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shuyao.yang is an intern from the Support Solution Marketing team of the global SAP Maintenance Go-to-Market organization. She was available to provide some insights of her daily work and experience at SAP.
Shuyao, can you please provide some background information about yourself? I was born in a small city in China and grew up in a very lovely family atmosphere. Finished my B.Sc. in Statistics in China; Came to Germany in 2012 to continue my master in Economics. During my stay in Europe, I have spent one year in Germany and half a year in France as an ERASMUS exchange student. Now I have spent another 5 months already at SAP being located in the Munich office.
Why did you select SAP to apply for an internship position and how is it like to work in Germany? I found this internship position via the University Career Service Center during my stay in France. Being aware that they were seeking for people who can assist SAP support related activity and their daily work, I thought my strengths and skills matched the requirements and made me a suitable candidate. Meanwhile, I planned to gain some professional experience before my graduation; a full-time internship was no doubt an ideal option. Before applying for the position, I looked into detail and found out what they offered and what I could do was very attractive and suitable for me. I was confident that my skills learned in University and my international background could make me a qualified intern and ultimately help me contribute to the team.
Working in Germany is a brand new and fantastic experience for me. What impressed me most is that German colleagues are very experienced, supportive and reliable; tasks are clearly assigned and well organized; meetings are held orderly and efficiently; discussions are very open and aim to reach a final decision. What still bothers me is the language. Working in English is fine but German would be definitely beneficial. I still have a long way to go to make my German at least as good as my English.
What have been the key tasks during your internship within the SAP Maintenance Go-To-Market organization? My tasks mainly focus on the indirect channel and social media. I support our team’s daily work, such as creating assets for partners, managing the external partner website, posting videos and blogs.
Apart from the daily work, I have my own project which is to independently plan and drive SAP support rollout activities in Chinese social media channels. I am responsible to select and translate suitable videos and brochures, and promote them via key Chinese social media channels at a certain pace and order. Now the project is running stable and our team will continue the activity. This project is really exciting for me, because it combines my advantage as a Chinese native speaker and Chinese cultural insider with my knowledge and skills learned from University. It also makes me feel thrilled to let more people know about SAP and SAP support services.
What have you enjoyed most working at SAP and what are your key take-aways? I feel that this internship is enjoyable and remarkable in three aspects. Firstly I love my job a lot. My tasks, especially my own project are meaningful and engaging, my advantage and skills can be well leveraged and I gain a sense of contribution and accomplishment. Secondly, I learned a lot from my colleagues. My supervisor is giving me very constructive and supportive guidance whenever I have problems. All the colleagues are very friendly and I can always get new insights or inspiration from each conversation. Last but not the least, with free access to tons of trainings, webinars, and e-learning programs covering all hot topics, there is a tremendous opportunity to learn every day at SAP.
My internship has given me the insights into the professional life in a world leading company, allowing me develop valuable skills that employers look for, such as; attention-to-detail ability, structural thinking, market research, effective presentation skills and the interpersonal communication ability etc. I am excited to see what my experience at SAP will bring to me in the future.
Any tips you may want to provide to future students applying for an job at SAP? I would like to give some advices to future interns based on my experience and perspective. Take notes every day. I have my special notebook and always write down important information during each meeting or training session. It is very helpful to recap the key points later on and also to help me organize the time and tasks well.
Complete tasks without micromanagement. Your supervisor will allow you to fully develop your skills and work on your tasks without checking every step. It is up to you to get the job done and succeed. Self-discipline and sense of duty are very important.
Enhance your communication skills. We had to email, call, and communicate with different people and departments. We attend dinners and meet new colleagues. On all these occasions, it is crucial to communicate in an effective and pleasant way.
Take the opportunity to learn new skills and knowledge. If you are willing to learn about the fast changing IT industry and cutting-edge technology, SAP is the right place.
Overall, I highly recommend students who are interested in doing an internship or seeking for some professional experience to apply and get started at SAP. It will definitely be a rewarding experience and even a lifetime treasure.
If you want to know more about Shuyao’s internship experience within the SAP Maintenance Go-To-Market organization, please watch this short video:
