Contract Delivery Manager for Business Analytics Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my Placement at IBM. The opportunity the company provides its students (apprentices, interns, Graduates, futures) is extensive and a lot of support is offered to you too. Working at IBM really immerses you into the culture of the company, and I really enjoyed feeling as though I was part of such an innovative company. I think one factor that contributed to how much I enjoyed my Placement was the flexibility of the company and the ability to manage your own time and diary - this is very motivating and allows you to work at your best.

I felt very valued by my colleagues everyday. My colleagues were very good at giving me feedback for my work, and I was always keen to listen to ways I could improve and what I was doing well. IBM also provides a Personal Manager who looks after your wellbeing, reviews and extra-curricular activities through the year. This means you feel very supported by the management at IBM and do feel a valued member of the company.

I was provided with a lot of support and guidance from my managers and supervisors. As I mentioned in the above comment you have a Task Manager and a Personal Manager and they manage different aspects of your year at IBM. While your Task Manager looks after your day-to-day work and general role, your Personal Manager looks after your extra-curricular work, your wellbeing, your reviews and your general enjoyment of the Placement. They are also a key person to go to for support and guidance if you are thinking of applying back for a Graduate role.

I went through a few different roles during my year at IBM - at the start I felt I wasn't busy enough and I had spare time. SO I asked for more work and was quickly offered more work to help me! There are also a number of extra activities you can do alongside your day to day work so if you feel quieter in a month you can source other work to do - this is called Giveback. Such as helping at Assessment Centres, teaching in local schools. It is your responsibility to decide if you are too busy or bored, and in either case should speak to your managers about reducing/increasing your workload.

I was given a lot of responsibility. In my role I was treated as a valued member of the team and I held equal responsibility to that of a full time permanent employee. This was really motivating because I felt as though the team valued my place in the team and I quickly become a key member. I thrived with the responsibility I held because, as I have said, I felt very valued.

I am leaving IBM as a different person to that who started. I have thrived with the opportunity and the challenges I have faced this year, and have really developed into a confident, able and motivated individual. Not only is this down to the particular role I took on at IBM, but also the experience of working full time and managing my own diary and workload. At University the only person who relies on you finishing your essay/revision is you, but at work you have a whole team of people who rely on you doing your job. This is really motivating and I am going to take away insight into just how much I can get done in a day. I hope to use this at University and really enhance my motivation and work ethic.

It was a very different experience to one I was expecting because I did not work with my team in the office on a day to day basis. This is due to the sheer size of IBM as a company - my team were spread across the UK, including Ireland and this meant we couldn't spend each day together in the same office. Instead I worked at my Base location with other Placement students who I made friends with, and met up regularly with my team in another location. There is also the opportunity to work from home (depending on your job role). I know other students who did work in the office with their team everyday and who had less flexibility than me, but in my specific role I was allowed complete autonomy to where I based myself. One day I could be in Hursley, the next in London, the next in Oxford and the next at home - it was very much up to me. That said, any office you find yourself in has a great working atmosphere - everyone is very polite, funny and welcoming and really very motivating.

IBM has a very good set up for Placement students and Graduates. A team called Foundation at IBM employee the futures, apprentices, placement students and graduates. This team provides the Personal Managers and all the support for your year at IBM, including reviews, wellbeing and advice for applications in the future (perhaps back as a graduate or to another company). It runs very smoothly and really provides a lot of support for their students. Events are run particularly for Foundation students, such as a Careers Academy which was very useful.

Endlessly. If you wanted some training or development, ask for it and you got it. You have unlimited access to e-learning training as well as classroom training if you want it. My role was in Business Analytics, but I took the opportunity to learn about project management, interviewing, Watson and Excel (just some examples). If you want an insight into a graduate role, or other roles in IBM then this is also available. You can source a mentor, or ask someone in the team if you can shadow them. This is an invaluable opportunity.

Very appealing. You are offered a lot of support and are strongly encouraged to apply back to the company as a Graduate (from a Placement student). The job prospects are endless - IBM is such a large company you can really go into any area you want to. This isn't to say that the application process looks daunting and very competitive but if you are successful this tricky process will be worth it. The salary and benefits are seriously competitive and the roles look fascinating and really innovative.

Yes there was if you wanted it. I felt more isolated than most students because I lived at home with my parents during the year while most lived with other interns and had more of a social life outside of work. Lots of parties, nights out, evenings in and other trips were always happening between the interns. I was less a part of this side because I lived at home and had other commitments such as family, boyfriend and friends from home. This didn't upset me because I had a social life outside of IBM but I can see that if you are living with other interns or students then you really can have a social life if you would like it.

As I have mentioned I lived at home and so had the benefit of not paying rent out of my salary. Speaking to my friends who were renting they said that it was quite expensive and they were not able to save as much as me. It all depends on where you are living - IBM has many locations. If you live in London you get paid more to help with living costs but you could be based North, South etc - all depends where you live. The salary for the interns is competitive and so would be more than enough to live on and live well.

I have lived in this area all my life and so I knew the nightlife before starting IBM. As I have said I didn't have much of a nightlife with the other IBM interns but I continued to go out with friends from home. It is a very good nightlife if you live in Southampton with a variety of clubs/bars/pubs to suit all tastes. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend a night out in Southampton!

It depends what kind of activity you wanted to do. I know IBM ran trips to different places like London, Bath etc. But if you wanted to do something in your local area that is completely not to do with work there would be lots of opportunities I'm sure. I help at a local Brownie Guiding group as a leader in training, and there are also gyms, sports clubs, shopping, cinema in the local area. You can join clubs etc and get to know people from your area if you want to.