Sales Support Review

I really enjoyed my placement at IBM, and it has well prepared me for working in a professional environment going forward. The scheme is well set up to provide balance between your daily role with the opportunity to do 'giveback'. There is also the chance to explore other roles and find out jobs that suit you best and that you enjoy. In my role I enjoyed the level of responsibility given to me and client interaction that I was able to experience.

Starting work at IBM with little experience in technology offered a good experience to learn and develop my skills as I integrated into the team. Regular feedback is part of the culture and the managers are focussed on your progression. As part of this I felt valued and the responsibility I was subsequently handed and regular praise from across IBM confirmed this.

My manager was extremely helpful in introducing me to a new team, taking a hands on management style at first to help me adapt to the work, making sure I was busyand enjoying the work. Then once I was more comfortable I was allowed to be self sustainable, managing tasks on my own and developing my network to find work should I complete my work.

As is the nature of working in a sales team, the core jobs with the team were quite cyclical, peaking at the end of quarters. It was good to get involved with some live bids to view the complete sales process, and kept me busy through the beginning of the quarter. Outside of this, it is easy to find work and explore different roles should you wish to.

I was given a lot of responsibility on my placement, working regularly with clients and managing the relationship with a business partner. I was also trusted with key tasks around quarter close, working with management to gain signatures. I had a lot of exposure to management and executives who felt confident giving me jobs, often relying on me solely to complete tasks.

There is a massive array of learning and education available at IBM but it is up to you to make the most of it. Through my role and commitment to personal development I have widened my skillset significantly, adopting a technical aspect. It has also reinforced my soft skills, transferrable through my studies and beyond. The experience in a professional environment is unparalelled and I would recommend to anyone.

I worked in the Warwick office which is fairly quiet. We had a small commuity of interns there that were quite close but on a whole the office wasn't that busy. My role allowed for frequent travel to other offices, particularly London, which was much busier and good to expereince a more formal atmosphere.

The placement was set up really well and it was evident it has been honed over a number of years. The early professional managers provide a loose management style that allow you to experience your role and get the most from your year. The structure of the placement is well planned with regular check ins on progress and development.

The firm invested in me, sending me to numerous training sessions and working on my skills in the role. I feel as if they are interested in the long term development and that they have offered me a lot throughout my year to gain the skills to thrive in my professional career.

With such a large company such as IBM, there is a plethora of opportunities to come back as a graduate and having the chance to preview a lot of the roles this year has enhanced the prospect of me coming back. The longevity of the firm and established success are great incentives to come back, along with an award-winning graduate scheme.

There was a good social scene amongst the placment students in my location, regularly going for drinks and out to other events together. It was always a welcoming environment when going to other locations, with the placement community there organising events with the highlight being the christmas boat party on the Thames.

Working in Warwick and living at home meant that my placement year was a very cheap experience but it seemed like an affordable area for those looking to avoid London prices for other students who moved. A nice area meant that some of the socialising options were a little expensive but affordable overall.

The nightlife in Warwick/Leamington is farily limited but being so close to Birmingham offers a wealth of options there just a short train journey away. There are plenty of events throughout the year both in Birmingham and Leamington which cater for all tastes for you to take advantage of if you wan to.

There were plentiful opportunties for activities outside of regular work. Lots of these involve travel which can be expensed if not at your base location but it easy to get involved. It is completely optional and can be discussed with your manager as to whether you can attend or even host events.