Project Support Review

I loved my work placement! Working at IBM has been a fantastic experience and I am thrilled that I had the opportunity to do so. I have grown so much over the past year and have a much clearer idea on what I want to do in future. If you are considering applying to IBM, do it! The experiences and friends you'll make on your journey will be life changing!

Throughout my placement I felt incredibly valued by my colleagues, once you get up to speed with your role you are eoncouraged to innovate and look for ways to improve areas of the business. The role you do at IBM is a real job and on countless occasions I have received feedback from senior IBMers, praising the work I've done!

I can't praise my manager and colleagues enough! My Task Manager has been an incredible mentor, helping me with the little things but also giving me the confidence to try new things and push myself out of my comfort zone when I can. They are all looking to help you and want to make sure you have the best placement that you can!

Fairly busy, it is a real job at the end of the day. There were certainly times when I was very busy but you receive constant support off your manager who can help manage your work load. If there are times where you aren't as busy than you'd like, you are easily able to get more work off your task manager.

As much as you want! When I first started I was given half of my responsibilities off the bat and after a couple months when my manager had seen that I'd settled in well, he gave me the rest of the role which I continued to learn and master till the end of my placement. I also showed an interest in other areas of the business so near the end of my placement I actually relinquished parts of my role to get involved in that, despite it having nothing to do with original role

Working at IBM helped me develop my skills immensely, this is becuase I was able to use the skills in a practical sense. Instead of learning skills at uni and not instantly applying them to a practical setting at IBM all the skills I had learned were being put into practice every day. Most noticably, my soft skills developed the most - with me leaving IBM a more confident and motivated person.

The atmosphere in my office was a very family feel, we were in a small office so the group of 8 interns became really good friends. The atmosphere is relaxed and there's never a dull moment with the team in the office, you become great friends with everyone there and I will miss them.

Incredibly well organised! The application process for IBM was certainly the best organised and I never felt in the dark of where my application was in the process. When I started my work placement, the transition between the team I'd spoken to during my application and my new boss was seamless! Everything ran like clockwork, I was very impressed!

Every IBMer, including interns have access to a learning platform where they are able to enroll themselves in any course imaginable. From here I have been able to teach myself various subjects from Blockchain to Agile, Excel to higher level coding languages. When at IBM, you are also given another manager who specialises in your personal development and you meet them regularly throughout the year to make sure you make the most out of your year!

Incredibly! You are given a fast track for the graduate scheme and Degree Apprenticeships and after speaking to countless graduates on my project I have devcided to apply back. The ability to learn, grow and be exposed to any challenge you can think of is extremely appealing! My managers and colleagues were very supportive of me applying back!

Extremely good social scene, it can change depending on where you are located but the majority of interns are based in London so are able to experience the night life in the Capital! There is also a fantastic intern party every year on a boat across the Thames, can't miss out!

Cost of living was fairly cheap where I lived and socialising was easy! Everyone is in the same boat so at there were plenty of nights out, parties and meals! There are also sports clubs within the office such as 5-a-side football that happens weekly and corporate games which happens every year!

Nightlife where I lived in the NW was good but we would often find ourselves getting a train into Manchester for a proper night out! There is a great NW community of IBMers with a good mix of Grads and Interns making for some brilliant nights out and terrible mornings!

Whilst at IBM you are encouraged to get involved in as much as you can, whether that be going to universities to talk about your placement year or going to the THINK event in London and helping clients around our biggest event of the year! The opportunities are endless and if you express an interest in something then your manager can help you achieve it!