Samuel Mortimer, Customer Success Account Manager, Microsoft, Grad Scheme Case Study

Sam Mortimer graduated with a Business Information Systems with a Year in Industry degree. Sam completed an internship at Microsoft as part of his year in industry and really enjoyed the role and the company so decided to apply back for their graduate scheme. Sam works as a Customer Success Account Manager, maintaining strong relationships with a portfolio of customers so that he can help them utilise Microsoft products and services to reach their goals and to realise true value.

How would you describe your job to a friend / family member with no experience of the role / company?

My job as a Customer Success Account Manager is to be the trusted advisor for some of our key customers. I focus on maintaining strong relationships with my portfolio of customers so that I can help them utilise Microsoft products and services to reach their goals and to realise true value.

On a day to day basis, what do you do for your graduate scheme job?

My role varies a lot day to day, and no two days are alike – it’s one of the things I love most about my role!

Typically, a day for me will include meetings with customers to discuss progress on projects underway, any issues they are having, etc. These conversations will also extend internally where I will meet with other Microsoft employees to progress any blockers for projects, align technical resources (such as knowledgeable engineers for support cases), and maintain strong relationships.

I also have a good deal of admin in my role. This can include producing customer success plans where we seek to identify how we can leverage Microsoft products and services to help our customers achieve their goals. The admin could also include lots of emails and Teams messages.

What skills do you / did you require for your job?

My role is more soft skill than technical skill oriented, so I heavily rely on my; communication, planning, empathy, orchestration, prioritisation, and presentation skills on a daily basis. I also utilise my wide but shallow technical skills/knowledge of Microsoft products to ensure that I can understand more technically oriented customer stakeholders.

How did you decide to do a graduate scheme?

I wanted to complete a graduate scheme as I believe it is a great stepping stone for those coming fresh out of University. No matter what company (and of course they vary), graduate schemes provide a great opportunity to get deep into the company, the industry and role, whilst also providing a helping hand and extra attention when you need it.

How did you find your graduate scheme?

I completed an internship at Microsoft as part of my year in industry. I really enjoyed the role and the company so decided to apply back for their graduate scheme, which I was honoured to have been successful in.

Once you started your graduate scheme, what training and activities did it involve?

Microsoft provide lots of training and activities as part of the graduate scheme.

Firstly, I completed three weeks of onboarding training where the graduate cohort was taught most of the things we would need such as the Microsoft values, how to do the job, how the company works, etc.

From there, I have been shadowing other colleagues to learn how they do their jobs, so that I can understand how to be the most effective I can.
Microsoft also provide lots of optional learning such as certifications (exams in technical products/services) as well as the opportunity to become a subject matter expert in a certain area and teach other employees.

What do you think has been the most useful aspect of your graduate scheme to you personally?

I think there are two key elements of the graduate scheme that have been useful for me personally. Firstly, building my soft skills. I have learnt a great amount so far through the scheme which has helped me to grow personally and develop key skills such as communication, planning, and presentation.
Additionally, the scheme has been a really great starting point in terms of experience. The scheme has provided me with great exposure not just within Microsoft but also to our key customers externally which has allowed me to build a solid network which I hope to be able to utilise in the future.

Have there been any challenges with doing a graduate scheme?

When coming into a graduate scheme you can feel very nervous (I certainly did!). Remember that this is totally normal, and it shows that you both care about what you are doing and that you are learning – as we learn the most when outside of our comfort zones.

Additionally, you may feel a sense of imposter syndrome (whereby you think you don’t belong because everyone else is so experienced and better than this than me). Again, this is totally normal and everyone experiences it to a certain degree. You have to remember that you were hired for a reason and you deserve to be there just as much as anyone else!