Events Coordinator, Global Corporate Events Review

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed my placement at IBM. I was given many opportunities to work with a wide range of people from across the company. It was a great environment to learn new skills and improve upon my communication. There were many great people to support and guide me through my placement, which was great as a point of contact.

Throughout my placement year, I always felt valued by not only my close team colleagues but also my wider team. Everyone was always there to support me and give feedback. No matter what issues I had, I always felt that I had someone to talk to. I received regular praise and improvements which helped me grow not only as a person but as an employee.

The support system that was in place throughout my placement was vital. The guidance from my close team was very helpful in aiding me through daily tasks and new tasks. Support from my Early Professional Manager was key and aided me through what I needed to focus on, especially throughout quiet periods of the year. I ensured to stay in close contact with everyone, this was greatly appreciated and improved my relationships with all members of my team.

Working in events meant that there were quiet periods throughout the mids of my placement. This was expected, as the wrap up of an event and the planning of the next tends to happen a couple of months apart. However, I was given the opportunity to work closely with our wider team to engage in more tasks. This improved my workload and resulted in busier days including daily tasks and meetings. There was always time to go over emails and have breaks throughout the day.

Throughout my placement I was given a lot of responsibility. I owned 5 mailboxes to answer any questions attendees to our events had. In addition to this, I owned many of my own projects, this aided in my ability to lead and work to a schedule. My team were always willing to give me more tasks and allow me to own my own tasks in addition to collaborating if I was struggling.

Many of the skills I have learnt throughout my placement will help me with careers in the future. However, my role was not closely related to the degree I am undertaking. Due to this, specific knowledge I have learnt that will aid in my degree studies have been extra courses rather than those I have undertaken close to my degree.

Although my team was fairly small, the moral in the office was always uplifting. We all worked hard together, but there was always a great atmosphere. Everyone was open to questions to help each other out in addition to focusing on specific tasks of their own. It was important to me that I had a good relationship with those I worked closely with, this was possible with the openness of my team members and the atmosphere in the office.

At the beginning of my placement there was a lack of organisation, my laptop was not set up in time for my start date. This was worrying for me on my first day with my team. In addition to this, it was unclear when I would start my working day on the first day. However, once all of these issues were sorted everything was very well organised.

Working for IBM gave me many opportunities. I always knew that my work was important to the business. Working within communications there was always opportunities to learn and develop. It always felt that I was a key member of the team and they were investing their time to help me grow.

There are many different graduate role opportunities with IBM. This is very appealing especially as it is such a highly regarded company. They have a specific process which matches you specifically to a role. You also have great benefits if you have completed your placement with them. The only downside I would say for this is that majority of the roles are consultant based, if you are not interested in this then you may not have many options to choose from.

I worked in the Hursley location in Winchester. Although this location feels in the middle of nowhere, there is a Hub which is a great place you can go to in your breaks and lunchtime to meet new placement students and apprentices. There is a great atmosphere amongst fellow placement students and a great opportunity to meet new people and socialise.

Working in Winchester is fairly expensive. However, I was lucky enough to live with a family member which enabled me to save money. I do have fellow friends who expressed it was fairly expensive for accommodation in Winchester. There is a direct bus link to the location, which is handy for those who do not drive. Socialising at IBM Hursley is fairly expensive, but there are a range of bars and restaurants to choose from.

The nightlife in Winchester is great. There is a university in the city centre. There are a range of different pubs, bars and restaurants to choose from when you are there. The IBM location is outside of Winchester but only a 10 monte bus journey away. This is located with a direct link to Southampton which is great for more opportunities in nightlife.

There are many different opportunities to get involved with outside of work. This ranged from IBM organised activities including sport, yoga, meditation to other activities in the surrounding area. It is a great company to work for where you can build your own group if there is something your are specifically interested in.