Business Analyst Review

The internship was exciting from the first day, once you have been given training your are exposed to to a variety of people, tasks and projects from day one. Responsibility is given from the moment you step into the office and all your opinions are taken into consideration

My colleagues were always happy to help me, during the first few weeks I would have tons of questions and they would always spare time to answer them. They would also sit down with me once a week and we talk about my progress so far

My manager and team members would allow me to carry out the tasks on my own as they trusted me and if I was ever stuck on a task they would guide me and provide support to allow me to develop.

Microsoft understood the balance between work and life, one example is working from home. With my manager's permission and based upon my calendar I was allowed to work from home so I have time to carry out tasks at home and still carry out work tasks.

From day one I was given responsibility to carry out the reporting and invoicing of business partners who operated in 12 markets, it would be my task alone to ensure all invoices were paid and ensure markets received the correct data for analysis. Working on the MSN for Windows 8 project allowed me to expand my horizon internationally and was responsible to ensure all partner details were entered correctly so it maybe ready for an audit.

One of the biggest ways I was able to develop myself was working on the job, during this I would carry out different tasks and this allowed me to develop new skills such as analytical, leadership, special software skills. I also had two mentors who would sit down with me and guide me on how I can improve certain skills which would help me with my career

The atmosphere was always happy in the office, provided there were occasions where everybody would be very busy the atmosphere would never change, everybody was professional and always eager to help anyone

The programme was very well structured, with regular communications on events happening for networking happening every week, events where all interns would come together for a fun and productive day out to learn how far we have come and look at the future.

Microsoft invested a lot of time to develop me, my manager firstly would organise meetings with myself and check up on how i am doing and we can discuss what I would like to gain from the internship and how she can help me. Regular meetings were held with senior members of the company who we would have a Q&A session with and ask for their advice

They are very appealing, after speaking to the graduates who currently work there it was great to know how their roles fit into the company and the investment Microsoft make into them to further develop them.

The social interaction was good with fellow interns, normally we would all have lunch together and catch up on general or work related events, however in certain cases some interns maybe too busy and could not join social events

I lived at home so cost of living was zero. Socialising was great as there were many pubs and bars we could go to for a nice drink after work or many restaurants where we could have lunch together

Night life in central london was always be good, however organising one is difficult as some interns lived together in a house and some lived at out. It was difficult to most people in one area

There are many opportunities Microsoft encourage such as charity work, marathons or helping out teams within the company. As part of the internship money was raised for charity via different events such as selling doughnuts or raffle tickets, Microsoft would match the total money raised and give that to the charity