It’s been an interesting past couple of weeks at Microsoft for me.
I had a meeting recently where I got the opportunity to show off everything I have worked on so far in my first couple of months at MS, and people were really enthusiastic about it! I’ve made a fully functioning database, with a dashboard on top, where colleagues can view their sales data in various ways. They can get some real value out of the information I’ve pulled together for them, I feel like I’ve really contributed to Microsoft with this, what a great feeling!
I attended a talk from a guy, who’s been in the company for 9 years, where he talked about his experiences so far and how he’s got to where he is today. Howard had been an intern, just like me! He got onto the Microsoft MACH Scheme, which is exactly what I was hoping to do next, and then proven himself and become a crucial part of the Microsoft team. It’s a perfect success story, which is just one of the inspiring things I hear about every day at Microsoft. This one, however, really encourages me, as it is real life evidence, of how working hard will allow you to achieve almost anything you set out for. I find inspiring things really motivate me to go out and achieve the same.
“Superior infrastructure makes for richer fantasies, believe me.” – Bill Bryson.
My everyday role also holds some real responsibility too, now. I have to compose and send emails with important sales information to each ‘Account Manager’, telling them whether or not they’ve done everything they needed to do for each sale (filled in the right forms, ticked the right boxes, etc.). These Account Managers rely on me to give them this data, and help them to keep on top of the work. Sometimes I need to ‘express my urgent concern’ for certain sales, calling action from people that may have been in the company for a lot longer than I have. It really shows the great way Microsoft work, people are always happy to listen to you, even if you’re brand new to your role, it’s a great atmosphere.
The responsibility is exciting, and I have to think on my feet and act fast when an Account Manager gets back to me with a question or problem, but I’m never worried about it, as I have a brilliant team, always willing to spend the time to help me if I really needed it, behind me. That said, you must not fall into the habit of asking endless questions before trying to complete the task first, yourself. Using your initiative is something, surprisingly, not every company allows you the freedom to do.
Joe Stiff