Internal Communications Coordinator Review

Microsoft provided the perfect environment for me to develop both personally and professionally. I was continually stretched to achieve my best, and given both the freedom and responsibility to do so.

My achievements were always well recognised and rewarded. I was commended on my efforts for several of the projects I engaged in, and even given personal recognition at the Microsoft Services group meeting.

All levels of management were approachable and always willing to help. I had weekly meetings with my line manager and monthly meetings with the manager of my wider team in which I could discuss day to day challenges as well as career goals. I always felt I had a very strong network of support around me.

The core working hours of my role were 9.00am to 5.30pm and these were regularly exceeded, though at no point did it feel too much. I was committed and motivated to produce high quality work.

I was responsible for the complete production cycle of a weekly newsletter distributed to a community of over 500 full time employees. I felt that, despite the internal nature of my role, I was given a good amount of responsibility.

I was encouraged to follow a comprehensive personal development plan throughout my placement year. This included attending formal training courses teaching soft skills in personal productivity and interpersonal effectiveness, in addition to attaining several Microsoft accredited technical qualifications. The skills and competencies I developed during my placement have already had a positive impact during my final year at university.

The office environment was very friendly. Everyone is incredibly committed and hard working.

I don't have a single grumble about this. The application and assessment process was conducted efficiently and we all took part in a one week induction programme which was useful to kick-start a social network between interns and to learn more about how the business functions. The entire year ran smoothly and at no point did I feel lost or out of place.

As I have already mentioned, I attended training courses and attained qualifications. I was in this respect treated like any other full time employee, also engaging in the company's corporate computer based training at the start of the year.

As a current intern I was given the opportunity to complete Microsoft's MACH graduate scheme application form ahead of other university students, which I did and by doing so have been fast-tracked to the final assessment centre. However, unfortunately there are very few places available.

Yes, there were social events to get involved in most weeks of the year!

Having lived in the Midlands all of my life and attending a local University, living in the South East came as a bit of a shock - it isn't cheap unfortunately.

There is a good community of both placement students and University students, resulting in a good nightlife with a range of bars, pubs and clubs.

Microsoft has a large and diverse range of employees. You will find there are clubs and societies for pretty much everything! There are plenty of opportunities and they are easy to find out about through internal mailing lists.