Sales Support Associate Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my internship at SAP. There have been many opportunities to get involved in different projects and tasks, while also gaining insight into how a business is run. A great place to start building your professional network. Was given a lot of responsibility and free reign to find tasks and add value to the organization. You get out the amount that you put in. Can be high pressured and fast pace, but found working in that kind of environment interesting and enjoyable.

I feel valued by my collegues on all levels. Possibility to get awards/recognition if you do something above and beyond your role. Enjoy working with my colleagues as mutual respect and trust is built. I felt like I was part of the team, rather than just being an intern.

This is probably where I think my placement has been lacking the most. I feel like I could have recieved more guidance and support by management/my supervisors. Since it is such a nice paced environment, it was important for me to use my initiative to find tasks and work. However, as I got more comfortable in my role, the amount of time spent working directlly with and gretting guidance by my manager has increased. .

Initially, I was struggling to keep busy which meant I focused a lot on personal development. However, has I got more involved my workload has increased significantly. Since no week is the same, my workload fluctuates but generally, there is always something on. Going into this role, an intern should expect to be working hard and efficient with relatively long working hours, however by putting in the extra effort you also get an opportunity to develop a lot more.

Was given quite a lot of responsibilty during my placement. The amount of responsibility you have is also something that has to be earned. If you continuously show that you are dependable, the amount of responsibilty you have increases and vice versa. Personally, I have been striving for more and more responsibility throughout my placement, taking on more and more tasks as I have become more competent in my role.

I belive the skills I have developed over the past year will be invaluable in both my degree and future career. Most importantly, the soft skills that I have picked up from successful individuals at SAP will drastically change the way that I approach any task. Additionally, I have improved my analytical skills drastically which will definitely assist in my degree studies. There has also been some intern development days, focused on developing skills such as Presentation skills that have been very valuable.

The general atmosphere of the office can be pretty quite at times and buzzing at others depending on the time of year. While there is a focus on getting your head down and getting work done, it can also be chatty at times. I personally think that the atmosphere has a good mix, as it has allowed me to focus and really ensure that I deliver maximum value to SAP, but also allows time to get to know your colleagues on a personal level.

The work placement is organized by the interns from the previous year. The year I started, I think there were several gaps in the organization of the internship, however once I got past the initial onboarding phase it allows you to get really involved and be part of the team. Something we have all focused on this year is to ensure that our replacements get a good onboarding, with a lot more planning going into it this year - which will allow our replacements to be successful as quickly as possible.

SAP has allocated budget to host a couple of "Intern Development Days" focused on soft skills such as "Connecting With Clients" and also on "Presentation Skills". I personally thought these sessions were very useful and really enjoyed them. There is also a 70/30 split in SAP, meaning 70% of your time should be focused on your role, while 30% of your time should be focused on personal development, or exploring other areas of the business that might interest you.

Future employment prospects withing SAP are good. SAP have the sales academy which is the primary route back into the company. While you still have to apply and go through the assessment center, doing an internship certain gives a head start. The overall role after the sales academy also looks interesting, as it would be continuously challenging. Lastly, the appeal of working with the same managers/colleagues again would be one of the main reasons I would want to return.

There is a good social scene amongst the other placement students, with many groups living together and thus developing close lasting friendships. Many intern organized events on the weekends and a couple of SAP organized events. However, interns don't integrate that much with the full time employees outside of work. This can be seen as a good thing as it maintains a level of professionlalism between your colleagues, that doesnt exist amongst the interns.

The cost of living around London is expensive, however that is to be expected. I had no problems making money reach in terms of being able to socialize in the area that I worked in. Would recommend living on a direct line to Feltham station, as initially the main issue was the commute. This was resolved by driving to work instead, as the office is easily accessable by car.

There is no nightlife near the office, however there are opportunities to head into the city if that is what you fancy. Personally, I view it as a good thing as it means that I wouldn't be going out as much as I would have working in central london. When we went out after work, we could take a quick train journey nearer to London and then it always was a good night.

There were many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work. There are football teams, charity work, parties, etc. I enjoyed getting involved with outside of work activities, such as building a pond for a handicapped children's school. Also playing on the football team has been a great way to get to know some of the full time employees that aren't in your team better. Overall, the activities outside of work have been a great way to network and get to know more people, as well as a having fun.