Business Consultant Review

As a business consultant in the distribution sector, I was working under the cluster lead for the professional services industry. I supported our operations and strategy, tracking bids and attending deals cadences. I conducted business analysis on target clients. I supported a variety of bids for work with many new and existing clients. I joined the delivery team on large deals with professional and legal services clients, as well as retail clients, spanning across finance, talent and customer experience transformation. I supported whole sector operations, running the monthly newsletter, and helping a variety of wellbeing, diversity & inclusion initiatives for our partners.

I have massively enhanced my soft skills including team working abilities, communication skills, time management, research skills, networking abilities, and creative thinking and problem solving. Harder skills I have build and improved upon include Microsoft Excel, project management, business process map building, data analysis, financial analysis, business research, Microsoft Powerpoint (design and content creation). I have build a strong foundation in consulting, understanding the end-to-end process including relationship management, solution development, pricing, contract writing, delivery and testing

Yes, I am surprised by how much responsibility I was trusted with, however it was down to me to find opportunities, build relationships and trust, to be given the opportunity to take on exciting challenges. I had not expected to be included in client engagements as an intern, and was pleased to be involved in many clients workshops, and joined multiple delivery teams. I was personally given ownership of a hugely important strategy session, including all the partners in my team. If you work hard and prove yourself, there are endless opportunities to be given responsibility. However, if you aren't so proactive, you can easily end up having very little to do.

The support I received was mostly good. Our foundation managers were exceptional, offering weekly group checkins and on-demand one-to-one support when required. They were always contactable, super friendly and nurturing, and very concerned with helping you develop as a person. My task manager was excellent, and similarly caring, however I know other people had worse experiences with managers who did not engage with them much. I was lucky to build a network of people who supported me and helped to create opportunities in areas I was interested to pursue.

The culture at IBM was very nice. There is a big focus on inclusivity, support, and ethical working. The work life balance was strong, and teams felt very diverse and nurturing. There were many support groups focused on mental health and wellbeing, diversity and inclusion. There were lots of community events in my sector and across the company. The office is nice, there is a calm atmosphere here. I think a lot of people would enjoy working at IBM due to the low stress levels.

I really enjoyed most aspects of my placement. I have learnt a huge amount, enjoyed feeling part of a very senior team. There is a great community of interns who support eachother and make you feel at home. I was very lucky in my role to be exposed to so many opportunities, especially within many different areas of consulting. There are good sources to develop your skills and expand your network. The only critique would be that the internship programme lacks some structure in terms of your role, there is no standard role. Every position is different and determined by what your task manager wants from you. As such, some people may have more or less of an opportunity to branch out and learn, and take certain responsibilities. Overall I do think IBM takes good care of its interns, and the opportunities are all there if you are willing to work hard and find them.

Yes

I would recommend you take time finding out more about IBM and developing a passion. Research our history and where we came from, and how we have changed, and what we are doing now. Be passionate about technology, innovation, and change, that's what we are all about. Read the news and know about the latest tech and innovations, and IBM products. Also read into our growth behaviours/key values. Be yourself in the interview, be creative and make yourself stand out. Don't read from a script either. Aligning yourself to our key values will make you look good. In group exercises, don't be too quiet, don't be controlling, be inclusive and encourage conversation. Give your opinion on other peoples ideas and build upon them.