Finance Resource Analyst Review

I have enjoyed my year placement at IBM. There have been lots of opportunities to develop both my job and personal skills. Everyone I have met and worked with at IBM have been extremely helpful and motivating. I have had a real insight into how a Finance function in a multinational company works and this experience has been invaluable. My work location is the only aspect that I didn't enjoy as much.

Everyone I have worked with at IBM has been really helpful and always willing to explain or lend a hand if I do not understand. I feel valued as part of my team and in the wider Finance community, I have always been treated as if I were a normal employee and not just a placement student working for a year. This helped me feel comfortable and confident when settling into my role.

This year, I have had various managers at IBM, my task manager has always provided me with guidance and support throughout my year. I have been extremely lucky to have my task manager based at the same location as me and this has benefited me in several ways. I can always ask questions if I am unsure and she is always around to make sure I am OK. I haven't much contact with my early professionals manager so this relationship has not been as strong, however if I had a problem I knew I could always go to him.

My workload has varied over the year. I have never found myself with nothing to do, there is always a project or piece of work I can be doing. During the last part of my placement my workload has increased and I am very busy juggling different projects and reports. I have enjoyed having lots to do, I do not get bored and I feel like I am being challenged..

I have been given lots of responsibility during my placement. I had weekly calls with the Finance VP and this gave me lots of visibility and exposure to the senior leadership team. I have worked on several big meetings and projects for the same VP and this has meant taking ownership and responsibility for the content and presentations. Being given this responsibility, I feel valued as part of the team and know my manager trusts me to do a good job.

The skills I have gained during my placement are invaluable and all skills I will use in the future. My communication, presentation and team working skills along with many more will all be transferable to any job I take in the future and my degree studies in final year. I also believe my work ethic has increased and I think this will also show in my final year at university.

I was based in the Portsmouth office. These offices are not the biggest and not in a very central location, lots of people work from home so the office can be very quiet at times. However when the office is busy the atmosphere is motivating and hard working. I had the opportunity to travel to the London office and this was more upbeat, lots going on and the atmosphere was much brighter and inspiring. I would have preferred to be based in London during my placement year.

The organisation of my placement year was good. I had scheduled reviews with my manager and I knew what I was doing. I was provided with a good handover period which enabled me to learn the role without being thrown in the deep end. There are lots of placement students and this creates a good social atmosphere for activities outside of work too.

Placement students are managed by Foundation. There has been lots of training opportunities available during my year at IBM, the education has been offered in many forms too - Online, face to face, workshops, phone calls etc...IBM wants to develop your skills and I think this is demonstrated through the amount of opportunities available. There was one big event in the year when all the interns are invited and education provided face to face. This is also a great opportunity to network and meet other placement students.

IBM offers lots of graduate roles across a range of functions and they encourage you to explore your career paths and learn about other areas of the business. You have the opportunity to shadow others in different departments and there is also lots of information provided to help you decide if their graduate scheme is right for you. We have also been given the opportunity to talk to current graduates to understand more about the roles and the scheme.

There are lots of placement students at the same location as me (Portsmouth) which makes the social scene enjoyable. Most people who are located in Portsmouth also live near by in IBM student houses and tend to go out as a group. We have had a Christmas and end of year party where all the placement students across all the departments have been invoved, although we had to organise these ourselves and self fund the events. Portsmouth is obviously not the same as London but it has a few good events.

The cost of living in Portsmouth and going out wasn't too expensive, I would say it was very average. Coming from the North it was always going to be more expensive than I was used to but there wasn't a drastic difference. You are also earning money so you can afford to spend a little extra.

The nightlife in Portsmouth is OK. I am used to living in a big city with a lot more going on, so moving down to Portsmouth was a big change for me. There is a university in Portsmouth though so there are still events going on most nights in the week and student deals on particular nights. Gunwharf also has a big shopping center and lots of restaurants to enjoy overlooking the port.

IBM has a scheme called Giveback, these are events that give back to the local community or back to IBM. Placement students are encouraged to get involved and take part in Giveback events throughout the year. I was involved in a mentoring scheme and also went back to my university to run mock assessment centers. This was a great opportunity to use some of the skills I had learned while being at IBM and helping others prepare for placements.