industry knowledge. IBM also had a variety of different training opportunities to get involved in which helped grow my personal development in the career paths I wished to explore futher.

I really enjoyed the atmosphere in the office. Everyone from the beginning are all really friendly and welcoming. Furthermore we always had numerous social events such as team lunches, pub golf socials or account breakfasts, so there was always something going on! As well as socials we also had a variety of TED talks or knowledge sharing events!

I feel as though IBM are very competent in setting up university placement / early professional schemes and I can tell that they've been doing this for a while. This is because everything was well structured and they had an Early Professional Managers in place to aid with personal career development!

Personally I taken part in a lot of training opportunities and online training courses on the free education database. IBM invest a big deal in training and there are always new courses added to the education database. Overall, I feel as though the extent to which training and development is invested is extensive and of a very high level, compared to other organisations.

Within the last 4 months of my placement, IBM organised a Careers Academy event which aimed to make interns aware of all the possible career paths and opportunities available to us both inside and outside of IBM, through guest speakers, workshops and a careers fair. I personally am applying back to IBM on the Consulting by Degrees Programme due to the range of roles, amount of training opportunities available and because IBM CbD were awarded as Target Jobs Graduate Employer of 2019.

There were a lot of Interns and Graduates at my base location - all friendly and lovely! There's always people going out for drinks after work, social account events taking place or team lunches. The interns also organised a boat party in Christmas which was a great way to catch up with all the fellow interns. I definitely think that there was a good social scene and great atmosphere between interns.

As I was based in London, Southbank the cost of living and socialising was very high. Bills and rent took up most of my monthly wage but i guess that's London! IBM also had a good reward scheme where you get discounts in local bars / restaurants in Southbank and access to their reward website (similar to Unidays) where you get deals in a wide range of retailers.

As I was based in London, Southbank, there is a lot of nightlife in the area, close to where the office is located. However, the nightlife was quite expensive and pricey but worth the money!

In London there are so many opportunities to get involved in outside of work, for example, charity events, sports events, clubs, communities and so on. Therefore, you'll never get bored! I do wish that these opportunities outside of IBM where better communicated to interns as at times I didn't know where to search.