Xbox Sales Solution Executive Review

Fully and whole heartedly enjoyed the placement year. My role was far more fulfilling and exciting that I had ever imagined. The intern community is also second to none! With well over 100 interns, there's a great network of people that make the year so much more than it otherwise would have been.

Working within the Xbox team I was able to manage my own campaigns, generate my own revenue and all the responsibility made me feel valued, as well as someone my colleagues could rely on.

My manager offered the perfect blend of guidance and support without micromanaging me or withholding responsibility.

Throughout the year my workload steadily ramped up - at first you are settling in and trying to understand the core elements or your role, the team and the business. However over time your work transitions and you focus more on your core role, where the work really gets going. The second half of the year was the best for me as I had found my feet.

I was give as much responsibility as a full time employee. This came after the "ramp up period" - around 3-4 months after starting.

Massively! I was surprised to see the theory I'd learned in practise put into real life application at Microsoft. From meetings with the Senior Leadership Team (which all interns have the opportunity to do) I found that there was a real focus on what you learn at university! So, all-in-all I feel this knowledge and understand will be highly valuable during my final year at uni.

Working within the Xbox team within an overarching advertising team, the atmosphere and characters in the office made for a great office atmosphere. The team we all lively, VERY diverse and hilarious - very tight knit! Loved it.

There is a dedicated HR team that look after all the interns and the overall structure of the year.

I was invested in highly. As an intern I had a mid & end of year review to track my progress, as well as informal catch up with my manager to check my process on a more regular basis. We also had the opportunity to go on multiple team building activities, such as a two day "offsite" at Avon Tyrell.

Very appealing, the graduate scheme which is open to all interns (if successful) is very attractive, with a huge range of role available that come with highly competitive pay, and well structured scheme of career progression.

Great social life! Living and working in London was fantastic. I lived with 5 other interns and we regularly met up with the other interns for nights and days out in London, as well as meeting interns in Reading. I was able to go skiing in Andorra with interns and full time employees as well as attending a holiday with 20 other interns to Malaga. It's been top draw and has been a huge strength of the Microsoft internship - all of which is fostered by the HR team who did a great job at bring us all together through various events throughout the year.

Living in London is always pricey. Travel is a large cost, and food and drink can be pricey. Circa £4-£5 a pint, which can make for an expensive night out. However managing your money is all part of the year! Living costs are also high in comparison to the rest of the UK - but I guess that's stating the obvious!

Top draw - such amount of clubs, bars and events to go to.

Loads. Football matches, basketball games, attending agency days, joining social clubs. I even got to attend the launch of Xbox One at Leicester Square, attend film premiers and meet the cast of X-Men. Amazing stuff, although I did strike gold with my role, team and manager.