The 4 Things I Learned as an Intern at Microsoft
By Laila Albalkhi — Software engineering student, research assistant, 2022 3M National Student Fellow, beginner yogi
*Read until the end to see the resume I used to get into Microsoft!
TL;DR
Intro
I spent this past summer as a software engineer intern working for Microsoft on the Rewards team. As a Canada-based remote intern, I spent two months working from home in Windsor, Ontario and the last two months working from the new office in downtown Toronto! To land the job, I applied through LinkedIn and didn’t have any connections to recruiters or current employees at Microsoft beforehand. In this article, I’ll go over the main things I learned from my experience, from applying to Microsoft, preparing for the interview, and the lessons I learned during the internship itself.
The Application
Looking back, the one thing that landed me at Microsoft wasn’t my resume, my interview skills, my connections, or my LinkedIn profile.?
It was the fact that I applied. This might seem intuitive and you may think it goes without saying, but one of the main things that keeps people from reaching their goals is not believing in themselves enough to try.?
At risk of sounding cliché: make sure you don’t reject yourself from opportunities that are within your reach.
During the application process, try to get as many people to look over your resume as possible. You can ask peers in your class, attend resume workshops, or reach out to people on LinkedIn. The more input you receive, the better your resume will become. Keep in mind that each person will have a different perspective on what can be improved, and it’ll be up to you to take the combination of all the advice you receive to see what fits your resume bits.
If there’s someone you’re in contact with at the company itself, it’s best to reach out to them for specific tips and advice as well, since they’ll be more familiar with the processes that exist internally and the success criteria that recruiters may look for.
The Interview
My interview process was an HR screening call followed by two final round technical interviews with two different managers. To practice, I used Leetcode premium and focused on the editor’s choice questions for the Microsoft package.
The best advice during an interview: take a deep breath.?
During the first round of my technical interview, I felt myself get anxious and stressed, which impacted my ability to answer the questions and communicate my thought process. By the time I got to the second interview that day, I made sure to take the time to respond, think through my answers, and consciously calm myself down if I began to feel nervous. I was able to carry through in a confident conversation with the manager, who ended up hiring me.
Make sure you understand the concepts, and communicate your thought process. A recruiter isn’t only interested in the right solution, they’re interested in knowing how you approach problems you’re unfamiliar with, and the steps you’ll take to figure it out. Having a confident attitude and a clear mind is the best way to get through an unfamiliar situation. Take everything as a learning experience regardless of the outcome — getting to the interview itself is a huge accomplishment!
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The 4 Things I Learned From My Internship
One moment I was getting onboarded and the next I was wrapping up my project. I never thought four months could fly by so quickly. Throughout my time at Microsoft, I learned 4 key lessons that I’ll be sure to take into my next internship, and lessons that may help you, too!
1. Start documenting anything and everything — right away.
This was probably the biggest lesson I learned in hindsight. When it came time to compile all the resources, files, and procedures for the documentation of my intern project, I found it to be the most time consuming task. Looking back, if I had started documenting from day one, I would have had a much better timeline and process outline of my work, making it easier for me to create documentation — and it would have also helped me create more meaningful performance reflections.
The daily documentation doesn’t even have to be entirely comprehensive or detailed, quick notes of the key accomplishments, obstacles, links, and files you encountered that day will be more than enough. It’ll be impossible to rely entirely on your memory for the 4 months in detail, and at the end you’ll be glad you invested the time as you went along. Filtering through a lot of information is easier than starting entirely from scratch.
2. Don’t wait to be told, ask.
In unfamiliar environments, we tend to be reactive — our actions are based on our response to the things that happen around us. Instead, be proactive in your tasks and approach to problems. Firstly, this requires that you plan ahead and prepare for multiple scenarios. Try to anticipate any issues that might come up, but don’t just stop there. Prepare for the solution to that problem as well — do your research and reach out to any individuals that are particularly responsible for that area. All you need to do is ask: have a specific question and know who the best contact person is. Not only will this show initiative, but it’ll give you a much better understanding of your project.
3. A good software engineer knows how to use Google (or in my case, Bing).
It’s impossible to know everything, so don’t blame yourself when you don’t. Do extra research on the tech stack you’re working on, and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Watch YouTube videos and take advantage of any free courses you have access to. I had to remind myself many times that there is a solution to every problem I face, I just have to find it. Things initially may seem overwhelming and tasks can appear daunting, but and gradually — then suddenly — you’ll be looking back from the finish line. Approach any questions you have with an open mind and a dozen open tabs.
The prerequisite for learning is not knowing, so embrace it and lean into your curiosity.
4. I know it’s cliché, but network with as many people as you can. It works.
I set up dozens of coffee chats with software engineers, managers, cloud architects, mentors, senior partners — you name it. Their answer to my question: “What’s the one piece of advice you would give me as an intern?” — was always the same: meet as many people as you can. Every. Single. Time. It’s no coincidence that this was the most used piece of advice, and now it’s my turn to give you the same.
See someone with a position you want in the future? Send them a calendar invite. Introduced to someone with a similar educational background? Ask them to meet for a coffee chat. Meet someone with a position you could never see yourself in? Still reach out! You will learn so much from the people you meet, and ultimately those surrounding you are the ones with the largest impact on your internship experience.?
You won’t lose anything by sending someone a calendar invite, an email, or a message — the worst that will happen is that you’ll end up reaching out to someone else!
Here’s the resume I used to get into Microsoft!
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