A Pakistani woman interning at Microsoft’s London office has shared how she secured a placement role at the tech giant, revealing details about the interview process, compensation, and the steps she took to stand out in a highly competitive field.
The conversation was shared in an Instagram video posted by Hamza Chishtie, a US-based Pakistani content creator and Director of Cloud & AI at Microsoft. In the clip, Hamza speaks with Aliza Uppal, a Pakistani woman currently completing a placement year at Microsoft in London.
In the clip, Aliza explained that her internship is part of a structured 12-month placement programme. “Right now I’m doing a placement here at Microsoft, which is a 12-month programme. Before I was about to apply for my placement here, what I did was I did several different internships in the past, so I really stand out. I did around four or five internships in different places,” she said, adding that she studied business analytics during her degree, which helped her develop relevant skills for her current role.
When asked about her role, she said that she is focused on “AI scaling across the UK” and helping people gain the knowledge needed to adopt and use artificial intelligence effectively.
She also shed light on Microsoft’s internship hiring process. Aliza explained that the process varies depending on the role, but for her position, she had to go through three back-to-back interviews.
When asked about compensation, she said that placement students at Microsoft in the UK can earn between £18,000 and £24,000 (around ₹23-30 lakh) annually, depending on the team and role.
Further, Aliza shared what helped her secure the opportunity. She said prior experience played a major role. “Before I was about to apply for my placement here or my internship program, what I did was, I did several different internships in the past,” she said, adding that she had completed 4-5 internships at different organisations before applying to Microsoft.
Social media reactions
The video resonated with many viewers, who praised Aliza’s journey and determination.
“Amazing work! Very inspiring to see talented women excelling in AI,” wrote one user.
“Hearing how real people found their way into a company like Microsoft gives so much hope to everyone still on their journey. Keep sharing these!” commented another.
But not everyone was impressed by the compensation figures. One user wrote, “That’s not a lot of money for London. Placement students easily make £24k, which is equivalent to the minimum wage, really. Microsoft should do better, I guess.”
“£18k to £24k is not a lot of money in London. It depends on her lifestyle…she could easily be spending most of that money on rent in London,” commented another.
