Interns at Microsoft Australia don’t fetch coffee or do the photo copying. They are too busy working on the frontline dealing with clients or working on important projects.

Recruitment manager for Microsoft Australia and New Zealand Andrew Le Lievre says that one of the company’s current marketing campaigns was devised and executed solely by interns.

Named Protégé the project revolves around a competition where the prize is a work experience stint in Microsoft’s marketing department.  
“It involves real marketing campaigns created this year by Australian interns. It has proven so popular that the interns themselves are holding conference calls with other Microsoft teams around the globe,” he says.

The internship program offers students such a sophisticated level of experience that Microsoft rarely needs to recruit for its two-year graduate program as most of the interns are offered those spots.

Microsoft is now on the hunt for its new crop of interns and expects to take university students from the Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia as well as the eastern states.
 
Another unusual aspect of the internship program is that work arrangements can differ for each intern.
 
“Our slogan is ‘working for us can work for you’. For one person that could mean working over a summer break for another working two or three afternoons a week. Another intern might be doing a degree program that allows them to take a semester off and work for credit,” Le Lievre explains.

The recruitment team “reverse market” the successful intern applicants to different business units within Microsoft that can offer quality learning experiences and real work assignments.

CareerOne.com.au recently met two Microsoft interns from Queensland – Bond University business grad Celeste Humphrey who wants to work in HR and Sunshine Coast University communications grad Lisa Jeffrey.

The two are being mentored by a range of senior managers including the boss Patrick Pathinathan, State manager for Queensland, Northern Territory and the Pacific Islands.

“When we advertise a role at Microsoft, we don’t hire just for that single role but for a whole career. That applies to every role from intern to CEO,” explains Pathinathan.

“When we bring someone on board, we are looking two, three, four steps ahead in terms of whether they will potentially have a long term career with us,” Mr Pathinathan says.

“It is very challenging and that’s why we go through a very vigorous interview process and we have been very fortunate to get the kind of candidates that we have.”

Internship application process

University students two years from finishing their degree and those in their penultimate year are eligible to apply up until September.

“We want people who are truly passionate…we are about people who love technology. We don’t have any cut by universities and we don’t have a cut by grades. We don’t think you find the most interesting people by judging on grades or which particular university a person went to,” Le Lievre says.
 
“What we do ask applicants to do is write two paragraphs about why they should be working at Microsoft.”
 
Those shortlisted have a 15 to 20 minute phone chat and the shortlist from there are invited to spend a whole day at an assessment centre with a large group where they play games, take part in team building exercises and discussions.
 
“There is nothing they can do to prepare, which the applicants love after being at uni but which represents a huge effort on our side. It is easy to screen by distinctions and high distinctions but the sort of talent we want you cannot find using traditional recruitment methods,” Le Lievre explains.
 
Microsoft look for “wild talent” in their interns and “that early on you cannot judge people by what they have done at university.”
 
Interns that perform well can then score a two-year “cadetship” that includes being flown to the US to meet the other cadets from around the world. The Australian cadets also take part in a regional “MACH” seminar, which stands for Microsoft Academy for College Hires. The seminar takes place over a week in Singapore. There are other opportunities to travel, shadow members of the senior leadership team and take part in exciting projects.
 
Le Liévre says Microsoft Australia spends about $200,000 on each graduate and most go on to carve long term careers with the company.

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