Enterprise Operations Assistant Review

We were repeatedly told your placement will be what you make of it and this certainly turned out to be true! I had a great time as I got thoroughly involved with extra events and 'Giveback' (volunteering) activities outside of my day job. I met some wonderful friends too as there is a large student community at IBM

At IBM, you aren't just making the tea and coffees for the team, you are given real responsibility within the business. There are also always new opportunities if you go looking for them and build a network to be invited to other events. There are means of recognising good work ,too. For example I was given 'Blue Thanks'. Feedback is highly relied upon in the Foundation scheme, too, so you often get to reflect on your performance. The IBM assessment is quite thorough on top of uni work.

There is so much support as each student had a task manager for day to day direction in their role. But each location has a PDM (Professional Development Manager) who looks after all the students' pastoral care side. They are an advocate and give your formal assessments and help you out with any worries you may have. One point I had is that our PDM was not based in our location and not as readily available as others, but the support is there.

This really varied on, not only different days of the week, but also throughout the year. At the beginning you are just getting a handle on your role and things take a while. Once you are up to speed you find you fly through your regular tasks and suddenly have a lot of time on your hands. This is when you go out starting to look for more projects or Giveback opportunities and speak to your PDM about experience you want to gain and may be able to start going shadowing. Again, your placement is what you make of it. So long as you ask, you can keep yourself busy. Once final reviews, applications back and new interns starting comes along at the end - you get very busy!

As I said before, you are given a lot of responsibility as an intern and your reports and work is used in real applications and on a daily basis. I, for example, was operations support for 2 brands within IBM. I got a great overview of the sales process and got to sit on meetings discussing real deals on a weekly basis.

This year has been invaluable to me and I am so glad I have done it. I have never had an idea what to do in my career and IBM had the breadth of business to get experience in any area such as sales, operations, marketing, consulting, HR etc. I have now come to a decision on my career direction I would never have had before, as well as a great company and experience to put on my CV! I have gained so much personal confidence and professionalism to take back to university with me as well as a new work ethic which should do me wonders for my final year studying!

Our office was very lively. I was based in Bedfont, near Heathrow outside of London. Although it is not a popular choice with students, I am so glad I was based there. There is a tight community of interns, around 30, so large enough but a nice size in that everyone knows everyone and can get on well. Groups of us sat together so there was a relaxed atmosphere and plenty of chatter which I didn't see as much in other offices as interns were spread around a lot more.

There is a lot of assessment at IBM so there was always a review to be preparing for and gathering feedback for. There were also events held, such as the UP to Grad Academy to help us research grad schemes at IBM and speak to current graduates. This was all to help us think about applying back.

There are plenty of opportunities for extra-curricular training. Again, I would say that this is more available for you to go after if you are interested and not necessarily anything forced upon you, so make the most of it! I got some training in interviewing and loads on Excel which really helped in my day job. Foundation also held a few training days with skills such as communication, presentation giving etc. These were good fun and a break from the job but I'd say a lot of what we'd all seen before.

I am applying back for the Graduate scheme for next year. This is partly because I want to get the most out of my year here and if that is a graduate job lined up already - that's perfect! I know the graduate scheme is a competitive one salary wise and the training is top-notch. I have also built a network in the company, so would feel comfortable returning. As well as this, IBM is such a large organisation, everyone in the firm I have spoken to has moved around roles so much. There will be loads of chance to move around if you ever fancied a change of career direction which really appeals.

There was a good social scene as the group size at Bedfont was nice, although getting everyone together was often difficult. We had nights out in Richmond and Kingston as well as day trips to Hampton Court, Thorpe Park etc and BBQ's at people's houses. We all got on well.

Being in London was fairly expensive although not as much so as Central. We were given a smaller London allowance for our location as well, which helps. And earning the money on your placement is lovely and helps fund your activities although getting used to a uni budget again will be hard! I wouldn't say it was a marked increase, really.

I'm personally not hugely into clubbing but there are really good bars and pubs to sit in in Richmond, particularly. A group often went out to Kingston and into Central London. Nights out at the theatre in London were also really good, I enjoyed those. There are a few pubs near the office for after work drinks and also plenty of restaurants, a cinema, bowling and bingo, too which a few interns visited.

Loads. Giveback was a great opportunity to get out of the office and go into schools in the local area and give presentations or go back to your old school and advertise the IBM scheme. You could also volunteer in the nearby country park planting trees etc. Events such as the Foundation Think Together or UP to Grad Academy are also student run and give you a good opportunity to run a large event. There are also opportunities to represent IBM at Wimbledon and Twickenham, too which are fantastic. I was luck enough to get to the Wimbledon Assessment Centre and spend the day there. Also, there are client events and meetings you can ask to go along to or help at.