Technology Engineer Review
at IBM
Placement (10 Months+)
Information Technology
London
Review Submitted: July 2022
Overall Rating
4.5 /5
The Overall Rating is the average of all the ratings given in each category. We take those individual ratings and combine them into one final score!
4/5
-
Overview of Role
4.8/5
-
Skills Development
5/5
-
Support and Guidance
3.8/5
-
Company Culture
5/5
-
Overall Experience
5/5
-
Future Career Prospects
Overview of Role
Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis.
In my role, I work with other members of my squad to develop solutions to client problems. My daily tasks might include attending daily standup meetings and pairs programming sessions or learning. I have very few interactions with my colleagues in person. I have worked on various projects; one project I worked on involved me using the programming languages Java and React. During the project, which lasted four weeks, I attended daily standup calls and paired programming sessions.
Were you given much responsibility during your placement / internship?
There have been various occasions during my placement year where I have been given responsibility; for example, I was responsible for representing IBM at a science festival. This is not the only event where I have been entrusted with representing IBM - I was a steward at a client event in London. I have also had some autonomy when working on projects; once, I was granted permission to work on developing an algorithm for use in a project single handed.
Please rate how meaningful the work you were doing was
4/5
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills, or developed your existing skills?
I think that during my placement year I have greatly developed my soft skills; in my current role, it is important that I communicate and work effectively with my team. I have completed various online training courses - I also attended a bootcamp where I learned about various cloud technologies. Also, I have become a much more confident programmer; prior to my placement year, I had no experience in the programming language Python but now I use it frequently.
How would you rate the training provided during your experience?
4/5
How would you rate your development of industry-specific skills during the experience?
5/5
How would you rate your development of personal / soft skills during the experience?
5/5
Please rate how these skills have helped you in your career development
5/5
Support and Guidance
How much support and guidance did you receive during your placement / internship?
Throughout my placement year, I have felt as though I have been supported by my managers and my team. Support has always been very accesible - I have a couple of mentors and buddies who I meet with on a bi-weekly basis and they help me with any problems I am having or give me advice. The culture at IBM is a very supportive one: everyone is more than willing to provide support should you ask for it.
How would you rate the support and guidance from your line manager?
5/5
How would you rate the support and guidance from the wider team?
5/5
Company Culture
What was the company culture and general atmosphere like?
Everyone I have met at IBM has been very friendly; whenever I travelled down to London and went into the office there was a lot going on. It was common that after work IBM'ers would meet up to have drinks and a meal together which was a great way to get to know one another. There are also a lot of benefits that IBM provides its employees and I think the holiday allowance is very generous.
How would you rate the inclusiveness of the culture?
3/5
How would you rate the social opportunities?
3/5
How would you rate the diversity initiatives?
4/5
How would you rate the charity, sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives?
5/5
Overall Experience
To what extent did you enjoy your placement / internship?
I really enjoyed having the opportunity to program on my own and in paired programming sessions; programming is something that I have always really enjoyed. I also had a lot of fun whenever I was in the office or at events; I really enjoyed getting to know other IBM'ers after work by meeting up to have drinks and a meal together. I think that my placement year has lived up to my expectations fully and if I had the chance to do it again I would.
Please rate your level of enjoyment on your placement / internship
5/5
Please rate how your experience met your expectations
5/5
Future Career Prospects
Please rate the future employment prospects at IBM
5/5
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend IBM to a friend?
Yes
What advice would you give to others applying to IBM
I think it's important to do your research before the interview process - it shows IBM that you are already invested and that you care about the company you are applying to work for. In my case, I already knew about IBM because of their work developing the personal computer during the 1970's and 80's but I learned a lot about the company by doing some more research. During the assessment centre it is important to be yourself; it's also important to listen to what others are saying in the assessment centre and, if and when you can, put forward your own opinions.
