Sales and Operations for Financial Services Review

Had a brilliant team, superb manager and a variety of workload. There were periods of time when work was limited.

Welcomed well into the team, everyone is very supportive and willing to help.

Sat down numerous times with high level management and discussed Financial Services, the wider IBM and career options. Everyone is very willing to talk about what they do and how they got there.

There were a few occasions when my manager was too overwhelmed by work to delegate tasks, this meant I had to search for work outside of my immediate team. Never the less it taught me to manage my own time and keep myself motivated.

Exposure to sensitive data and discussions. Reporting on Financial Services Sales Opportunities to the Industry Executive which was used when he reported top IBM management.

During really busy periods, time management and prioritisation skills were tested. Working with a team highly developed my communication skills and confidence to voice my opinions. IBM had plenty of training days on offer in addition to online training tools.

Very friendly, 'flexible' desks enabled you to sit anywhere you wanted. Friday's would be very quiet as a lot of people would work from home.

Extremely organised. IBM run a two day induction, assign you a 'Buddy' (a graduate at IBM) and a Professional Development Manager (PDM). There are 2, 4, 6, 9 and 12 month reviews with your PDM to discuss your role, progression and career interests. Foundation, who arrange the placement scheme, offer many Giveback opportunities (students help out with events outside of their role). For example; University Presentations, Schools Outreach Programmes, Experiences Hire Assessment Centres etc

My biggest fear before joining IBM was giving presentations, a Graduate personally coached me to find ways to confidently deliver presentations. I voiced my interest in data analysis to my manager who ensured that I was exposed to as much analysis work as possible.

Very appealing. The Graduate Schemes on offer are exiting however quite tough to get into so you need to stand out from the crowd.

I lived over an hour away from London so socialising with the team and interns after work hours was a bit awkward as you would need to go home relatively early. However all the interns I came across were very friendly and easy to talk to.

I lived at home so the cost of living was minimal however travel costs were ridiculous as I end up paying £400 a month which would not be far from renting a room in London.

Southbank has really nice restaurants alongside the river, quite a few bars within a 5 minute walk from the office and close to Waterloo tube station so very easy to get across London.

At the beginning there was a weekly Wednesday drink with the Interns after work however as friendship groups formed everyone began to do their own thing. If you live in London it is alot easier to socialise after work or on weekends.