RFS Manager Review

The placement really tested my skill sets and developed my professionalism to every extent and that is what I wanted out of it, the opportunity to prove that I could succeed not only academically but within industry too and I really enjoyed proving that!

Of course you will not treat all your colleagues like family immediately, but you will always be an extremely valued member of your team. They take you on and the devote countless hours training you to be proficient in your role and then they give you that extra inch by giving you the opportunity to build on what you have gained, often through volunteering projects, or by taking the leadership role in critical Team tasks.

My Manager made me feel so at ease from the very beginning and I would say that I owe a lot of the opportunities that arose for me to build my experience and professionalism to them. They are inspiring and have played a crucial role by advising me on my decisions for future career goals, which comes from hearing their own experiences which have shaped my understanding of IBM and the IT industry throughout my placement. Invaluable!

I am in a very fast paced section of the overall corporation. It is very demanding, but no real life job ever has the "perfect balance". You will be busy, but this will accelerated your understanding and ability to complete your role. Once you know you're role, IBM offer a huge number of other things to get involved in such as THINK 40 education modules, Round table events with senior executives and Give Back a company initiative which encourages all employees to volunteer their time and effort to projects, which could see you demonstrate to Primary school kids what a "Smarter Planet" could be like, mentor 1st year University students or even spearhead you own community project! Not only that! You prove you work ethic and IBM is an incredibly flexible company. You want to travel to your family home, or clock out before 5 to go meet your friend for a drink? My family live in Ireland and I was based in London, and I was always told by colleagues to get the most suitable/cheapest flights, no matter if it was during working hours... They will bend over back ways to ensure you get the most out of your placement year, ensuring you give them the most out of you! It's all up to you!

I was given ownership of new responsibilities on a regular basis. Naturally they were quite simple tasks in the beginning, such as generating reports or processing small requests and once I gained enough expertise in the role I took on much more complex tasks such as develop high value contracts working across a number of different teams, systems and processes. I was given the responsibility of assisting with corporate audit preparations, ensuring our account was as audit ready as possible, one of the most high pressured and toughest tasks I have under taken.

I developed both hard and soft skills that I could never have been taught in a class room environment. I study Information Technology Management for Business so IBM as a company and the role of an RFS Manager allowed me to built on my business and technology skills and I have gained expertise and knowledge that I feel will help me excel in my final year of study

I worked in a central London location. It was faced paced more often that not, but at times, especially on Fridays when a lot of people work from home the office was a little quiet

My team invested a lot of their time to helping me succeed in my role, which allowed me to invest my time in other things once I was proficient in my role. Participating in other things in turn, allowed IBM to invest in me again, as there are many opportunities to self-educate yourself using IBMs THINK 40 library or to develop your skills by volunteering in projects.

I was based in London, which isn't the cheapest...