Commercial Project Support Review

I really enjoyed my time working as an intern for IBM. I was always made to feel welcome and felt comfortable in asking for assistance, when required. My time at IBM has enabled me to further develop my skills and improved my confidence, with regards to public speaking. Overall an extremely beneficial and memorable experience.

I always felt valued by my colleagues, they made me feel like a valued member of the team from the very beginning. They always offered their assistance and supported me in developing my skills set. I felt valued mainly due to the fact that by opinions were always taken into account when making important decisions.

My task manager was always available when I needed support and guidance, no matter how busy they were with their day to day tasks. My task manager delegated tasks appropriate to my skills set, and provided feedback surrounding where to improve and how I could improve when it came to things like presenting to a large audience.

My tasks varied from week to week, with some weeks being extremely busy whilst others were quite quiet in comparison. My team always offered support if I was struggling to manage my workload, and also delegated new tasks during my less busy weeks. All in all there was a healthy workload balance.

I was made to feel like a valued member of the team from the get go. I was eased into my role and once I was familiar with my day-to-day tasks, more work was delegated to me. My role involved working with suppliers daily, which again made me feel like a valuable team member, as it indicated to me that my team trusted me to discuss matters with suppliers in an effective manner.

My task manager is always encouraging me to further develop my skill set. I believe my placement year at IBM has enhanced my confidence surrounding public speaking immensely, as I had to converse and present findings to colleagues and clients. Intern mentoring sessions were also provided, in which all interns discussed which skills they wished to develop and in turn were provided opportunities to develop their chosen skills.

The atmosphere in the office was always positive, with everyone regarding one another as a friend rather than a work colleague. There was never any tension in the office and everyone supported one another if a team member was struggling with their workload. Everyone felt comfortable with one another and there were always times when there were tears of laughter in the office.

The work placement was organised well. I believe having the 3 month and 6 month review really benefitted me, as it reinforced what I am doing well and what I need to do in order to improve in certain areas. I was informed of the placement process from the very beginning and found the EPM calls very useful

Intern mentoring sessions were held quite often. All interns were able to discuss what skills they wished to develop and were able to discuss ways to develop our skills set. There were little give back developments in the location I was situated in, however the account did create personal giveback sessions where appropriate.

Future employment prospects within the organisation are extremely appealing. The friendly atmosphere is noticeable in all IBM sites, and the responsibilities delegated to interns and graduates are excellent, as they are treated as valued members of the team. Everyone is always willing to help one another and the opportunities to develop your skills are never ending.

I believe this depends on your base location. Some site locations are better in terms of social scene, as there are often more placement students hired at the larger sites, and therefore there's often a bigger crowd to hang around with. However work nights out were extremely enjoyable, I just wish there were more of them.

The cost of living in Warwick was quite expensive as I moved from the East Midlands to work for IBM. I believe it depends on where you are based as some areas are cheaper than others. Socialising in the area isn't too bad as the university is nearby and there is a Wetherspoons in Warwick, so overall socialising can be cheap.

The nightlife wasn't too great. The only element of nightlife was located in the town next door, which only had 1 nightclub. There are good pubs in the area I worked and the staff nights outs enabled me to further explore the location I moved to.

There were some opportunities to get involved in activities. However I think it depends on the location you are based in. The opportunities were quite sparse.