Life as an Intern (Colin Davies)

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My name is Colin Davies and I am currently on placement at Microsoft as a Marketing Project Manager. Around now a lot of you will be thinking about getting applications in for either placements or grad roles so I have been asked by the lovely editor of this newsletter to give you a little insight of what I am doing at Microsoft and what you could expect to be doing if you got a job at Microsoft. 

I work in the Server department marketing software that allows data to come alive. My main focus is on a product called SQL Server, it is a database tool that turns data into information and allows you to manage that information in order to make use of it. One of the most recent projects I finished was working with another member in my team to organise an event for the people who already use SQL to demonstrate the new features they can expect from the next release. With 600 people invited to the event the responsibility that came with helping to organise the event was no intern admin job, I was a fully-fledged member of the team!   

My long term project for the year is to reduce the leakage and increase the return on investment of marketing spends. The first part of this is to have a set procedure of how marketing generated leads are dealt with by our sales force. However in investigating the current process and the frustrations this provides varying stakeholders it has proved not to be an easy task. Challenges are good though; with the support of the team I have around me here at Microsoft I’m sure we’ll get there in the end.

One great thing we get at Microsoft is to have access to a lot of new technology. Windows 7 is one of them. We’ve been using it during the Beta stage but in case you haven’t upgraded yet have a look at the following website, with your .ac.uk email address you can get it for 90% discount, that’s only £30!

https://www.ultimatesteal.co.uk/student11

Good luck with the rest of your degree and I hope the applications go well whether they are for internships or grad roles.

Take it easy, Colin