Sales and Operations 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
3.1
-
The Company
2.9
-
The Culture
2.6
- 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 have enjoyed aspects of the placement. It's been an excellent opportunity to get an insight into a big company and has allowed me to meet some great people, as well as gaining some great experiences which have taught me a lot. However the operational side of the role can be a bit mundane and 'spreadsheety'.
Some people really value your work and are really enthusiastic to give you exciting opportunities, others however can take advantage of your 'operational duties'.
It can be a mix. Whilst they do help to try and enrich your career through advice, it is often down to you to find your own opportunities.
I wasn't too busy with my core role, which turned out to be good as it allowed me to take part in more interesting activties e.g.: shadow client meetings
Again it has been a mix, some people have given me great responsibilities (e.g.: coordinate client events), however others have purely relied on me for spreadsheets.
I really believe I have gained great confidence in the working environment, which I see as highly transferable to any field. I have also strongly developed my excel skills, which again can be applied to any job.
The Company
I was lucky enough to sit with other interns and be surrounded by a lot of people who were interested to talk to us. However, other than this social events arent very well encouraged.
IBM runs a very strong foundation scheme (who look after placement students and graduates) that keeps you well informed on the progress of the placement and further graduate opportunities.
I have not been involved in any official training but there have been workshops to help develop our skills sets, such as communication skills, however these can be quite general.
Flexi Time
Working from home
IBM run a very good grad scheme however it is very competitive for interns to come back
The Culture
Thursday nights are a big social night for interns, especially in Southbank where there's over 100 interns, however there isn't any company organized events to help us getto know each other.
London is very expensive!!!
Southbank has a lot of nice bars which are popular after work
These weren't encouraged by the company, but London has a lot to offer in terms of sports clubs and gyms (hint: kings college gym was only £99 for students for 6 months!!)
Details
Placement (10 Months+)
Logistics and Operations
London
May 2015
