Azure Sales Solution Professional Review

I have loved every moment! You are empowered to achieve so much at Microsoft as you are never treated as just an intern. You can take responsibility for the impact that you want to make, get up in front of the customers that you have interest in and really feel like you are of value.

Everyone wants to help you and you never feel like you are burden on colleagues. The senior leadership team are especially invested in the growth of early in careers, knowing us not just on a professional level but on a personal level too which I would never have expected from a company like the size of Microsoft.

While at times it might feel like you're thrown in the deep end, there is always someone that you can fall back on for support. You have monthly and quarterly check ins with management to see how you are getting on, and see what they can do to help you get even more out of the experience. The senior leadership team are also invested in you doing well when you go back to Uni so are always on hand with great dissertation options and resources.

Work life balance is a huge part of Microsoft's culture so for manager's it's really important that you don't burn out. There is always something that you can get involved in too outside of your core day job, whether that is skilling up, taking training courses, volunteering and organising events. No day is the same either, it's scary how quickly the year has flown by.

You are never treated just as an intern. You have a real job that delivers impact and people rely on you to deliver. It's so empowering to know that your year actually matters and is not only of value to you and your success but also to the success of those around you.

The year in industry has been, and probably will be the most valuable year of my whole degree. Everything you learn isn't just for an exam but to be successful at your job and develop professionally and personally. You are encouraged as well to skill up through the year, being offered the opportunity to take MOS exams, and 6 week courses run in partnership with business schools all across the world.

The offices are not what you imagined from a global corporate company to be. There is so much bright open space, with a whole floor dedicated to creative thinking and collaboration where you can sit on swings that hang from the ceiling or bean bags surround by faux grass. It truly is amazing.

When we joined, Microsoft went through one of the largest organisational re-structuring it's ever gone through so things were slow to begin with however it presented us with the perfect opportunity to skill up and study our product areas. As the year progressed, we all had great projects to see the year through.

There is an abundance of free courses and qualifications you can get that you would normally have to pay for, you just don't have the time to do them all! There is constantly content being realised and you are encouraged to set time each week to be skilling up in areas that interest you. Microsoft want you to be the best version of you.

You can be offered a graduate role for after University before you finish your internship which takes am massive amount of stress and pressure away from your final year at Uni. Your internship is like a year long interview for the graduate scheme, and it's great to know that if you've enjoyed the year you've had the incentive is there to come back.

There is a really strong early in career community, not just amongst the interns, but also with the apprentices and graduates. We often hang out after work and on the weekends, going on holidays and nights out together. There are LOADS of parties as well that the company throws, within my first week I was at an all expenses paid for party in London! We also have overnight stays in hotels for team meetings and conferences, Christmas parties and we've attended plenty of music festivals too.

There is an endless array of sports and societies that you can get involved in. Many communities run events internally, raising awareness of minorities in the workplace. The football team went to Athens last year to compete against other Microsoft football teams from other countries! We also do a lot for charity too, whether that is sleeping rough for a night, the three peaks challenge, or dragon boat racing! Microsoft will match any donation that you make.