Industrial Placement - Sales and Distribution Review

by IBM

Best Student Employer

This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.

Rating

2.5/5
  • The Role
    2.3
  • The Company
    2.5
  • The Culture
    2.8

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?

    • It was fine, met some great people and learned a lot. Nothing extraordinary though.

    2/5
  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?

    • Industrial Placement students are not that much valued - you start being valued as a grad.

    2/5
  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?

    • Sometimes felt like I was "a cog in the machine" - Most of the time I didn't feel like there was a need for an intern in the team. Or when there was a need, my managers struggled in delegating tasks.

    2/5
  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?

    • I was sometimes very busy (e.g. on a special project, deadlines..) when working with GBS - I think they work harder than the rest. But apart from that I did not have much/enough work to my opinion.

    2/5
  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?

    • At IBM you need to show that you are good to get responsibility. You will not be given tons from day 1. So there are some teams where you can actually stand out and ask for more. As said above, some others can't delegate work and responsibilities.

    3/5
  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?

    • Learned a lot - How to present to your managers and clients, how to manage your own project with tight deadlines, how to interact with senior people, network etc. And of course you become sort of an Excel wizard!

    4/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?

    • Big office, thousands of people in there. So you get to meet a lot of people. It was ok people seemed happy.

    3/5
  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?

    • Just fine. You get a training session in Portsmouth at the beginning, and then 6 and 12 months reviews. In the meantime you have some events to develop your skills like presentation, teamwork, etc. Some senior IBMers also come to talk at these events. I wished there were more of such events.

    3/5
  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?

    • You mainly grow on your own. As I said there is some training, but some more specific/technical training would also be a good thing to do in my opinion.

    3/5
  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?

    • Flexi Time

    Subsidised Canteen

    Sports and Social Club

    Company Car

    Subsidised/Company Gym

    National Travel

    International Travel

    Financial Bonus

    Company Parties/Events

    Staff Sales/Staff Shop

    Above 25 days holiday

    Working from home

    Healthcare from home

    Healthcare/Dental

    Travel loan
    2/5
  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?

    • Will not apply. But I think it is a good thing to have done a placement and if you are good at your job you have great chances to be fast tracked.

    3/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?

    • Yes this was quite good. Lunch and coffee breaks, drinks etc.

    3/5
  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?

    • 3/5
  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?

    • Few pubs

    3/5
  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?

    • Yes you have Giveback - where you can help out in assessment centers, careers fairs at Uni, school visits etc

    3/5
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Details

Placement (10 Months+)

London

May 2015

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