IA Mobility Country Focal Point/ BMR support Review

I have really enjoed my placement with IBM, I have built knowledge in a new area and met some very inspiring people!

I had a fantastic team who made me feel like a regular colleague not just an intern. They were very supportive throughout the year and were happy to give me guidance when needed. On a personal level i have made some great friendships that will last beyond my placement year.

For the first couple of months i had great support from my professional development manager however was disappoined with the level of support from my line manager on a day to day basis. Organisational change meant i was assigned a new manager who was fantastic and realy supportive. Monthly discusses and quarterly reviews give you the chance to voice any worries or update your manager on what you've been upto. There is also the opportunity to have a mentor if you feel you need another source of support.

Workload in my role changed on a day to day basis- from what i have seen this is true to most of the roles. I have had weeks twiddling my thumbs and others where i am rushed off my feet- working through lunches and leaving the office late become the norm. While it can be frustrating it teaches you manage your workload and any free time gives you the opportunity to network or takepart in shadowing/giveback activities.

I was given the same work to do as my team members plus additional tasks including an upline governance piece.

I feel that the skills i have developed this year will be invaluabe to my future studies and career. Working for IBM has opened my eyes to all of the opportunities that are available and i hope that my experience working for a global corporae company will help me to secure a graduate role.

When i first started i joined a very lively office which could be quite noisy at times. There was a great friendly atmosphere and i think this helped me to settle in quickly. However halfway through the year it was announced that a number of the teams were being outsourced and many were to lose their jobs. As you can imagine this changed the atmosphere greatly and it became quite awkward at times. At the end of my placement the number of employees in the office had more than halved and the office was much quieter.

I was pleased with how well organised my placement was. I was initially worried as the application to offer process didnt seem very organised and there was a lack of communication re contracts etc.(I didnt find out my role until my first day) However once i started things impoved greatly. A two day induction to introduce IBM was really helpful, ith presentations from various staff members and workshops to teach you how to set up your laptop/email etc. Unfortunately the trainee i was taking over from was on holiday when i started so for the first two weeks i was left to my own devices most of the time. At the time this didn't seem great but looking back it was a good experience to be thrown in at the deep end! Reviews and meeting with managers were well structured throughout the year.

The opportunity to develop if there if you are willing to take it. No one will push you to take up opportunities outside of your role but if you voice the desire to do new things you will be given umlimited support. Personally i think the shadowing opporunities are fantastic especially if you aren't certain of what career path you wish to take.

Grad opportunites are limited ( there are no finance or hr roles this year) however i will still be applying despite being outside my diect area of interest. There are also other ways to secure a role with the organisation, for eg this year there was a HR summer internship with the possibilty of securing a role on completion.

There are such a large number of students so there is a great social scene, in and outside of work. There is also the 'IBM club' which helps you to meet others with similar interests through sport, travel etc.

Portsmouth is a relatively cheap area to live in, rent can vary from £280-£350 a month. Living by the sea means you can socialise without spending too much!

nightlife is not bad but could be better. There are only 3 main clubs to choose from but there are a number of smaller bars to visit too.

There are lots of sports teams within IBM, as well as the IBM club which i mentioned previously. The amount of people you meet mean there will always be something to do outside of work.