I&E Sales Operational Support Review

The placement year in central was a fantastic experience. The student community at IBM was amazing and the job role was challenging and very flexible. I had the freedom to take on as much responsibility as I liked and still was never left to myself when I needed help. Even though this is not the area I want to go into after university I still really enjoyed my time at IBM.

From the first day I felt welcomed and never felt like I did not want to go to the office because there would be people who would not want to see me there. As I was in a supporting role I had to master certain skills before feeling like I added real value to the organisation (including advanced excel and overall office 2013). However, once I mastered these I really felt appreciated by all my colleagues. I feel like everyone at IBM understands that students are the future of the company so they really value young people.

Next to my task manager who I worked with on a daily basis and who was always happy to answer questions and help me with things I was struggling with, at IBM every placement student has a Personal Development Manager (PDM) who is there to assist and advise with any problems or concerns around your work or your general well being. No one ever expected me to know something I was not told before or got mad with me when I had to ask twice. The support was fantastic.

How busy I wanted to be. Meaning that I obviously always had to do the daily work but beyond that I could take on as much work as I felt like doing. In a company like IBM there is a huge variety of activities you can get involved with so it is really up to you how to shape your work day.

At the start you obviously have to learn the basics but after a few months on my placement I got given more and more responsibility, to the point that I had to stand in for my manager when she was on holiday, which meant that I had to do reporting that went all the way up to the general manager for UK and Ireland. As said before the responsibility really depended on the amount I wanted to take on. Nobody pushed me to doing something but nobody ever stopped me of doing anything either.

The daily routine definitely helped with my working discipline. You cannot just have a lie in or decide to turn up late at work. I developed advanced skills in excel which I strongly intend to use to make my general working routine more organised as well. Communication skills and most importantly improved confidence to speak up and ask for things will help me greatly in my degree.

The IBM South Bank office is a very open place. No cubicals and only glass doors to the offices. This makes people more approachable and make interaction with your colleagues very easy.

The placement program at IBM is organised by Foundation. An independent unit withing the company that looks after all interns, placement students, gap year students and graduates. They offer regular career events and help with all questions that you might have around your own career or anything work related. This set up makes sure that there are people who's expertise it is to help you with organisational issues, which works really well.

There is a scheme set up within IBM that encourages every employee (full-time or intern) to do 40 hours of education per year. There is a variety of different online learning courses to choose from throughout every industry related subject imaginable. There are also several career skills events for students that aim to make interns and placements students more employable.

To me personally they are not appealing as I am aiming to change my direction of study completely after my BA in Economics. However, IBM offers a fantastic range of consultant, technical and sales roles. The IBM sales school has a great reputation throughout business sectors and industries and therefore offers fantastic prospects for any graduate.

There was a great community amongst the placement students. We organised almost weekly events and there was loads of stuff going on at the weekends as well. From going out to 5 a side football, there was something for everyone.

I lived in south London and got quite lucky with the house that me and my friends got. However the cost of living is very high especially compared to my University. Managable but pricy nonetheless.

Although costly the London nightlife is only to be recommended. There is always something going on for every taste or interest.

There is certainly a lot to do outside of work as well. With flexible working hours it was possible to do all kinds of sports or socialising activities after work or at the weekends.