Placement Student

Tom Crawford

Computer Science and IT

Placement (10 Months+)

Microsoft

What was the application process like?

Fairly simple, with a CV and cover letter – then awaiting responses between each round. Was easy to find when searching for Microsoft placements online, and sufficient communication throughout the process.

What was the interview process like?

Challenging and rigorous, but in a positive way. It was interesting being tested in a multitude of different ways throughout the interview process, from online QA style interviewing to presentation capability and group task work.

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

Your background doesn’t matter as much as you think, just your willingness to learn and grow. Really research the company and competitors, including the services Microsoft work around as a business especially if you’re applying for sales.

How much responsibility do you have?

A fair amount, as expected for an intern. The responsibilities you’re given can go as far as you want to take them, and the better you become at one area the wider it can expand and open new opportunities for you.

What do you most enjoy about your role?

Networking and visiting customer sites, experiencing the breadth of organisations and careers there are within the technology field. I also love the partner ecosystem of the business and how they work with Microsoft to deliver solutions.

What has been your biggest challenge?

Integrating myself with a team, as there has been many teams I’ve worked with over the year but not a solidified unit to report into directly. It would have been brilliant to understand the exact team members I’d be working with and what was expected.

How has this experience exceeded your expectations?

The opportunity to create impact on your own accord, being able to explore different areas of the business and running workshops and sessions on them outside of your core role -such as 101 teams and projct management.

What is the ofﬁce atmosphere like?

Focused but welcoming. Everyone is always open for a coffee catchup is great especially for networking with your peers. The office is spacious and offers multiple different working locations, whatever your preference.

What activities are there outside of work?

There is a wide array of nightlife, sports, entertainment venues and restaurants just a short journey away from the offices in TVP.

How promising are the graduate prospects?

Hugely promising and very exciting, and a great system to have especially when developing individually into what we may want to explore as future careers.