Commercial Operations Specialist Review
by IBM
This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
-
The Role
3.8
-
The Company
3.9
-
The Culture
3.4
- 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
- 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
- 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
- 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
- 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
- 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
- 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
- 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
- 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
- 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
- 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
- 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
- 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
- 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
- 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
The Role
I enjoyed both the working and social culture of IBM.
I was able to obtain more responsibility when the team learned I was competent. I was also asked to cover for senior management on several occasions.
I had a detailed handover with the previous intern for my role. After that help was sought after as and when it was needed. Management took time at the beginning to explain things in more detail and go slower in meetings whilst I picked things up.
The role was not fulfilling at the start however I quickly picked up tasks, requesting more work as I grew in confidence.
I was able to cover for management when they were unable to complete their work. I also dealt face to face with important clients both current and potential business.
With regards to my degree the skills will not help much as I did a Commercial role and my degree is Accounting and Finance. With regards to my future career they will help immensely.
The Company
I sat with account team on a day to day basis. The team were close and we often nattered about weekends, football etc. The office also had about 80 other interns so lunch was always a good laugh.
I think I was lucky with my role being able to sit with management on a daily basis. I know some interns can have managers based elsewhere which makes it difficult to get started.
The majority of the investment is on the job training provided by your task manager. The skills and development you receive come from working with your team and those around you. There are some internal events for interns however I have found these basic/generic sessions which you could easily pick up on the internet.
Sports and Social Club
National Travel
Company Parties/Events
Working from home
The particular graduate program I have applied to with IBM offers 4x 6 month placements. The rotation in the 2 years should give me a broad range of skills as well as a better understanding of where I want to progress.
The Culture
Excellent. With close to 300 interns you are going to find people who like the same things as you. Nights out, events, sports, after work drinks, house mates etc. There is also an internal chat similar to MSN which is very popular amongst interns.
Very expensive however you can find plenty of cheap things to do in London if you give it a Google!
Good but expensive.
IBM run a scheme known as Giveback. It allows you to get involved outside of the workplace. I have been able to attend events on University Campus Teams and also run workshops in secondary schools.
Details
Placement (10 Months+)
London
July 2012
