Business 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
3.6
-
The Company
3.2
-
The Culture
4.1
- 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
Enjoyed it, with a few small hiccups along the way relating to expectations vs reality.
By some very valued, by others, not at all.
Fairly regular catch-ups and meetings with task manager to ensure I was making the most of my role in relation to her tasks.
This varies. Some parts of the months and year were far busier than others. As the year went on the role became increasingly steady with a good amount of daily work.
Not enough at the beginning. Towards the end circumstances allowed me to have control of various tasks that I could control.
Organisation was a key skill developed here. As well as general professionalism and understanding a work environment. As well as structure.
The Company
Usually fun and friendly, with a fairly relaxed attitude. This was only enjoyable when others were in however. In terms of the office itself, generally fairly standard. (this may be specific to the area itself, not in all locations).
IBM's placement is well organised and has a great reputation. I would like to mention, interns are subject of their task managers, so this can vary.
At times I felt like the company forgot I was an intern and was just happy to use me to get the remedial jobs completed. I understand this from a company point of view, but also would like to remind large firms that if they are to use a placement system, they should remember students wish for a WIDE range of experiences, not just their same role day in day out. This is a personal experience, I'm sure not across the board at this company.
Unfortunately for me, I would not look to work here in the future. Although some sections are appealing, I've experienced that IBM can say they offer one thing (e.g flexitime) but unless all the employees believe in this, its hard to see it getting filtered properly down the system unless targeted. Again this is personal, as I didn't particularly enjoy having such a minor part in such a vast large system. On average, IBM say previous years around 25-30% of interns get a job with them.
The Culture
I worked in a fairly small office with around 10 placement students. The social system between us was really good and beneficial. Especially towards the end of the year.
Cost of living was average I'd. Although probably verging on high considering out of London and not in a city.
Night life was good, but required a 15 min drive to reach. Can be very pricey in a taxi.
If you look for them you'll find them, same as with anywhere. I would say there were opportunities
Details
Placement (10 Months+)
Computer Systems Engineering, Consumer Products/FMCG, Customer Service
South East
May 2015
