Case study: Microsoft loses an intern, a partner gains an employee

Graduates are trained in several areas of business including marketing, distribution, development, product support, retail, online project management and consulting. The interns are then encouraged to network with partners to leverage career opportunities in the wider IT community through the Partner Linked Program.

Mick Badran, managing director, Breeze Consulting is an advocate of the program, recently hiring Shannon Carey, a graduate who completed the Microsoft Corporate Internship Program.

Badran explained that his previous involvement with the vendor allowed him to see the interns in action.

“We were fortunate enough to hand pick Shannon, as we work closely with Microsoft. It made perfect sense because we knew Shannon, had worked with him and everything just fell into place,” he said.

“I thought, ‘hey, I could really use these guys in the company’, they’re skilled in the Microsoft set, they know what they’re doing. It was a perfect fit,” he added.

The ability to hire someone at a grassroots level who already possessed a valuable skill set was an added bonus, stated Badran. Shannon’s short employment history was therefore not considered a hindrance, rather an indication that he was likely to adapt easily to Breeze’s way of doing business.

“The program allowed us to pick the perfect candidate who we could mould to our unique way of doing things. Senior executives are very capable but do not necessary fit in with company culture,” said Badran.