Placement Year Review at Research In Motion UK (RIM)

The Role

Role Description

My job role was to :
1. Monitor the BlackBerry Infrastructure using a variety of tools and react to resolve any alerts which may arise.

2. Work as part of a team to log and resolve any incidents ensuring that strict Service Level Agreements are met at all times.

3. Escalate any incidents that cannot be resolved within specified times frames to the relevant team members and work with them until the incident is resolved.

4. Document and record steps taken towards resolution of an incident and add this to the knowledge database for future referral.

5. Ensure the upkeep and continuous improvement of the BlackBerry Infrastructure by performing periodic maintenance.

6.Act as the first point of contact for any Network related problems between RIM's NOC and its Carrier partner's NOC.

1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

My placement was very great and fantastic. I was given real job opportunities to embark on. I felt the job I was doing was having a profound impact on customers and that made me realize how important my job role was. I certainly went there with not much experience but to have colleagues and Team Leads always ready to elaborate on your questions was a real bonus for me. You need an answer to a question and you know who to go to depending on whether you fancy a concise explanation or a "Chapter"of details. It was a real life experience.
The challenge and the overall working environment is something worth talking about. Projects come in and out and you've got to be up to speed with them once you are assigned one. There was four teams with twelve Operators including Unix and Communications Administrators in each and the inter - Team challenge and competition was very keen.

2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

At RIM, it is highly unlikely for anyone to feel otherwise. In fact I felt really valued and that was certainly based on the work you do. My job role was a real responsibility you couldn't afford to make it go astray and it was so obvious for everyone to see the importance of your job. If its not done right, valued partners and customers feels the impact. Therefore there was no way anyone could miss how valued you are to the company. The sense of unity and togetherness was there for everyone to see from organizing trips for sailing to go Karting. It was fun.

3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

This question brings to mind what exactly I asked the managers during my interview and one of them joked, you will be left on your own.
The amount of guidance and support you get is enormous. You have one to one meetings with your Team Leads every four weeks to assess your progress and answer some questions bugging you. The managers are available almost 24hrs day, ready to help you in any way they can, from enrolling you on a course if it needs be to booking sessions for technology seminars to enable you do your job properly.

4. How busy were you on a daily basis?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

During my time at RIM, it was the fastest growing company in the world.(Fortune Magazine, 2009). And that speaks volumes of how busy the company's operations were. On a daily basis, I would say 90%. There was something to be done at any given time.

5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?

★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 5/10

The responsibility I was given at RIM can be summed up as second to none. I was given enormous responsibility right from the day I completed my four-Week intensive training programme. There was a lot to take in with regards to the functionality of the different facets of the Blackberry infrastructure. My job role was to solely monitor the entire infrastructure and react to alerts. However as time passed by I realized I was maintaining the infrastructure by liaising with business partners to undertake some maintenance. If my job is not done right, customers and Blackberry subscribers are adversely affected and the company takes a hit - which is in line with the Service Level Agreement they have in place.

6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?

★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 5/10

RIM was the place were the practical aspect of my studies was fully utilized. The training i had has made me more professional in my endeavours. Today the Telecommunication industry is where my heart lies and the training and seminars I was enrolled on will forever remain with me.

The Organisation

7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

The atmosphere was buzzing every time with fun. My colleagues were people who has fun whilst taking their work extremely seriously. This help to remove any stress or tensions in the room.

8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

Our batch was the first in the Network Operations Centre (NOC) department. The company was really ready for us. The contents of their Learning Management Systems were very in depth and thorough making sure that the technologies used in the company is well understood.

9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

The company invested so much in me. Starting from my intensive training period to on the job training. It even helped to subsidize those who were ready to learn new languages as the company is scattered all over the world.

10. What were the perks on your work placement?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

• Subsidised Canteen
• Sports and Social Club
• Subsidised/Company Gym
• Financial Bonus
• Company Parties/Events
• Staff Sales/Staff Shop
• Above 25 days holiday
• Healthcare/Dental
• Travel loan

11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?

★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 5/10

The future prospects within the organization is very much appealing. They believe that when you come back after your degree, they wouldn't invest as much in you as they did in the placement period. You would've know the modes of operations and procedures already.

Other Information

12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?

★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

Rated 6/10

Not much.

13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?

★★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 4/10

The cost of living and socialising in slough was too much. The rent rate was very high on average for a room since landlords know that its a business area.
As a result of this I chose to commute from London and that wasn't cheap either.

14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?

★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 5/10

Not much observed since I only work and not live there.

15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?

★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 5/10

Yes there was always opportunities to get involved in activities normally organized by the compay.

In addition to these questions, is there any extra information you would like to leave about your experiences on your work placement that other students may be interested in?

All is said and there's non to add to it.
Thanks

Review 4/6 for Research In Motion UK (RIM)

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