CSR Traineeship at Microsoft
Good day Dear Reader. My name is Adam. I have been involved in AIESEC for almost 7 years. In Feb 2005 I completed my 6 months traineeship at Microsoft, where I worked on Community Affairs (also known as CSR).
CSR in Poland - where I come from - is still a very new topic, but finally it gets into minds of wider public. Few years ago, when I became interested in it, it was almost complete terra incognita there. I guess AIESEC contributed very significantly to development of this idea in Poland. Why? If you take a look at who are the most respected and active people in field of Corporate Responsibility in Poland - in many (if not most) cases they are former AIESEC members…
My CSR adventure also started in AIESEC. The more I learned about it, the more I felt this is what will be among critical success factors of the XXI century organizations - whether companies or NGOs. I was lucky enough to be able to combine my theoretical knowledge with real-life implementation and impact. While still studying I developed and implemented a CSR program for a small Polish training company. Now, after 3 years, with some changes, it still works. CSR was also the topic I selected for my graduation thesis.
After the graduation, I spent 1 year in the national committee of AIESEC in Sri Lanka as Director of Integrated Learning. Among my responsibilities was the EmployableYou project funded by HSBC, aiming to develop employability skills of university graduates. The program was part of the bank's CSR strategy. It was a great adventure to see the CSR activities from perspective of a multinational company and its local and very specific impact.
My AIESEC experience wouldn't have been complete if I were not to go for a traineeship. My top priority focus was - obviously - CSR. I also knew how limited number of such offers was available. Certain beautiful morning I saw an e-mail with a traineeship offer from Microsoft. If I were to write a description by myself, it wouldn't have been any different. That was THE traineeship. I applied and… I was selected. In August 2004 I came to Munich, Germany, where I worked on Community Affairs at Microsoft's East European Headquarters, which overlooks operations of 17 subsidiaries delivering services in 24 countries.
My first task was to help with CSR simulation conducted during… AIESEC's International Congress in Hannover. It was actually the first day of my traineeship - you can say a perfect transition from AIESEC to Microsoft.
My traineeship was focused on Microsoft's Unlimited Potential program, which supports NGOs all over the world, providing ICT (Information & Communication Technology) training to underserved communities. My job description was focused on supporting people who are in charge of Community Affairs in their respective countries. The support varied from simple e-mails exchange and phone calls to personal visits and on-the-spot support. I also worked on Employee Involvement and other CSR-related tasks. The most important part of my traineeship was that I was given a lot of initiative and responsibility, thus I could feel the impact of what I was making.
My AIESEC experience, academic efforts and practical insight into CSR from a perspective of small and multinational companies gave me a lot to think and reflect about. First of all I believe that any organization should incorporate CSR in their everyday activities. Whether NGO or company, whether small, local or multinational - they all need to understand CSR and be responsible in tailor-made way to the local environment and conditions. Secondly - CSR is about sustainable contribution and impact, not a single-event marketing opportunity. And thirdly - there is still a HUGE space and need for CSR development and implementation. AIESEC can contribute by educating young people on this topic and by partnering with organizations on their existing or development of new initiatives.
2 interesting links:Microsoft's Unlimited Potential: www.microsoft.com/unlimitedpotential
EmployableYou (HSBC + University of Colombo + AIESEC in Sri Lanka) project: www.hsbc.lk/lk/aboutus/communit/
CSR in Poland - where I come from - is still a very new topic, but finally it gets into minds of wider public. Few years ago, when I became interested in it, it was almost complete terra incognita there. I guess AIESEC contributed very significantly to development of this idea in Poland. Why? If you take a look at who are the most respected and active people in field of Corporate Responsibility in Poland - in many (if not most) cases they are former AIESEC members…
My CSR adventure also started in AIESEC. The more I learned about it, the more I felt this is what will be among critical success factors of the XXI century organizations - whether companies or NGOs. I was lucky enough to be able to combine my theoretical knowledge with real-life implementation and impact. While still studying I developed and implemented a CSR program for a small Polish training company. Now, after 3 years, with some changes, it still works. CSR was also the topic I selected for my graduation thesis.
After the graduation, I spent 1 year in the national committee of AIESEC in Sri Lanka as Director of Integrated Learning. Among my responsibilities was the EmployableYou project funded by HSBC, aiming to develop employability skills of university graduates. The program was part of the bank's CSR strategy. It was a great adventure to see the CSR activities from perspective of a multinational company and its local and very specific impact.
My AIESEC experience wouldn't have been complete if I were not to go for a traineeship. My top priority focus was - obviously - CSR. I also knew how limited number of such offers was available. Certain beautiful morning I saw an e-mail with a traineeship offer from Microsoft. If I were to write a description by myself, it wouldn't have been any different. That was THE traineeship. I applied and… I was selected. In August 2004 I came to Munich, Germany, where I worked on Community Affairs at Microsoft's East European Headquarters, which overlooks operations of 17 subsidiaries delivering services in 24 countries.
My first task was to help with CSR simulation conducted during… AIESEC's International Congress in Hannover. It was actually the first day of my traineeship - you can say a perfect transition from AIESEC to Microsoft.
My traineeship was focused on Microsoft's Unlimited Potential program, which supports NGOs all over the world, providing ICT (Information & Communication Technology) training to underserved communities. My job description was focused on supporting people who are in charge of Community Affairs in their respective countries. The support varied from simple e-mails exchange and phone calls to personal visits and on-the-spot support. I also worked on Employee Involvement and other CSR-related tasks. The most important part of my traineeship was that I was given a lot of initiative and responsibility, thus I could feel the impact of what I was making.
My AIESEC experience, academic efforts and practical insight into CSR from a perspective of small and multinational companies gave me a lot to think and reflect about. First of all I believe that any organization should incorporate CSR in their everyday activities. Whether NGO or company, whether small, local or multinational - they all need to understand CSR and be responsible in tailor-made way to the local environment and conditions. Secondly - CSR is about sustainable contribution and impact, not a single-event marketing opportunity. And thirdly - there is still a HUGE space and need for CSR development and implementation. AIESEC can contribute by educating young people on this topic and by partnering with organizations on their existing or development of new initiatives.
2 interesting links:Microsoft's Unlimited Potential: www.microsoft.com/unlimitedpotential
EmployableYou (HSBC + University of Colombo + AIESEC in Sri Lanka) project: www.hsbc.lk/lk/aboutus/communit/
posted by AdamG at 1:22 PM
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