This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
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The Role
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The Company
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The Culture
- 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
- 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
- 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
- 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
- 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
- 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
- 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
- 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
- 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
- 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
- 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
- 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
- 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
- 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
- 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
The Role
Really enjoyed my job, especially after around 6 months when I started to gain more responsibility and respect from other members of the team. I was very lucky with my job role as it gave me great exposure to a number of execs and top level management.
I am treated like a permanent employee and not like a placement student at all. I am given real responsibility in the jobs i undertake and the outcomes add value to the team.
Everyone I have interacted with is very helpful and supportive not just my manager. If i ever had any problems I wouldn't hesitate to reach out and ask for guidance.
My timetable varies on day of the week and I am always particularly busy Monday and Tuesdays however the workload lightens off towards the end of the week. My workload also varied based on the time of the month as we are a sales unit working to deadlines and targets.
At first I was fairly quiet however as I became more competent in my job role and was more comfortable in the job I started to gain more and more responsibility. I now dont feel like i am treated as a placement student at all have real responsibility and opportunities to make an impact on the business.
My excel skills have improved dramatically which will be very helpful in the future. Ive also developed time management, confidence, prioritising of workload and many other useful skills. I've also learnt to be able to say no to people when I necessary
The Company
We had a great environment in the office. Always plenty of laughs and jokes even at high stress times.
very well organised and ran very smoothly. IBM have been taking on interns for years and have the process spot on. You receive a 2 day induction at the start in order to get security badges and givne laptops etc.
The company have approved my travel expenses to London once a week so that i can attend a Cadence business meeting. I also put together a business plan and was approved to travel round the UK visiting different business partners to deliver education.
Flexi Time
Subsidised Canteen
Sports and Social Club
Subsidised/Company Gym
Company Parties/Events
There's a lot of great opportunities to join IBM as a grad, mostly these are sales based so if that not something you are interested in the choice is a bit slimmer
The Culture
There was approximately 60 placement students in the same building as me and so it was easy to make friends and there was always something going on.
I was based in Portsmouth and came here from Leeds University and I didnt notice a dramatic difference in price.
There were approx 60 interns working in the same location as me and Portsmouth is a University city so the are plenty of student nights and always something fun going on.
you are encouraged to "giveback" at least 5 days of your year getting involved with something different. This could range from going into schools to talk about IBM, helping out with recruiting next years placement students or even helping at community projects.
Details
Placement (10 Months+)
May 2014