Consultant Review

My year at Microsoft has been an amazing experience! I went into a technical consultancy role somewhat skeptical about what I might be doing, but that was turned on it's head almost immediately. I've been involved in lots of projects, both internally and for our customers, where I've learnt a lot of skills both technical and management. There were highs and lows naturally, as with coding especially you can spend hours on something to find a very simple mistake, which can be frsutrating. On the other hand, when things go well, they really do go well.

My colleagues were amazing! Microsoft really want to help you get the most of your year working for them, and the people really reinforced that idea. They'd always take time out to help with any problems you might have and to give you guidance. I'm really fortunate to have met such a great bunch and will definitely be keeping in contact with them!

My line manager had a lot of responsibility for the intern scheme at Microsoft, so he always encouraged me to make the most of my time, learn new knowledge and network with people around the business. My business division, Microsoft Services, take the time to look after their interns, with a lot of sessions throughout the first half of the year designed to get you oriented in all aspects of the Services business. Whatever question or concern you have, there's always someone willing to lend you a hand.

Throughout the year I was never bored! Being a technical intern, there was always something that I could get involved with. Throughout the first half of the year this was mainly in internal projects, before beginning working on customer projects after that. There were quieter periods at times, but if anything I'd say I was never short of work. Actually, I had to re-schedule the work throughout the year in order to get everything done. You were never overloaded, but instead expected to manage your priorities and delegate with your customers as to when a piece of work needed to be finished by. The nature of the business is always flowing, meaning that your priorities might change in an instant. This definitely helped me to keep focussed and deliver results.

A lot! You're treated as a full-time employee (FTE) rather than "just" being an intern; you're expected to "muck in" with everyone else! Of course you're given a helping hand at times if you need it, but the expectation is that you'll learn the necessary skills, through both resources and through doing the job - practice makes perfect. There were many opportunities to take responsibility for different projects or tasks.

I developed on a whole range of skills whilst at Microsoft. It's no surprise to say that I've developed a lot technically, learning some great frameworks and tools, as well as founding principles. Aside from the technical skills, I feel like I've learnt more of the "soft skills" too, such as communication, teamwork and organisation. It's amazing how teams, for example, just work in industry. Past experiences at uni have shown that they don't really pull together that well. I've definitely learnt a lot that I'll be taking back with me, so if there are group projects back in my final year, I'll have a definite advantage over other groups.

The atmosphere was great! We had a whole range of people come around our office throughout the year, making it a whole lot more of a fun place to work. Aside from that, my colleagues always wandered around the floor at lunchtime to make sure anyone who was heading to lunch didn't go alone, as well as playing free pool and table football afterwards (or going outside by the lake if the sun was out)!

Fantastic organisation, it honestly couldn't have been better! From the moment I began my assessment centre up until this very day, I can honestly say that Microsoft really do put a lot into the internship scheme. There are events throughout the year, as well as projects that my department set up to get all the interns together in solving challenges and raising money. You build up a network of contacts throughout the business, which is an advantage that being an intern or graduate actually has over and above being a normal full time employee.

There were several events throughout the year which focussed on giving you new skills, for me in the technical area. This wasn't so much formal training but more starter sessions or a depth event for a particular technology. I would say though that the library is a fantastic place to go and has resouces on just about everything. You can also take Microsoft (or other select professional qualifications) whilst working which is a great added bonus.

The company is a fantastic one to work for! Whilst I would say that after working in my role for nearly a year now that it's probably not where I want to go in terms of a career, if there were a career path I was interested in at Microsoft then I'd definitely be applying for the graduate scheme.

The interns had their own email alias to make it easy to ask questions to others in your peer group, which was also used numerous times to organise events out. I can't say that I went to an awful lot of these, as I tended to be somewhere else a lot of the weekends. It's a good idea to socialise with your peers though - they're going through the same as you and it helps to get those relationships built to make your work easier.

Reading isn't great in terms of the prices, given that it's a stone's throw from London. Still, be sure to take the time to go out; you'll be earning a salary so there's no excuse!

I wasn't into a lot of the clubs around Reading due to the music they played, but there are quite a few nice bars. Going out with colleagues as well as interns made for the more interesting nights out too, as they generally had better tastes and knew of the better places to visit!

There are a lot of societes at Microsoft - the main challenge is finding one that suits you. For sports at least, there's always something going off. Bear in mind that Microsoft is a global company, and so some of the societies you might join might meet in other countries rather than where you're working. If there's something you're passionate about and it's not there at the moment, you CAN start your own society!