Consulting Services Support Review

I found it an incredibly valuable learning experience, which was enabled by the incredible managers and colleagues that I had the chance to work with. From the moment I started at IBM, I was put straight into a project with immediate client exposure and this has stayed constant throughout my placement.

With the range of tasks I was given, it was clear that you are valued and if you are prepared to put the time and work in, they are willing to give you more responsibility. They are also appreciative when you put forward your thoughts or comments that could work towards improvements.

Throughout my placement I was given support from my Task Manager, Early Professional manager, Mentor and colleagues. They are all very friendly and helpful people with a lot of experience in what they do. Feedback was given on a regular basis and it was made very clear throughout the year that anyone was happy to help with guidance. Also, events were set up throughout the year to help give guidance on applying back to IBM as well as other companies which was extremely useful

This depended on the projects I worked on. My workload varied quite a lot, some weeks I was extremely busy and having to stay in late whilst we waited on dependencies and other times I would work the regular 9-5.

As you progress though your placement you are given more and more responsibility dependent on your capability. If you show you are capable you will be given the chance to manage more responsibility. The further you are through your placement the more knowledgeable you will be with the ways IBM work, therefore more responsibility will be assigned to you.

I think I have developed quite a lot, both personally and professionally. IBM has a lot of online resources and education which can be used to enhance your understanding of the different business lines. When I go back to university, I am hoping to involve my knowledge of the industry into my final year project.

I spent 6 months in the Southbank office and found that there is a atmosphere that is exemplified by hard work but at the same time, there are many 'fun' aspects. People that you have previously worked with are always willing to stop in the corridors and chat to you, as well as offering to follow up the conversation with a post-work drink. I also worked on a client site for the remainder of my contract which has an incredible working atmosphere. As there is so much to be done, everyone has to be collaborative, but this is made possible by the workspace we have been given.

I had a fairly slow start but once I got going, everything ran smoothly. I went from one client to another and the transition was smooth.

There are countless amounts of online training courses which are paid for by IBM. Throughout the year there are plenty events available for you to get stuck into. IBM's graduate training is far superior to its placement year students however, as you go straight into work, you pick things up from your colleagues in an instance.

Incredibly appealing. The company is so vast in size that there are many areas I would like to delve into as a graduate. They have a large training budget and plenty of room for growth and opportunity IBM is also going through a transition phase which sounds daunting but as a grad it would give me a great amount of excitement to be able to learn about these new areas of technology. It is a very innovative company full of very smart people.

There is an incredible social scene; whilst I was at Southbank we would go out almost every Thursday for drinks and get together at weekends. Whilst on client site, we like to go out together every night for food and occasionally we go for drinks.

As I am paying for a place in London and still going there on weekends, costs are extraordinarily high, especially if you're from the north. On the other hand, if you are cost-savvy, there are a lot of opportunities to get round London cheaply and still have a good time.

Good - London so a lot of options were available to us.

I was part of the IBM football team which played weekly and included end of season events.