Business Operations Analyst Review

I definitely enjoyed my placement but I found I enjoyed it a lot more near the end as it became more evident to me how much I gained from it.

I found it really easy to interact with my colleagues at work. IBM made this even easier by organising regular networking events for all the students. Thankfully my Managers and other work colleagues were all really nice and welcoming too, probably because they are all used to seeing students come and leave, but it made me feel very relaxed.

I had support throughout my placement year in the form of a Personal Development Manager who was separate from my Task Manager. She was at hand whenever I needed and had regular meetings with me at different points during the year to make sure I was okay and getting everything I wanted from my placement year. She helped me organise a shadowing session, where I got to see what a technical graduate did in their day to day work, which was very insightful.

I always had tasks to do and even when it was quiet there were plenty of online courses to keep me busy.

On my placement it was up to me how much responsibility I had. I always had the opportunity to take lead which I loved, even when it seemed quite scary, as the skills I gained from doing so were Immense.

While at IBM I developed my communication skills to an exceptional standard. Before my placement I would shy away from giving any presentations and where I had to talk to a large crowd, now I am no longer nervous in situations like this and have IBM to thank. I also have good business acumen I would have never gained at university, if I hadn’t done a placement year.

It was the perfect balance of relaxed but professional.

I have very little to say in regards to improvements to the program that IBM offer. I have found the experience to be extremely rewarding and one that I would recommend to any student looking for a placement.

IBM’s training programme and appraisal scheme for new entrants is substantial. I started my placement with a two day induction course which helped me understand more about IBM and how they operate. There were over 50 other placement students at the same time, so it was a great time to network and get to know other people, while taking part in valuable team building exercises. It was then up to me to organise training if I felt I needed it but most of the work I did on a daily basis was learnt on the job.

As there are over 200 placement students working at IBM at one time, they can’t just offer out placements however I did get a chance to re-apply early before anyone else.

There was a big social scene and a facebook group specifically created for group events.

London is quite expensive but you get given extra money on top of your salary for working in London.

Nightlife in London is amazing. There is always something going on.

Especially due to Facebook, events were organised all the time.