Sales Excellence Apprentice Review

I work as a Microsoft Apprentice within the Sales Excellence team within SMS&P (Small and Midmarket Solutions and Partners Group) where I support the operational side of sales. On a weekly basis I work closely with 6 PSE's (Partner Sales Executives) monitoring the health of their sales pipelines, dealing with any queries or concerns they have. On a daily basis I take ownership and responsibility of a partner tool and have also become a subject expert on a Customer Relationship Management tool.

I have developed a wide range of skills since starting my Apprenticeship at Microsoft including:- presentation skills, time and people management, confidence building and effective communication skills when working within different teams.

I really enjoy being a part of the programme at Microsoft as the culture is extremely friendly and welcoming, where everyone is willing to help support one another and to develop their career opportunities. My departmental team members are really supportive and have got to know me on a personal level. I feel I am able to learn from others in my team and provide suggestions on improving systems and strategies, knowing that my opinion is valued.

At Microsoft I feel extremely valued due to the fact that I am recognised and praised for the hard work I produce. I find that receiving both constructive and positive feedback from my team members helps motivate me as an individual to work harder to meet my challenging goals.

The programme is structured and organised well with a balance of job role priorities and responsibilities, training with QA (Microsoft’s training provider) as well as personal development planning and extra stretch projects.

I receive a good level of support from my training provider QA. They are able to provide a range of training sessions to meet our learning requirements. Our personal tutor plans to visit us to check our coursework and provides constructive feedback to develop our business modules further.

I receive a considerable amount of job relevant support from within my immediate team on a day to day basis. Microsoft HR function also organises a number of apprentice meetings and offsite events and QA provides all the module related training.

For me personally the salary package sufficiently meets my costs.

Yes definitely there are many great opportunities to get involved outside of work. For example there are charity volunteering opportunities, stretch projects in other departments and sport activities.

Yes

I would strongly recommend a Microsoft Apprenticeship to young people of my age as it offers a fantastic opportunity where as an individual you can be challenged to the best of your ability, enjoy working independently and learn how a successful technology company operates on a daily basis. It’s truly a great place to learn!!

When applying for the programme at Microsoft I would strongly advise that you simply be yourself and showcase your personal skills so that Microsoft can see what you can bring into the business. I would also strongly recommend that you carry out some research on the business before attending an assessment centre.