UX designer Review

I've had the best year, It's been great to go into a job and be seen as an actual part of the business. It's a different environment to uni but Microsoft has really helped with adapting to the new lifestyle. Because they hire so many interns you have a fantastic network and numerous opportunities in and outside of work.

Interns are hugely valued within Microsoft. You get a lot of responsibility from day one but also a lot of support to go with this. Everyone is very good at recognising the impact you provide to a projects and they are not afraid to give you ownership over things.

Before starting, Microsoft ensure you get a chance to meet your fellow interns, connect you with your manager who then connected me with interns I would be taking over from and a mentor. I have bi weekly 1:1 meetings with my manager in which he makes sure I am getting what I want from my year here. In the weeks in between these meetings I will meet with my mentor for the same reason. Everybody is very approachable so the support you receive is brilliant.

This would range from time to time. With most businesses there is a quiet period for a month or so which is exactly the same here. If you wanted something to do when things went quiet however, there were always opportunities and projects to get involved in.

The responsibility you are given largely depends on how much you want, They aren't afraid to take a risk and let you own projects and tasks and I was always encouraged to jump in the deep end but never out of my comfort zone.

I have learnt so much from the year. Not only within the specifics of my role but I have been given the opportunity to develop skills I had no experience with before. I do design but got a chance to learn the technical front end coding which connects up to design much more than I thought. I have also developed my confidence, presentation and communication skills which is not specific to my individual role. Microsoft is a very good company for ensuring you get to develop in the areas you are interested in regardless of if it directly aligns to you.

The atmosphere is fantastic. The overall culture within the company is great and very relaxed. But because of this people get the work done when needed. You own your job and so get flexibility around it so long as you complete the tasks asked of you. Everyone is extremely friendly and welcoming.

The structure for my year has been excellent. My year was split into four different sections which has slowly built me up and allowed me to be confident when getting stuck into projects. The overall scheme is very well run.

Microsoft invests a great deal of time and effort into their interns to ensure they build every individuals personal and job skills. They allows you to really focus on what you want to do alongside the role you are given

The social scene is brilliant because of the vast number of interns employed as well as graduates. Everybody is very friendly and more than happy to get involved in different activities. Its fairly similar to university in terms of the social scene.

The nightlife is great because of the people you are with. However reading itself can get a bit boring after a while. Luckily London isn't far away!