UKI Product Marketing Specialist | Social Media SME Review

by IBM

Best Student Employer

This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.

Rating

4.4/5
  • The Role
    4.7
  • The Company
    4.5
  • The Culture
    4.0

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
  • My work placement was an amazing experience. I got to meet some amazing people who all have incredibly different skills. Working in this marketing department really has opened my eyes into what goes on in a department of this size (around 200). In addition, my fellow placement students (around 140) were brilliant. Meeting new people from different backgrounds, who all have different talents was great.

    5/5

  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
  • I felt very valued by my colleagues, not only the placement student community, but that of my marketing team. They were helpful and easy to talk to, they valued my input and made me feel like I was a valued member of the team.

    5/5

  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
  • The support I received from my manager was great, he really was one of the best in the company and I don't think I could have had anyone better, who truly understood things from my perspective when needed.

    5/5

  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
  • VERY! My role started as a fairly normal day job, but quickly grew when people found out that I had skills that were desirable. However, I still managed to finish on time most days (apart from a few where events were coming up and things needed sorting out).

    5/5

  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
  • A lot of responsibility is given. Managers like to be able to give you tasks that you can lead on to demonstrate your talents if you're comfortable doing so. However, if you don't want to be given responsibility, you can always say no - though I wouldn't recommend it!

    5/5

  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
  • A huge amount! I learned more in the last year than I could have imagined. I think I will be going back to university with a completely different mindset and work ethic. The skills that I have developed: communication, project management and work-life balance are skills that most students don't have, so being able to have that is amazing. I will also be walking away from IBM with qualifications in Agile and Design Thinking, something which I had never heard of; but now, something which I couldn't live without!

    5/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
  • I tended to work with the marketing department. They were very fun and upbeat, as were the developers and the designers. Though, I sat with the Sales placement students as being in that environment helps you to figure out how marketing can help the sales teams (and how they can help you). It is a fun atmosphere at the right time - but coming up to quarter close and year end, it can be very stressful.

    5/5

  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
  • Very well. I cannot fault it. From the day we started on Induction we were talked through a lot of the processes. It was good to be in a group of people that you probably won't work directly with, but you may need them for advice or other activities during your placement.

    5/5

  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
  • They invested in me from day one. The moment I started my manager explained that the standard issue laptop would not cut the job that I would be doing and therefore bought me a new one. In addition, they invest heavily in education and personal development. IBM tends to cover all bases

    5/5

  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
  • Flexi Time

    National Travel

    Company Parties/Events

    Staff Sales/Staff Shop

    Working from home

    5/5

  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
  • I would love to have a job in the marketing department. I have realised that it is now something that I would like to pursue as a career as I wasn't sure before I started my placement. Plus, there is the opportunity to see what other people do and get an insight.

    4/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
  • Yes. All of the placement students are friendly and will happily go for nights out with each other. We stick together and become a community. Additionally in the marketing department they are a great bunch, they're fun and know how to have a good time. Overall a great social scene for anyone who likes to have fun.

    5/5

  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
  • Cost of living for rent ranges. Some were paying around £600 per month for a room, others were paying £1000. It depends upon how much you can afford and where you want to be. A lot of placement students live in Clapham or South East London (Canada Water, New Cross area).

    3/5

  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
  • On the Southbank there is plenty to do, there is a bar directly across from the office which often gets incredibly busy on a Thursday (plus you get staff discount). Additionally there is the bar where a lot of the placement students go to, Topolski - it is close to Waterloo and offers a 2 hour 2 for 1 for IBM badge holders.

    5/5

  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
  • There were opportunities to get involved outside of work with other placement students. There were also "giveback" opportunities where you would volunteer your time to give back to the community. for example in marketing we run a scheme called "Marketing Matters" for charities that don't have dedicated marketing departments that want to understand the basics of marketing or social media.

    4/5

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Details

Placement (10 Months+)

London

May 2018


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