Finance Analyst Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement year with IBM, for a number of reasons. First, you are doing vital work, and from the first day you are given real responsibility, in a manageable load. So you make an impact straight away but crucially you are not overwhelmed, and there is a lot of support both professionally and personally through the two manager system (line and task) Secondly, it's more than just a job, the number of social events surprised me, from celebrating Diwali with our Indian colleague, to an intern boat party of the Thames, there is so much opportunity to network with many levels of the business, and experience the IBM community. Thirdly, you are not left in the blue, from the start of the application process, you know where you are, and what the next steps are. Once you start, again the progression is clear and if there is ever a time you what to change role, the managers are very accommodating for this. I would recommend this opportunity to anyone - your degree or experiences are not important, it is your drive to learn that is important.

My work was valued and contributed to the business, there is a big emphasis on thanking the people around you and providing the feedback and guidance needed to reach your goals. So throughout the year, I was given the chances to innovate my task the way I wanted to, and the work I did was key to the team's success.

From day one, my manager supported me in not only the tasks but also challenged me by giving me more tasks as soon as I had extra capacity, so I was not idle and rigorously reinventing myself through various different tasks. This meant I was able to get the most out of the year, and really capitalise on the fantastic experiences on offer at IBM.

On most weeks, there was a great balance as start of the week tended to be busy with various report deadlines, and the end of the week a bit quieter, giving me opportunity to clear up any loose ends, explore online learning or pick up new ad hoc tasks, which I felt was a great system with flexibility.

The responsibility given is a optimal amount, effort to be valued and make an impact on the business without getting to much to handle and unenjoyable - so it is an ideal situation. You are trusted to handle this responsibility, but even if it was too much, there is enough support to resolve those issues.

Having done the placement, my university studies will be significantly easier, as not only have i got more discipline with doing tasks, but within the placement I got to put skills like R and Java into context and that has advance my working knowledge massively, so I am in the best position for my machine learning module in final year for example.

The office is a calm atmosphere, fairly small which allows closer relations with the teams, and that was very true for my placement. The interns had lunch together everyday so we would often walk to the local bakery for both great food and a nice break from the laptop. The atmosphere when working was collaborative and people would be happy to help with anything.

The application process was slick and fast paced, but never left you guessing - every step you knew what was happening and what was next, which most placements I applied to didn't do, so IBM are leaders in this. In the placement, the work and reviews are set out from the start so you know where your checkpoints are, so you can incorporate this into your diary and manage your time effectively.

The company will absolutely invest in you, only if you have the will to find the training you want. So yes, they will provide mentors, training or shadowing opportunities for you to expand your skill set, but it isn't handed to you. This teaches you the pivotal skill of being inquisitive about the company and the roles, and then making it clear to your leadership that this is what you want to get from the placement. They will then do whatever they can to help, but it starts with you, which I think is significantly better than just being given the chance unconditionally.

Future employment is very attractive, with the Intern To Grad scheme in IBM, they provide a number of Q&As and events so you can discover the different work streams and see what clients and roles you could be well suited to. You also cut out a couple of steps in the application process compared to external candidates so you do not have to r do assessment centres for most roles nor do you need to do the online assessments either. The graduate starting salary is also very competitive, I'm applying back for sure!

For sure! I worked with 7 other interns so grew close to them from day one, as well as connecting to regional graduates and apprentices via events, round tables and socials - so I got to meet many different people, some where able to give advice on final year and grad jobs, and likewise I was able to give school leavers (Futures Interns) tips on university choices and student life. The IBM community is there to help you and in tern you help others so it is a very open group to be a part of.

The northwest is much cheaper than most the southern locations so Preston, where the office is located, is very affordable so there was no time where I felt financial difficulty. The only big expense is public transport, I occasional had to come from Lancaster by train and then a bus to the office, so if you are not driving be aware that the office is the northern edge of the city. However the buses are often.

I go to University in Lancaster and worked in Preston with IBM, so I am very used to the nightlife there, both cities are entertaining and cheap nights, many memories made there! In addition, the regional grads, interns and apprentices often meet up for events and socials in Manchester, so again there is great variety and something for everyone.

Plenty, for social events within our team, to business updates over brunch, from a boat party to Christmas events, the chance to socialise and network were endless, and that made it so much easier to settle into the business at the start. It was a full package, the work and the social life combined.