Industrial Placement within IBM Consulting Review

I was an intern within a sales-related team, so my tasks were split into internal and external. Internally, I had to provide regular reports on the performance of my team, as well as organise meetings for my manager. Externally, I provided support on client projects, ranging from working on contracts, to creating presentations that would go to clients, to supply-chain-related modelling.

On a client project I was working on, I was initially brought on in a support role to format and proof-read contracts, but after a month or so I was given the opportunity to be the PMO in the project, in charge of managing the progress of the contract and ensuring the deadlines for the client project were met.
Additionally, I have regularly worked in business development to create opportunities for my team, where I have been responsible for creating a presentation and then presenting it to client partners.

I have strongly built on my communication skills in a corporate environment, my presentation skills, as well as technical skills such as Excel and Word.

Throughout my placement I had a Foundation Manager, which monitored my progress such as creating goals and setting learning tasks. They had a large group of us that allowed us to engage together and network, which allowed me to see new opportunities and make some friends.
In addition to this, inside my practice I had a mentor, who gave me advice in areas such as my career, learning and my work for the team. I also had regular organised meetings with my line manager to review my performance and progress in my placement.

There was a supportive culture in the team, with many members of my team happy to provide support to me in many forms, especially when including me on new projects for me to learn a new aspect of the business.

I thoroughly enjoyed my internship, I have learned a lot of soft and technical skills, but importantly I have grown significantly in terms of maturity and my understanding of the business. I would recommend IBM to anyone interested in taking a year in industry.

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