Sales Support Analyst Review

My initial impression of intern roles was photocopying and making the cups of tea. Intel ensures you are a fully integrated member of the team. As a sales intern I was given the opportunity to assist with the organizing of Intel's presence at HPE Discover - HPE's huge datacenter focused event in London. This was within the first few months of starting. The amount I learnt was incredible and really set the precedent for other events I would project manage throughout the year. Sales as a role is very broad so I was able to experience so many elements such as event management, social media marketing, campaigns, budget management, market analysis and meeting the customers face to face which meant every week was different and kept things interesting. Working for an established company such as Intel your experiences make the internship so memorable and like no other, I have been able to travel to Barcelona, Cannes, Gothenburg, Grenoble & Geneva. Being an intern at Intel is not only about the job role, although this is a crucial part you can also throw yourself into additional projects outside your job role. I was able to join Intel Inspire, a group that teaches schools how to code and provide on site workshops. The community of interns is one like no other, although we are based in Swindon and it isn't known to be the hub of excitement, having a large community of interns means you have that social aspect. I fully enjoyed my placement at Intel and am beyond glad I got to achieve such a memorable placement year beyond expectations.

Although my team was based all across the world ranging from Dubai to Germany, I was able to integrate well into the team and they didn't hesitate to utilize me.

As an intern at Intel sometimes it takes someone else to tell you when it is time to get pushed again and time and time again step outside of your comfort zone. This was key in my development within my job role and I was able to achieve this with the support and encouragement of my on the job coach.

The atmosphere in the office was friendly and very open. Although it is a cubicle layout, you feel you are able to approach anyone for some help and everyone is always up for helping.

I feel the internship was very well organized. When we started we already had in place a calendar filled with trainings we needed to attend for our specific job roles. We had a handover period of 5 weeks which meant everyone was able to get the required training so at the end of handover they felt comfortable taking on the role.

Intel invest a lot of training and development in their interns. Everyone is assigned an 'On the job coach' who ensures you are developing throughout your internship and don't feel like you have come to a standstill. I had regular 1:1 meetings with my mentor to catch up on what i had been doing that week and whether i could take on new projects. Therefore this allowed me to be pushed outside my comfort zone and get involved in projects i never expected.

Future employment is appealing as a big company such as Intel has a lot of opportunities and perks such as travel and events. The only aspect that some people may not jump at is that you have to go through an Operations or Finance role within the grad schemes and you cannot always go directly into Sales or Marketing. As i have done sales this year, ideally i would like to go back into a marketing or sales role so this is the only turn off for coming back through a grad scheme with Intel. However, there have been cases where Interns have been hired back in Marketing roles so don't completely rule that out.

The social scene has probably been one of my main highlights of the year. We have a considerable number of interns who socialize on a regular basis. Although some people may be turned off by the location being Swindon, living here for the year and with other interns is a choice i definitely do not regret! I could not imagine living at home and commuting into London for the year. Also, as i previously mentioned, we had a handover period of 5 weeks where the Sports and Social committee organize a range of nights out to encourage intern bonding and a good laugh.

One great advantage of living in Swindon is the cheap rent i have paid this year. I pay almost double back at university in Bournemouth. So although previously i was convinced i was going to find a placement in London and live at home for the year to save money, the living costs in Swindon is pretty inexpensive so i am so glad i have lived away from home.

The nightlife in Swindon is reasonable, you definitely have to take it for what it is. But i feel it is more who you are out with and with the large number of interns i can safely say i haven't had a bad night out in Swindon. Old town offers a wide variety of bars including a couple karaoke places... guarantee a good night out.

There were plenty of opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work, we had a Intel Netball team and we trained every Tuesday. It was really great to get to know some of the other interns and we even got to go to Corp Games in Liverpool. Intel also enters other sports in corp games, and we play badminton and football on a regular basis.