Dear Graduate: 4 Learnings From Your Intern Self

Dear Future Me,

I recently concluded my 6-months internship with Microsoft. Although it was a virtual one throughout, the growth and camaraderie I have experienced the past 6 months was immense. As I close this chapter, I wanted to journal down 4 things I would like to remind my future self as an intern. The unique thing about internships is that it only comes once but the hunger and enthusiasm to learn never dies out. 

 1) Learning is everything

I often hear that “coming from a non-tech background” disadvantages me from getting a job in the technology industry but I remember a conversation I had with Renee, GM of Data & AI in APAC, and she mentioned that what’s important is building your technical capability and creativity in problem-solving regardless of which product or domain of technology you’re focusing on. No matter where you are, old or new on the job, being disciplined to allocate time to learn is a crucial part of learning and relearning. I will always remember my Technical Specialist Manager, Anuj, who is a firm believer of setting out time to learn with the fast changing nature of our industry. He will send questions to the team on APAC Learning Days as he religiously picks up on the changing updates and features that we have on Dynamics 365 and Power Platform.

2) Genuine Coffee Chats are so important

Networking is great, yes, but I do also believe in forming genuine connections. It’s also interesting to hear from people beyond my business line, department and region to uncover new insights and learnings. 

I take to heart the amazing mentorship and collaboration culture in Microsoft that has allowed me to spend 30 mins with leaders who are willing to carve out precious time to speak to an intern like myself. Those conversations are really important to me as they helped cement my understanding of the company’s culture. In my chat with Fiona, Head of APAC Marketing & Operations, I will always remember how she took the time to listen to my psychology background and we had a great chat about mental well-being in the workplace. Or my chat with Edward, Product Marketing Manager, about the difference, best practices and exciting projects in Biz Apps Product Marketing in Redmond, beyond the APAC region. Hearing from someone in a similar career stage but in another region really provided me a different perspective as to how I could approach certain things and perspectives on the job. 

3) Believe in your mentors and your leaders

So many times, during the internship, I doubted my ability to ace the projects that I was a part of. Despite having some knowledge of what a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) or what a GTM (Go To Market) strategy was, doing it and executing it was never something I was completely familiar with. I had the immense trust of and space from my mentors Akkasha, Amit and Jenny to really explore what I needed. 

Be it being referred to the right person to bridge the conversation and challenges I was facing, or taking the time to clarify and challenge my thought process - my mentors gave immensely helpful feedback that came with their experience and expertise to navigate what I felt was a huge ocean. I also had the chance to be part of multiple sharings with peers and customers because of the trust of those leaders in those sessions and their willingness to respect diversity in every conversation. 

4) Tap on the diversity and brilliant minds of your co-interns/ colleagues/ co-workers

With that being said, bringing diversity into every conversation wasn’t the sole responsibility of my leaders. Respecting diversity while working and being surrounded by some of the brightest minds and giants in the industry is the best way to be challenged and learn fast. This happens when we collaborate - learning how to leverage on the team, past and present, to support a culture of collaboration is key to realizing success and moving projects forward. The best collaboration comes from active listening to all the voices in the room and being steadfast and flexible in our approach to tackling what’s on the table. 

Embarking on my stretch project 'APAC CODESS 2021' with the wider APAC intern team where we brought together 150 female students across 6 countries to learn more about the tech industry and Microsoft, was a testament to the success collaboration could bring. Each and every intern had something so special to offer – be it their marketing talent, flair for words or their region- and school-specific networking, without anyone of us we wouldn’t have been able to make the event a success. With the help of our UR team, we also managed to tap on the work and learnings of our past and present peers that are working on a similar project to share ideas and best practices. In my day-to-day work, I appreciate that reaching out is always the first step to execution and overcoming challenges and that everyone is willing to give a penny to your thoughts, ideas and initiatives.

As I look ahead, I will always want to hold on to these 4 learnings as I embark on my career. It has been a summer and semester well-spent with Microsoft. Thank you for reading to the end of the letter, I hope that these learnings can help you and me journey what's ahead in our personal and work life.