Sales Excellence Manager, Education

Asini Liyanage

Biology

Placement (10 Months+)

Microsoft

What was the application process like?

When applying for the Microsoft placement opportunity, I initially had to submit my CV and highlight key work experience in a very light application when compared to the other 20+ applications I’d spent more than double the time completing.

What was the interview process like?

I was asked motivational and situational based questions by an interviewer who I could tell tried her best to create a friendly rapport between the two of us to help me feel at ease.

What advice would you give to students applying for your role?

I would advise that they understand Microsoft’s company culture and mission to see if they can truly see themselves embodying it. This will not only help them carry their authentic self through the interviews but also through the placement itself.

What do you most enjoy about your role?

Being an intern in the Education team, I enjoyed my role so much because I have been able to make a real difference in the lives of young people by helping them to use our technology to be inspired to consider a future in computer science and tech.

How has this experience exceeded your expectations?

I never expected to help change the lives of others as much as I have when I initially took up this internship at Microsoft, so it has been hugely rewarding to see how much of an impact I have had the opportunity to make.

How much responsibility do you have?

I have been given lots of responsibility to envision my own projects, take ownership of them and execute them as I wish. Microsoft hasn’t failed to place me in the deep end, but it’s for this reason that I’ve been able to develop so many skills.

What activities are there outside of work?

Outside of my core role, I have been able to showcase the Hololens to customers, help with global social impact programmes like DigiGirlz and aid in curating blogs that are posted in the official Microsoft blog site.

How promising are the graduate prospects?

Interns are exclusively given the chance to be selected for graduate roles before they are opened to the general public and we are given lots of support and personal development opportunities throughout the year to prepare us for applications.