SharePoint Support Specialist Review

The oppotunities I was given during the year, and all the things I learnt in such a short space of time, being how to cope in the real business world, what is the appropriate etiqutte and approach when dealing with large corporations, or collaborating with teams accross the globe, I can safely take away every day of experience with the confident that I can apply what I have learnt in the future.

My Colleagues treated me as one of their own from the very start. I was given extensive training on my product technology from the start, and my colleagues were more than happy to help with a case or answer a question, and this was true of both the UK team and every other subsequent team within the EMEA region and indeed, the more senior positions in the US

From the beginning my manager sat me down and discussed his expectations of this year, and what I had expected. He explained the situation and how the job is approached and explained the training process that I underwent. Furthermore the transition from training to the job at hand was smooth and he was available throughout the year to support me in any way

The first couple of months were considered as peak months in the sense that the workload was greater than usual. However, due to the recession, the workload began to dip within months of december through to february, at which point they started increasing again. However, during this time, we took the opportunity to undergo further training and exploring any areas of the product or organisation that we wanted to explore.

I was held fully accountable for the work I underwent and as I owned my cases individually, their success was critical to participation and efforts in the case. Though it was somewhat overwhelming to begin with, the sense of gratification and satisfaction from solving a case with your own resources and ability was very satisfying and it was a great experience to have so much responsibility, but at the same time knowing you have the support if you need it

The focus of my final year project is around the development and implementation of SharePoint; something I could not have done without the year at Microsoft. Furthermore, I have developed my interpersonal skills, communication skills and technical skills, obtaining Microsoft certification in administering Vista and Deploying and maintaining SharePoint. Most of what I have learnt can be used in every aspect of my life from here on

When there was work to be, everyone was focused. When there was an event such as a birthday or a team gathering, the mood was light and relaxed. The team worked in great unison to help each other in tough times, and we enjoyed the good times as a group. Great Synergy and great passion

The original application stages were nerve wracking but done in a very well organised manner. Meetings started on time and the scheduled deliverables were always on time. The transition to working into the company was smooth with a weeks worth of induction followed by personal induction by my manager. One issue was that there was promise of expanding your experience into other areas of the business for a week or two to explore other avenues, but unfortunately due to workload that was not possible in my experience.

All training events were funded by Microsoft, and so were my examinations. I was able to freely suggest a training course that I thought may benefit me, and depending on work load, my manager would often approve the attendance of a 3-5 day course, and the team supported me as well.

One of my pursued aspects is to return to Microsoft to continue my work there.

I was not one for social events but I know the student community were very social and outgoing

I lived at home (london) while commuting to reading on a daily basis. From what I saw, the cost of socialising was lower than in london but again I cannot coment on this too much

Again cannot commend much as I didnt participate

Social clubs of every aspect, football, cycling, sailing, shopping (if you wanted to). Their ongoing charitable contribution via Challenger was amazing and offered so many events to take part in