Technical Support Review
by IBM
This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
-
The Role
4.2
-
The Company
3.8
-
The Culture
4.0
- 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
I really enjoyed my placement, yet would not want to do it full time. Just a year was great, as I began to tire of the daily routing after about 9 months. It gave me a lot of experience of the world of business, yet some tasks got repetitive, and there was only limited opportunity to vary my role.
I felt very valued by my colleagues. As I was given quite a lot of responsibility and completed my tasks competently, I was valued because of this.
There was always support from higher levels, my manager was very involved in what I did, arranging biweekly meetings to discuss my progress. She was always happy to support me in anything I wanted to do.
I found I constantly had work to be getting on with, yet not rushed off my feet very often. Some days were a lot quieter than others, which meant I was able to pace my work, and rarely found I could not complete my tasks within normal working hours.
I was given much responsibility from the first few weeks of my placement. My role was very individual and was therefore responsible for the tasks I managed, however there was always help to hand when needed.
I feel that the experience of a business environment, rather than the practical skills of the job, will help me a lot in the future. I am now better at organising my time, and have gained a lot of confidence when talking to peers and large groups. This is an experience that would benefit anyone.
The Company
I worked in the sales department that always had quite a noisy and informal atmosphere. My team was always willing to discuss any issue, and happy to help in any situation.
I had no problems!
I had opportunities to attend sales training, and was always encouraged to take on activities outside my normal daily role.
Company Parties/Events
I feel I would like to experience other organisations, before thinking about returning to IBM. If I had no other prospects I would be happy to return.
The Culture
Yes, there were about 150 other students all working for IBM, in Portsmouth alone. There were constantly social activities going on, and we arranged to all go skiing together, which was great fun.
Coming from Oxford, Portsmouth was a lot cheaper. Taxi's were cheap. Good student deals because of the University.
Quite a mix of places to go, something to suit everyone. Could tire of it if you were in Portsmouth a long time.
Yes, but not related to IBM. They would have to be activities arranged independently.
Details
Placement (10 Months+)
South East
June 2014
