HR Partner Support Review

The duties and responsibilities of the role vary from consistently occurring tasks to more ad hoc business. At its most simple it is my duty/responsibility to provide essential support to the HR Team. On a weekly basis it is my duty to facilitate the HR Team Calls. Specifically, it is my responsibility to organise the chairs of the meetings and prepare the spreadsheets and Power Point slides that will be used as reference material. In order to maximise the productivity and efficiency of these meetings, I am required to be thoroughly organised and flexible to the demands of those who I am supporting as well as taking minutes of the meetings and sharing them with the rest of the team after the meeting. This is achieved through clear communication and continuous problem solving with stakeholders. It is my responsibility to deliver a hiring report once a week to the Growth Platform Leader and pull data across markets and departments to build a monthly BUR deck. Ad hoc business mostly consists of analysing, producing and presenting information to HRPs for reports on anything from engagement, diversity and attrition to promotional readiness and individual performance.

I have developed my organisation, effective communication and time-management skills. I learnt how to work with people from across the world while being exposed to cultural difference and working around different time zones. I have developed my written communication skills and have now gained more confidence in communicating with other professionals. All professionals have access to an online Learning Platform where they can learn new skills, earn badges and upgrade their CVs. IBM's culture is about constant improvement and so, having access to free education is a big plus in my eyes.

Yes, I have been given a lot of responsibilities and ownership over many tasks, ad-hoc requests, monthly reporting, facilitating team meetings and even some projects. Throughout my placement I had a lot of autonomy, which can be a bit tricky for people who haven't experienced it in their previous employment. Coming to the end of my placement, I can now fully appreciate the sense of autonomy for my time and for the tasks I've been given throughout my placement. It's something I value today.

I did not receive as much support and guidance as I was hoping for at the beginning of my placement. My expectations were prominent in this department and that might have been why I've been disapointed with the lack of guidance. However, I have quickly learned that it is part of the company's ways of operating. In order to give you space for creativity, they will give you as little guidance as possible on how things 'should be done'.

Company culture and general atmosphere are positive. Social events are organised on a regular basis and the work-life balance is emphasised often. The company is vocal on the current issues, but at the same time is not discriminating against those who might be holding different opinions. Company's culture is also constant learning and improvement. Therefore, in my free time when I'm not working on a task, I am learning something new or developing/upgrading the skills I already possess.

On a scale of 1 - 10 (1 being least and 10 bein most), I enjoyed my placement at a 7. As I was joining my team at the beginning of the placement, there were a lot of changes and it took a few months for it all to settle down. However, then we hit the busy 2-month period where there wasn't much time for knowledge building, asking questions or training/mentorship. Regardless of that experience, I would definitely go back. I am sure that IBM is a great company to be working for and that the opportunities are endless.

Yes

The interview process can feel lengthy, but even through going from one stage to the next, upon reflection, I was learning new things about myself. At the Assessment Centre I met quite a few interns who were then my peers when I joined IBM, which made the 1st day les scary. Try your best to calm your nerves before any of the interviews and/or before the Assessment Centre, that way you will be more present. By staying present and being yourself, you'll be more memorable to the interviewing managers.