Junior Commercial Manager Review

I really enjoyed my placement because it provided exactly what I was looking for when I set out to apply for a year-long placement. I had hoped to get a role that would challenge me by pushing me outside my comfort zone and that I would learn a lot from, whether it be technical or soft skills. I got that as well as the opportunity to work with a team of people that were very happy to answer any questions I had. Over the course of the year, I learnt a lot about myself and could see how my skills and abilities had developed.

At the start of my placement, it was clear that I had big shoes to fill and would not be a token intern tasked with menial jobs around the office. My suggestions were taken seriously and I never felt undervalued. It was very gratifying to experience the transition from new starter to being the point of contact for certain subjects.

I felt very well supported by the management team because they created an atmosphere where it was okay to ask questions and even more vital to remember that none of us was working in isolation. We had a weekly management meeting every Tuesday morning. Seeing various team managers mention the highlights of the past week and the areas where they were perhaps struggling a bit gave me the confidence to ask for help whenever I needed it. This way, I found solutions to problems much quicker than if I had pretended to have it all under control.

Due to the nature of my role, I had daily, weekly and monthly tasks to undertake apart from the various other projects I was working on. This meant that I was never bored. If I felt the need to switch from one task to another because I was not making as much progress as would like and needed a step back, there was always something else I could be doing. My manager was also very great about checking in to see if I had any more bandwidth to take on any more tasks.

I took on a lot of responsibility which was heightened because I was working on client site and had regular meetings with the client to progress commercial items. Initially, being given that much responsibility felt scary because I would essentially be representing IBM on a daily basis but I realised that it would accelerate the improvement of my communication and presentation skills. After I focused on the advantages of having that much responsibility, I enjoyed my role even more.

Since starting my placement, I have learnt a lot about tailoring my communication appropriately, become much more confident about presenting my ideas and found a better approach to being an excellent team member. I think these skills as well as the commercial awareness I have gained will help perform well in my third year at university and in my graduate career.

It was largely a busy and serious atmosphere which is to be expected because we were based on client site at a major national bank. We did have fun dinners out as a team and an amazing Christmas party.

My role existed before I joined so there were a clear set of duties that I was taking over. I had a two-day induction at the start which set out the duration of my placement and the reviews I would have throughout the year. As a result, I was never in any doubt at any point about what I would be doing in the upcoming months.

I had to complete a minimum of 40 hours of learning outside my role which could include online learning or personal learning. IBM has a learning platform with courses on a variety of topics like Agile, Python, Data Analytics and many more, some of which I took. I was also nominated to attend an introductory accounting course by my manager.

I will be applying to return to IBM as a graduate and I do hope that having evidenced my contribution during my placement year and skills I have gained, I will be successful.

IBM has a Giveback programme which gives interns an opportunity to represent IBM at Careers Fairs, volunteer at schools, assist at Assessment Centres and the like. There were a ton of opportunities to do any of the above and much more and I was very happy to take a lot of them.