Software Group Sales Operations Support Review

I had a hard time in my first 6 months due to various problems but my last 6 months were amazing!

I got on really well with the SWG team and worked with the senior management team on a day to day basis. I could talk to them like a friend by the end of my placement but the main thing was to remember when to talk to them in a business way and when i could be more relaxed.

I had a great Personal Development manager who you could meet with you on request. There were monthly reviews where any problems could be raised. My reporting manager was very supportive and has given me a lot of advice for the future. Finally, we were assigned a buddy who we could ask for support if we felt that we couldn't speak to either of our other managers.

Being busy depends on how much you want to push yourself. Some people can get by buy doing the same thing everyday but i asked for more work which kept me busy. Once people realise that you are a hard worker, more work is then given to you without asking, and it is usually more rewarding work :)

Initially, responsibility was limited but once my manager knew that i was reliable this continued to increase during the placement.

I have learnt so much during my year, from advance excel and presenting to learning about office politics.

i worked in a group which had 8 other placement students sat directly with me with a further 7 in our department. This made the general atmosphere more relaxed however, i'm not sure if this is the case in all companies and I may therefore find it hard to settle in in a somewhat different environment.

IBM placement scheme is run by the Foundation department. They are like their own mini business and so they are efficient and reliable.

Working for IBM is about being proactive and if you want to learn something or work shadow someone, it id down to you to arrange it, but managers are encourage to let their team do these things as long as their daily tasks are complete. There are various online training courses available.

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement and I have applied for the graduate scheme.

I lived with 4 other students and another 2 houses of 5 lived five minutes away.We would go on nights out and get together at the weekend. I arranged a ski trip to France of which 15 IBM placement students came along. We also went to Ascot, dog racing etc. The friends I made at IBM became that close that I went travelling with 3 of them to Asia over the summer.

Living costs weren't too bad as there were 5 of us to share the rent and house bills. Getting into London was quite expensive, especially getting a taxi home! There are night buses which are alot cheaper but we didn't live near one of the drop off points :(

I lived in Isleworth which is rubbish for a night out, but Richmond is about 10 minutes away which is a good night but rather expensive and you have to be 21 to get in most of the bars/clubs.

IBM run a giveback scheme which have various programmes that help the local community. If you come up with an idea that you think would work, they give you funds to implement it.