Service Delivery Assistant Review

I would rate my placement as a 9/10 in terms of enjoyment. I have learnt on the job each and every day which made coming into work enjoyable. No two days on my placement have been the same and this kept it interesting. There were lots of opportunities available to me and the chance to work in lots of different areas, involving a wide variety of tasks to carry out. My work placement has certainly been very enjoyable.

I felt very valued by my colleagues throughout my placement. I was entrusted with lots of responsibility and felt as much of a team member as permanent members of staff. Colleagues often showed gratitude for my work which helped me feel valued. I received feedback from members of my team which demonstrated that they valued me. I felt I could approach all my colleagues and got on very well with each and every one of them.

I received brilliant support and guidance throughout my placement. My Early Professional Manager was very helpful over the year, even when I hit obstacles and difficult points throughout, I was supported and helped through these issues. Management were very approachable and had my best interests at heart such as when switching role early into my placement, my manager aided me through this and gave good advice for what may be best for me and my learning.

The nature of my job on placement meant some days were far busier than others but that kept it interesting. On the odd day I didn't have a lot to do, however some days I had lots to do and the busyness was challenging, however I enjoyed this. On the whole, each day was reasonably busy, whilst keeping me active, I did not feel overwhelmed by the amount of work I had to complete each day.

I was given plenty of responsibility during my placement, I was entrusted like any other team member. I feel I gained the trust from my managers by completing work to a good standard and this resulted in more and more responsibility which I loved. It was great to be trusted to work each day without needing lots of supervision and just being trusted to carry out my individual tasks. The responsibility given to me has definitely improved my self confidence.

Whilst many skills I have developed throughout my placement aren't relevant to my degree and studies, I have developed lots of skills that will help me through life. My communication skills have improved lots, as has my ability to work in a team which will always be useful. I have developed skills such as use of Excel which is likely to be useful in the future for many jobs and I have been encouraged to think analytically.

The atmosphere in my office was great, everybody was very friendly and made me feel extremely welcome. I got on with each and every person, whether it was work related or otherwise, there was always something to chat about and work was never dull. The feel to the office was very friendly with lots of people bringing in food for birthdays and other special occasions. Plenty of laughs were had but at the same time it was very work focused which was a good balance.

The work placement set up was extremely well organised. I was supported from start to finish with regular reviews at 3 months, 6 months and 12 months. I was frequently checking back in with managers and encouraged to keep a track of my progress through my journal. The support network and placement team at IBM was brilliant and the structure of the placement scheme was exceptional. The set up has also been supportive in encouraging going for the graduate scheme.

The firm invested plenty of time in my personal training and development, lots of knowledge was passed on to me by different individuals and time was taken to ensure I had a good knowledge of everything going on. Special sessions were run for me and other placement students to develop any skills we wished, such as presentation skills and excel skills. The firm have been investing in me throughout the year and wanting me to continually improve.

Future employment prospects within IBM are extremely appealing. I am already in the process of applying to the IBM graduate scheme and this is due to the positive experience I have had this year. I have a great admiration for the company and a desire to continue working for them. I have taken great pride in being an IBM employee and its something that I hope to be able to be again in the future

There was a reasonable social scene amongst fellow interns and placement students. However, the majority of this was down at the main London base location where I was not located, this meant I missed out on some of the social side of things, however there were opportunities to go down to London and be involved in some of the social events such as the work Christmas party. Colleagues were very sociable and there were social events at the start of each month.

I lived at home during my placement so living costs were very minimal, however I did commute to work each day which meant petrol costs were quite high as I was doing a 100 mile round trip each day. This meant spending around £80 a week on petrol but due to the wages this was manageable. When going to London for socialising, costs were very high due to typical London prices for drinking or going out.

In the area I worked the nightlife wasn't very good. There was a small amount going on which would be enough for some people however if you are used to a more livelier place then Warwick nightlife would not be ideal. With the main base location in London and plenty of opportunities to go down there, the nightlife there was much better. This is the area most IBM placement students work in and they recommend the nightlife.

There were quite a lot of opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work, the IBM club scheme encouraged this, by paying a small monthly fee, lots of outside of work activities were subsidised by the company. There were events going on regularly such as first Wednesday drinks, on the first Wednesday of each month which involved free drinks paid for by the company. Social events were often organised amongst colleagues outside of work too.