Product Manager Intern Review

It's a very rare opportunity to be given the chance to intern within product management at a large tech company - especially one as successful as Expedia! I'd say I had a fantastic experience on the whole with plenty of learning opportunities, social events, informal mentoring/coaching sessions and an amazing team to make for one of the best summer internship programmes anyone could ask for.

Although there was some adjustment to working in a larger cross-functional team versus the smaller teams I was used to working in at other internships and during my time in/outside uni I would say I was welcomed with open arms. People here don't just see you as the intern, they see you as a true professional and as such uphold you to very high standards - be assured that you'll be treated with the highest level of respect. Additionally, I was given very real projects to work on that even eventually made their way into the live product; which is amazing because it means I can show what I've worked on to other people!

My manager was absolutely fantastic! We had very frequent check-ins where I felt I could be open and honest about the experiences I've had but they also were a chance to take on feedback about where I could improve. Although the product intern role can feel very self-directed, I never felt like it was an issue asking my manager for advice or pointers whenever I felt like I needed them. They were always eager to help and fully available.

Product management is an extremely fast paced job and one that requires you to be constantly in the mix with a variety of different stakeholders. As such, on a day-to-day basis you can be kept on your toes collaborating with designers, engineers, marketing professionals and a bunch of other teams to move the product area you cover forward. You'll also have periods of individual work where you'll develop presentations, write out user stories and ideate about strategies or new features. No day is the same, be prepared to be constantly on the move and not be tied down to a desk!

On top of a few projects to do with delivering features I had the chance to introduce new tools to the team and work on a very large competitor analysis piece. It's nice to know that I was fully trusted to own all of these moving parts myself and was given the chance to really show what I could achieve. The only downside was that, product being a role where you own something in totality, it can feel like you may not be able to add as much value as you would like as an intern but rest assured that your team are aware of this and are there to help you integrate.

For my degree, I would say it wouldn't be as useful because it's more of a technical course and there's a distinct lack of story telling or critical thinking elements that would be more prevalent in say other courses. However, the broader skills of being able to: communicate to different stakeholders, shape my agenda, deliver stories/presentations, think strategically/broadly about problems and lastly, juggle a bunch of different priorities will prove invaluable to my career.

The atmosphere in the office is relaxed and welcoming. It's a beautiful office in the centre of London reminiscent of what most "cool" or "hip" tech companies would look like with modern interiors, standing desks and a variety of amenities at every step. Everyone else is also extremely friendly in the office!

The early talent team did a fantastic job structuring the internship program! It was filled with training opportunities, socialising events, leadership townhalls and even a chance to work with the local community. I absolutely can't complain about the program in any way and would thoroughly recommend anyone to apply for it.

This was the only area that could have been better - there wasn't clear communication about follow on opportunities after the program. Compared to my friends' internships elsewhere the process for joining later or "converting" was not as clear. Some teams seem to have a process in place whereas others seem to sort of be unclear.

Honestly, the other interns made the program!

London is... London. It's expensive but also one of the best cities in the world!

London nightlife (although expensive) is second to none in the UK.

Yes, the work life balance here is amazing! Plenty of time to catch up with friends in the city or get stuck into any hobbies. In many ways, we're very much privileged to work in an environment that is so conducive to having a super vibrant life outside of work.