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Rating

4.3/5
  • The Role
    4.4
  • The Company
    4.3
  • The Culture
    4.1

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
  • I thoroughly enjoyed my sales placement at Microsoft. Before starting, I didn't really know what to expect working in Sales. I knew that I liked engaging with people so I thought that Sales would be a great place to start. Throughout the year my manager, team and fellow interns were amazingly supportive and as a result I was able to thrive in the environment and love it.

    5/5

  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
  • I felt really valued by my manager, colleagues and interns. In particular, I didn't feel like full time employees in my team treated me like an intern. They were very respectful and and this meant I wasn't tasked with completing mundane tasks that some of my friends elsewhere were completing. This culture is something that I think really differentiates Microsoft.

    5/5

  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
  • My manager was extremely supportive in helping me succeed. I would meet up with him and stay in contact with him regularly. This enabled me to develop a strong relationship, and as a result he was really invested in helping me achieve the goals that I had set myself. He was also extremely helpful in suggesting particular things that I may like to achieve throughout the year.

    5/5

  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
  • I was busy for the first 6 months skilling up on the technology that I was aligned to. Coming from a non-technical background this was really interesting and a steep learning curve, but it was also very manageable. I also spent these first 6 months networking and trying to understand the business. After this, I was able to prove to my team and manager that I was capable of articulating the story of the technology to customers so I was a lot busier in the last 6 months as I held more responsibility.

    5/5

  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
  • In the first 6 months I was very proactive in getting projects and my network were key in this. There were probably more internal projects than external at the beginning because I needed to learn about the company and the technology. However, in the final 6 months I built up trust with my manager and he was confident in my supporting my team in selling the technology to customers. This was a fantastic experience and I ended up making a sale to a customer on my own, with the support of one of the senior sellers in the team.

    5/5

  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
  • My confidence developed a lot and this has helped me when going back to University in terms of being able to work much more effectively in group work and presentations. My time management has also improved as I am now used to working a working day for a year, I have been able to replicate this in my University studies. My negotiation skills have also developed which has helped me in group work.

    3/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
  • The atmosphere was great. We have a hot desking policy which is great to expand your network and get to know your team and fellow interns. There is a real buzz around the office with people always busy which is a great sign. I really enjoyed working in the office in both Reading and London and people are very friendly despite being very busy.

    4/5

  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
  • I was the first intern in my area so it required me to be very proactive. Having said this, in general the structure for the internship is clear with how much you are expected to learn, engage with 101 teams and how much time you should be spending on your core role. The HR team were also very supportive in listening to any concerns that you may have.

    4/5

  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
  • There was so much investment into my training and personal development. Microsoft have an abundance of training resources which helped me learn a lot and gain several qualifications from the year. This included sales specific training, Office 365 qualifications and much more. This really fits into the learning culture at Microsoft and it's fantastic to see that even experienced professionals were taking the time to upskill and constantly learn, this was very motivating.

    5/5

  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
  • Subsidised Canteen

    Subsidised/Company Gym

    National Travel

    Company Parties/Events

    Working from home

    4/5

  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
  • Microsoft look to hire back interns into the graduate program and I was lucky enough to be offered a place back, so I personally think that the future employment prospects for Microsoft are fantastic. HR are good at communicating the process for this as it tends to change slightly each year, I felt that going into the process I was prepared and that there was nothing else that I could have done.

    5/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
  • The social scene was excellent. We have an intern committee with people aligned to making social events so that all of the interns can get to know each other outside of the office. There was often work drinks for teams as well so this meant I was able to get to know my full time colleagues which was fantastic in terms of learning from them.

    5/5

  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
  • I personally lived at home so the cost of living was lower for me. As the majority of interns are based in Reading, it's not quite as expensive as London but it's not the cheapest place to live. I know that a lot of the interns live together and have a great time though and even living at home I was able to spend a lot of time with all of my friends.

    4/5

  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
  • The nightlife in Reading is good. There are a range of pubs, nightlclubs and bars. I have lived near Reading most of my life so I'm fairly used to the nightlife now and as a result the novelty has slightly worn off. However, I know that the other interns really enjoyed it and it's definitely not something to worry about.

    4/5

  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
  • Yes there were loads of opportunities. I personally played in the Microsoft football team and we were able to travel to Bucharest in Romania to play in the Microsoft inter-subsidiary tournament. This was a fantastic experience and one of the best from my internship, it was a great way to meet new friends and people that I otherwise probably wouldn't have met. There are also a range of 101 teams that offer a chance to engage with the local community.

    5/5

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Details

Placement (10 Months+)

Sales

South East

October 2019


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