Executive Assistant Review

I had a great year working in central London for IBM. Met so many great people across the company and developed so many skills particularly building my confidence and presentation/public speaking skills.

You will come across some of the friendliest, helpful and caring people at IBM. Due to working within a relatively small department and in a small office the people almost do become like your family (providing you get on with them!) The work I did was valued and I received thanks and appreciation in return.

I went into a roll which was not previously filled by an Intern and the person I replaced was not around for the first couple of weeks and neither was my manager. During this time I found SO many people within my team who were willing to help me out with both the basics (laptop/systems/processes) and the more complex tasks. If one person doesn't know they will know someone who does...and so on. People are always so willing to guide you along the way and support your development. I believe this is mainly down to the great culture at IBM to help each other succeed.

My role was very ad-hoc. I could have days where I would be sitting around doing the bare minimum due to there literally being no burning tasks to complete but on other occasions I could be run off my feet and often not leaving until quite late. How busy you are is often related to your role and how much work your manager wishes to give you HOWEVER it is also down to you to seek out work if you're not busy/want to get involved with a project.. I was able to pick up many tasks due to my role being so flexible.

From the onset I was literally 'thrown in the deep end'. My first day was actually quite stressful as not only involved getting the laptop set up and getting used to the IBM systems but also getting on conference calls, replying to my managers mail and other tasks all on my first day which was pretty daunting! This is not often the case for everyone but in hindsight it did allow me to embrace challenge from the start! Throughout my placement I was highly trusted with confidential info and also to manage sensitive data.

More than anything my time at IBM has helped me grow as an individual professionally and personally. All transferable skills were developed. Many opportunities for e-learning courses.

In the office I worked at it could be very quite, however I got to know everyone there very well and made some great friends. In the main IBM South Bank office the atmosphere was a lot more lively, however the interns could be quite 'clicky'.

As IBM has so many roles in various locations they (Foundation) do a very good job with the inductions, 3-6-9-12 month reviews etc. However I do think it could be improved in certain areas. The organisation of the placement is very much down to the dept you work in and who your manager is. Sometimes they're used to having a new intern every year so the whole process is very seamless, but some aren't and it is down to you to find your feet.

There are options for training but this is all free e-learning. There were 2 'Skills Roadshow' workshops throughout the year which were quite beneficial. Although I did not have frequent contact with my PDM (Professional Development Manager) he did help me with my development.

I feel IBM is a very good company to work for, the Graduate Scheme is appealing and I have applied back. The only downside is that they have limited roles to consulting and sales. Therefore if you're interested in HR, Finance or Marketing you would have come in as say a consultant and then possibly transfer over after a few years.

Going out and exploring London was great. We had a few organised nights out and a Christmas and Summer party. However most people did not have the money to go out a lot.

I did not live in London (lived at home) so managed to save a lot of money. Socialising in London is very expensive however I made the most of having money on my placement year and enjoyed the social scene.

Central London is buzzing and always something going on. Look out for the 'student nights/deals' happy hours etc.

More so for the boys (football etc) If you wanted to do something you had to organise it yourself basically. Giveback/volunteering at IBM is a great way to give back to the local community / your University or IBM itself.