Global Solution Management Associate Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement at SAP! I’ve had the opportunity to take on responsibilities that I didn’t think would be allocated to an intern, and I’ve gained an in depth insight into how a global corporation operates. Within this role I’ve had the opportunity to travel to other countries, I’ve been involved in customer presentations and I even had the opportunity to present to over 200 customers at a European conference. If I had been told this before I’d have started my placement, I’m not sure that I would have believed it!

All SAP placement students are truly valued within the company, and each plays an important role within the business. I felt not only valued within my team, but also by other employees across the company who I worked alongside. I was expected to contribute and deliver on the projects set by my team members, and I was recognized for the contribution that I gave. Once I’d shown that I could deliver on the tasks that I was allocated, my team were keen to provide me with greater responsibilities. For example, I had the opportunity to support EMEA deals by presenting in customer meetings. SAP also has a great awards and recognition scheme, such as the Instant Hero Award.

As I was an intern in a global team, the vast majority of the team were not based in the office I was allocated to. Therefore, if I needed support and guidance from team members, I had to reach out and ask for it. At the beginning of my placement, I found this a little challenging. However, in hindsight having a remote team has developed my communication skills and increased my confidence as I had to be proactive and express myself articulately so my issues could be understood and addressed. Once I asked those within my team for guidance on a project, they were extremely helpful and made sure that I received full and comprehensive support. In addition, I was also assigned a buddy when I began at the company. My buddy has been a great source of support, and has always been there for me if I needed any guidance.

Throughout my placement I was always kept busy. As the role is "project based", I never had the same daily tasks to complete, and therefore I could always be working on some element of my project. I was responsible for managing my own workload and had to ensure that I prioritized my workload so I could meet the deadlines set for my projects. To some extent, in this role it is up to the intern to determine their own workload. The more the intern is willing to put into their work, the more they’ll get out of it and the higher levels of responsibility they’ll be allocated. At SAP, interns are also provided with the opportunity to involve themselves in teams and projects outside of their “normal” role and responsibilities. For example, I chose to engage myself in projects within the Industry Value Engineers and Presales Team. This increased my workload but also enabled me to expose myself to other areas of the business.

As previously stated, I was given high levels of responsibility and felt like full time employee. The more I proved myself, the more my team were keen to give me new tasks and projects which enabled me to further develop my skill set. I also had the opportunity to take on responsibility in other areas of the business, such as within the Presales and IVE team.

I think that I have gained invaluable experience from my time at SAP. I am currently studying Business Management, and when I go back to university for my final year I believe that I will be able to apply the theory I study to the real experiences I’ve encountered from working within a corporate environment. From working within this specific role, I feel as though I’ve greatly improved my communication, time management, and presentation skills- all of which will be beneficial not only in my final year of university but when seeking graduate employment.

The atmosphere is great on the sales floor. Some days the office is busier than others, but in general there are a great deal of people who regularly come into the office. At the end of a sales cycle, the office is an exciting and interesting environment to work in. Whilst at times you can see that there is some degree of pressure on sales employees to deliver, it’s very exciting when large deals are won.

Whilst I believe there is an incredible array of opportunities for interns to involve themselves in, I do not believe that this work placement is well organised or structured. It is the intern who is responsible for their own development, and for establishing some degree of structure in their work. Personally, I think this has benefited me as I have been able to involve myself in a diverse array of projects and experiences. However, if you are looking for placement which is clearly structured then this placement may not be suitable for you.

I think the company invests a huge amount into the interns at SAP. Whilst at SAP, HR organised a variety of training and development days for interns to improve their networking, leadership, presentation skills etc. In addition, my team were also keen to invest in my personal training and development. For example, they were willing to pay my travel expenses so I could go to Frankfurt and Vienna so I could engage in customer meetings and could present.

SAP is keen on attracting early talent into the company, and therefore the future employment prospects are excellent at the company! SAP has two graduate schemes for the Sales and Presales departments. Both schemes provides those successful with an amazing training program in California and allows you to join SAP as a full time employee. Both schemes allow graduates to largely propel forward their careers.

Definitely!!! There is a very strong intern community at work as SAP hires over 40 interns across its offices. Many of the interns sit together on a daily basis, and we all have lunch together (as we have a free canteen with pretty good food!). After work and on weekends the interns socialized with one another and organised different events. Many of the graduates also joined in and attended these events too.

I lived in Richmond (in South West London) and in this area the cost of living is high in comparison to other areas in the UK. However, I would say that I was still able to socialise and fully got to experience London life and all that it offers. Whilst the cost of living is high, it's definitely worth it!

As the office is based in Greater London, employees tended to venture into Central London for nights out. However the company hosted events in Clapham, Richmond Soho etc. We also had an amazing Christmas Party, and the company regularly hosted events in the office where drinks and food would be provided for all employees.

There were a diverse array of different activities, including the SAP netball and football team, the SAP Children’s Christmas Party, and a range of charity projects. In addition, the company also participated in the London Pride Parade which was an incredible experience. Other interns also had the opportunity to attend events such as the VIP Imagine Dragons Concert, Wimbledon, Beyonce concert etc. To ensure you qualify for an Amazon voucher please provide at least 10 comments (with a minimum of 50 words per answer) and ensure your star ratings match your comments. Read the full terms and conditions here. What was the general atmosphere in your office? 7 The atmosphere is great on the sales floor. Some days the office is busier than others, but in general there are a great deal of people who regularly come into the office. At the end of a sales cycle, the office is an exciting and interesting environment to work in. Whilst at times you can see that there is some degree of pressure on sales employees to deliver, it’s very exciting when large deals are won. 1 = Dull 10 = Fun Never Stopped! How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up? 5 Whilst I believe there is an incredible array of opportunities for interns to involve themselves in, I do not believe that this work placement is well organised or structured. It is the intern who is responsible for their own development, and for establishing some degree of structure in their work. Personally, I think this has benefited me as I have been able to involve myself in a diverse array of projects and experiences. However, if you are looking for placement which is clearly structured then this placement may not be suitable for you. 1 = Very Badly 10 = Seamless In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you? 10 I think the company invests a huge amount into the interns at SAP. Whilst at SAP, HR organised a variety of training and development days for interns to improve their networking, leadership, presentation skills etc. In addition, my team were also keen to invest in my personal training and development. For example, they were willing to pay my travel expenses so I could go to Frankfurt and Vienna so I could engage in customer meetings and could present. 1 = Nothing 10 = Everything What were the perks on your work placement? Flexi TimeSubsidised CanteenSports and Social ClubCompany CarSubsidised/Company GymNational TravelInternational TravelFinancial BonusCompany Parties/EventsStaff Sales/Staff ShopAbove 25 days holidayWorking from homeHealthcare from homeHealthcare/DentalTravel loan 10 1 = Poor 10 = Great How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation? 9 SAP is keen on attracting early talent into the company, and therefore the future employment prospects are excellent at the company! SAP has two graduate schemes for the Sales and Presales departments. Both schemes provides those successful with an amazing training program in California and allows you to join SAP as a full time employee. Both schemes allow graduates to largely propel forward their careers. 1 = Not a Chance 10 = Got a Job With Them! Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues? 10 Definitely!!! There is a very strong intern community at work as SAP hires over 40 interns across its offices. Many of the interns sit together on a daily basis, and we all have lunch together (as we have a free canteen with pretty good food!). After work and on weekends the interns socialized with one another and organised different events. Many of the graduates also joined in and attended these events too. 1 = Shocking 10 = Perfect What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in? 7 I lived in Richmond (in South West London) and in this area the cost of living is high in comparison to other areas in the UK. However, I would say that I was still able to socialise and fully got to experience London life and all that it offers. Whilst the cost of living is high, it's definitely worth it! 1 = Socialising?! 10 = Cheap as Chips What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked? 8 As the office is based in Greater London, employees tended to venture into Central London for nights out. However the company hosted events in Clapham, Richmond Soho etc. We also had an amazing Christmas Party, and the company regularly hosted events in the office where drinks and food would be provided for all employees. 1 = What Nightlife? 10 = Awesome! Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?