HR Partner Support Review

My placement year at IBM was a great chance to understand and explore how large global companies operate.

Everyone at IBM makes an effort to get to know you and really support you throughout the year. My manager was readily available for advice and support.

Fully supported at all times. At IBM you have a day-to-day task manager and a Personal Development Manager who is responsible for ensuring the success and development during your year at IBM.

At times I had to ask for more work, but through guidance from my manager I was able to help other teams as well as my own.

I was given numerous opportunities to travel and attend meetings outside my role. I was also involved in the running of projects and meetings that were vital to the team's success. At IBM you are given full trust to travel / work at home and to get on with your job without micro - supervision.

The skills I gained and network I made during my placement has enabled me to get a graduate role back at IBM.

IBM has 'hot desk' offices and therefore you can end up sitting next to a variety of people, there is also no such thing as a 9-5 day. Each day is so different and full of variety which makes the atmosphere great. There are also team days / training days which means no day is the same.

IBM has 170 placement students nationwide and therefore has great experience with placement students being involved in the company. IBM being such a huge organisation, it knows how to co-ordinate and manage employees on a global scale and therefore my placement experience was seamless in terms of organisation. I had monthly reviews and meeting with my manager to ensure I was on track and to set objectives that I personally wanted to achieve on my year.

IBM has department called 'Foundation' that manages all placement and graduates. The benefits of this is that you have a dedicated Personal Development Manager to guides you to the training and development of skills you should be looking to do. They also ensure you are getting the most out of your role and provide advice and support.

IBM has an award winning placement and graduate scheme with huge prospects for a future career. I am now back working at IBM in a sales role. My placement year gave me the chance to talk to / shadow other areas of the business and graduates so I could make an informed decision of what part of the business to apply back to.

Seeings as there were 70 placement students in my office alone the social scene was great. There were constant streams of birthdays / nights & days out and IBM organised parties. There are organised ski trips and sports clubs among the students.

My placement was based in Portsmouth so cost of living was fine.

There is a uni in Portsmouth so there was a good nightlife and options of student nights out.

There were lots of sports clubs and days out organised both through IBM and by the students. IBM has a members club that offers discounts on theatre tickets / events / days out.