Be Your Future

My name is Sian Thompson and I am a Supply Chain Analyst within the Interactive Entertainment Business. I need to understand data, analyze and model supply chain data in order to deliver valuable analysis to the business to improve current behaviours within the Supply Chain.

As a Graduate you are given roles and responsibilities to fulfill to the highest standards. I am looking forward to the job rotations which are part of the business graduate program. These will help me develop a broader knowledge of how Microsoft operates.

Microsoft listens to what we passionate about and gives us the opportunity to follow these passions. For example, we are given specialist training as graduates and within my team I have recently been nominated to study for An APICS Certified Supply Chain Professional qualification. You will constantly develop your skills at Microsoft.

Travel is also another exciting benefit of a Business Graduate, in March we are off to Paris for Graduate Winter School and to meet the other Graduates in EMEA. Then in July we are off to the US for a Microsoft conference.

How did I get into Microsoft?
I first joined Microsoft as an Intern in 2009 on a one year internship as my placement year of my degree. Within that year I gained exposure to the Microsoft Dynamic environment, where I was a Global Process Owner. Within this role I worked closely with the customer operations and program management to achieve a consistent operating environment for all service propositions and ensure customer facing staff are equipped to deliver a best in class level of service.

Leaving Microsoft to return to university with all the experiences that I had gained I was ready to overcome any challenges final year would throw at me. Within my final year at University I was the Microsoft Student Partner (MSP) for the University of Ulster (Jordanstown campus).

Becoming a MSP I gained a lot more exposure on campus with the Faculty and Students sharing how Microsoft technology can be used in a student’s digital lifestyle. I became the Top Microsoft Student Partner in Ireland 2010/11!

After my internship, I knew I wanted to further my career at Microsoft besides from it being the Best workplace in Ireland 2 years in a row (3 years – this year!).

In my experience the Microsoft hiring process is very fast moving and proactive compared to the other companies that I applied for, when I would have been waiting days/weeks to hear if my application had made it to the next step. I did apply for various other Graduate Programs (just incase) but my goal was Microsoft. In total I had 3 interviews, An HR Interview and 2 Interviews with 2 managers. A few hours after my last interview, I was on the train home to Belfast from Dublin when I received the call from HR congratulating me on my position.

My advice to anyone applying would be:
1.Know your stuff
2.Show your enthusiasm
3.Remember to show off all your experiences that you have gained so far!
4.Finally, RELAX and be yourself