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We asked Xintia Gyenge a few question about her experience as a Technical Engineer Intern at Microsoft. Here we can see some of the tips and insights she offers:

Can you give us a brief description of the program?

The main purpose of the program was to discover what Microsoft means. During the six weeks, we had technical trainings, where we learnt the basics of each technology, and also non-technical ones. People would wonder why are non-technical trainings inside the company. One thing that I have learnt in the internship is that Microsoft is not only about technology, Microsoft is about world, about culture, about communication. Microsoft is one and to keep the balance of this great family, knowing traditions, cultures, is a must. That’s why, in my opinion, the non-technical trainings would be mandatory in every environment that want to understand the meaning of the world, and by doing this, you have already reached success. Beside the trainings, we made shadowings, discovering what exactly does each employee in a daily routine, how they solve issues and how they communicate with the customers.

Could you give us a top tip for being successful during the application process?

The most important thing is: Be Confident by being yourself. Using a mask will never help you to feel confident, to enjoy 100 percent your day even if it means going out with friends or attending an Assessment Day. Give the recruiters the chance to get to know you, to like you in the way you really are and by doing this, you will feel comfortable to build real relationships. Also, the spirit of a teamplayer is very welcome in the company, because that’s what Microsoft is, a big family, where employees communicate with eachother, reaching the success by being ONE. Last but not least, do not be scared. It is an opportunity where you will achieve only positive things, where you only have to let yourself being EMPOWERED. With all  the things mentioned above, you will definitely end the Assesment Centre Day being a winner.

What is a challenge you face at Microsoft?

One of the biggest challenges was to really understand what a specific technology does. During the  daily trainings there were so many new things that we heard, that if someone would have asked us before if it is possible learning so many things only in a single day, the answer would have been  “Of course not”. It was a great challenge, which gave us incredible satisfaction when we managed to show what we learnt in our final project, where we reached our Intern success.

What concerns did you have before joining Microsoft? Are they still concerns?

Being the very first experience of that kind for me, obviously many things crossed my mind. Truth to be told, one concern which now I remember with a smile on my face, was that I won’t be listened, that being a young student without experience it will make me invisible in front of my colleagues. That concern flowed by hearing many other stories of students with a negative experience in other companies but it was vanished after the first five minutes in Microsoft. I really was one of them, beginning from the every day morning coffees and ending with the late afternoon stories. 
 
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