In my last post I mentioned that we would be touring the globe visiting some of our international development centers. Our first stop: Oslo, Norway. Take a moment to find out more about one of the 'Softies that works at this location and what he works on. Some pretty interesting stuff happens on our campuses around the world!

All the best - Anne

‘Softie in Question: Sveinar Rasmussen
Position at Microsoft: Principal SDE
Group: Search Foundation, IEG
Location: Oslo, Norway

Tell me more about the Microsoft offices in Oslo?
The offices here are nice. Last year (2011), a few areas in the offices here were refurbished. A sip of coffee in the new library is relaxing between the coding sessions – and there is a foosball table too, kicking back with games and consoles. The atmosphere is relaxed but with lively loud discussions sometimes. The cantina food is great with a huge selection of salads plus a hot dish every day. On most Fridays there are plenty of cakes to counter those healthy salads, too! It’s balanced.
 
What is it like to work at Microsoft in one of our subsidiary offices compared to working in the US Headquarters?
Despite its Redmond-centric past, I feel that Microsoft is embracing the subsidiary offices quite well. With extensive use of Lync, the practical difference isn´t huge. Being a subsidiary, I believe we are in on the action. Naturally, we cannot attend the yearly huge company meeting in person - but we do get the luxury of attending these meetings from the comfort of our chair. Another thing that I feel is very heartwarming and respectfully impressive: Redmondians happily suggest Lync outside their working hours. We get the same employee benefits like a fantastic free Windows Phone 7 device... and discounted Kinect sensors and games etc.
 
What was the reason you considered applying to Microsoft?  How did you find out about the specific role you are currently in right now?
I would claim that Microsoft is a company for us engineers. And with the focus on delivering quality software, I feel that one can truly be proud of what Microsoft is doing to stay relevant in the technology sector. The competition is fierce, but we are tenacious. But with certain innovative products in the market now like Office 2010, Windows 7, Xbox360, Kinect, Bing and Windows Phone 7, there is a huge customer base that follows. When you have so many users of our products, the impact of this great engineering playground offers a great place to work building the next version of Office.

I have been writing search engines for over a decade. Microsoft acquired our team here back in 2008. The role I have today is mostly the same as it has been all along - having fun, learning and building a platform to help people with finding stuff they need. Being a principal software engineer for enterprise search is rewarding. I blessed with skilled co-workers here with strong problem solving abilities, expertise in server side development with emphasis on scalability, reliability and security.

Any tips to job seekers around the world interested in relocating to Oslo and working at Microsoft?
Oslo is not a big city, the weather isn’t particularly warm during the Norwegian winters... but the working atmosphere that Microsoft offers, the friendly warm people in our distributed group coupled with the joy of tech = makes my day. Maybe it will do the same for you, too?

Tech companies often talk about the investments we’re putting toward research, development and incubation of new technologies. But there’s more to that story. Once a new technology is developed, how does it find customers?

Our answer: The Incubation Sales team, a team of 200 employees covering all of Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), who work with Microsoft development and technology teams—like Azure, Voice, Mobility, Identity, Bing Maps, Data Warehouse, and Technical Computing—from around the world and company. This team brings incubations to market by engaging potential customers, building partner pipelines and developing a solid selling platform.

As you might imagine, the Incubation team is busy these days, and yes, they’re hiring. We asked the few team members—who live and work in different countries—to share some of their favorite aspects of working for Microsoft and the Incubation Sales Team.

Yvonne, Incubation Sales Manager, Switzerland
“It’s a good environment for people who want to define their own roles. We've a lot of freedom to drive our own ideas. I love to deliver high performance and make an impact. My job allows me to do that.

(Before joining Microsoft,) I was impressed by the company's social engagement. When I was in Germany, the Bill Gates Foundation was the biggest institution fighting malaria in Africa. I wanted to join a company which contributes beyond the day to day work on making profits."

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I've got good news for International job seekers interested in Microsoft software development opportunities, but not ready to relocate Stateside:  we have jobs in the places you live.
 
This is the first in a series to showcase some of our global development centers and development teams. They are working on a wide variety of different technology and products with the team sizes range from big to small. The one thing that they all have in common is that they have huge impact on products that are used around the world.
 
So keep an eye on JobsBlog for my posts over the next months as we go around the world  - meeting the people who build the software we use.

For a listing of all of our development opportunities – visit the below links.  There may not be openings right now in all of these locations, but join the Talent Network and get notified as opportunities become available within your location and technology interests.

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Dear JobsBlog:
I'm Microsoft Certified and interested in a new role, but am not sure where to start. Any suggestions?

-Looking for the Next Step
 

Dear Looking for the Next Step:
We will be hosting a global 24-hour virtual Career Conference on November 18th.  This "Microsoft Certified Career Conference" will focus specially on people in your postion.

There will be an opportunity to meet potential employers, hone your technical knowledge, acquire job-seeking skills, network with fellow professionals and glean career advice from real-life experts in the field including Microsoft representatives - all in real time. 

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Are you interested in new Microsoft openings, but find it difficult to check our Microsoft career site on a daily basis? 

Consider joining Microsoft’s new Talent Network!  It’s an opportunity for job seekers to sign up and receive emails based on their position and location interest. The best part is that there's a feature that allows you to receive these updates in the frequency of your choosing. 

Check it out:  http://bit.ly/9Ppz2e

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For the third consecutive year, Microsoft was voted as Number One on the Top 100 List of Europe’s Best Workplaces. This year, 1,300 European companies participated in the Great Place to Work® Institute’s annual Trust Index© Survey, the largest annual workplace survey in the world. The companies taking part in the study represented 1,619,076 employees.
 
Microsoft was recognized for great, consistent results in Austria (#3 and Best Workplace for females), Belgium (#2 and Best Inspirational Leadership), Denmark (#8 and Best IT Workplace), Finland (#4 and Best Recruiting Practice), France (#1), Germany (#3), Ireland (#1), Italy (#1), Netherlands (#1), Norway (#2), Portugal (#1), Spain (#2), Sweden (#3), Switzerland (#5) and the UK.

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Try a new approach to finding out more about a company and their open positions with... online career events. Regardless of if the event is with Microsoft, other companies or hosted by a third-party recruiting company, online career events are a great way to network and find out more about open opportunities. 

If you are in the job market, it is worth checking out these events since a company will likely host or participate only if they have a larger number of openings within a team or across their company. Online events are still limited in frequency since employers are trying to see if the events a good way to reach talent – but they are definitely gaining in popularity. 

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Hi everyone - It's been a while since I've given you an update about our international recruiting efforts so I wanted to let you know the latest.

For candidates interested in positions outside of the US, we have offices, development centers, product groups, and innovation centers around the world working on exciting projects. This includes internships for university students and entry level sales, marketing, and development roles for recent graduates, all the way up to senior level opportunities in many different roles. 

Right now, I’m recruiting for or will be recruiting very soon for Development Managers, Test Managers, Developers, Developers in Test, and Program Manager positions across Europe in locations such as Copenhagen, London, Oslo, Dublin, and Paris.  My counterparts on the International Recruiting team are also looking for top talent from around the world.

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