Geek in question: Steve Kaplan

Job title: Program Manager at Microsoft India Development Center (MSIDC) in Hyderabad.

Other titles: Runner. Marathoner. The fastest engineer at the MSIDC.

Upon shipping CRM 2011, Steve Kaplan sat at his desk at Microsoft headquarters in Redmond pondering his next step. A few months later, he logged in from his new desk at Microsoft’s India Development Center (MSIDC) in Hyderabad.

Although working and living on the other side of the planet, Steve took with him his passion for adventure, technology and hardcore distance running.  He also took a passion to learn from India and his new co-workers.

I spoke with Steve via Lync to find out why he made this move and what makes him tick.

Did you always know you wanted to work for Microsoft?
Growing up, I was always passionate about technology and Microsoft software was always in my house. As a teenager, I read every book by Bill Gates and thought that working at Microsoft sounded cool.

How did you first start working here?
During my junior year at Carnegie Mellon, I did an internship at MSN Money. It was an amazing experience. I got to build real things and ship a real product. I had an offer to come back again as an intern, but instead I went to Salesforce.com for my next summer to work in their Professional Services group. I wanted to try something different while the stakes were still low.

I learned a lot there too, but also decided that I most wanted to build products. Microsoft was and is really one of the best places for a grad to be an engineer, particularly as a PM. You truly learn how to ship large software at scale. Just as McKinsey might be like finishing school for business types, Microsoft is the same for software nerds.

Tell us about your first role at Microsoft and how it led you to India.
I started as a full-time employee in the CRM product group in 2008. I worked on the team for 3 years and got a ton out of the experience – learning, learning, learning. But after 3 years and shipping CRM 2011, I was ready for a change.

Half of our team was based in Hyderabad and after meeting some of the team who were visiting Redmond, I got the idea that I would like to work as an engineer in India.

What was it that drew you to India in particular?
I’ve always been fascinated by India  – it is the world’s largest democracy and has such rich cultural history. At the same time, I was also looking to work outside of my normal comfort zone – as that’s when I have some of the most interesting experiences.

What was the process of getting the job and moving?
I met with the Group Program Manager from Hyderabad while he was in Redmond and interviewed then. He was interested, so I did a field trip to India for two weeks to try to wrap my head around what I was about to do.

I decided to go for it. Microsoft was extremely supportive in terms of logistics. They shipped all of my stuff. I had a stipend for relocation expenses and even a relocation consultant. The consultant helped me to get the lay of the land, including a car, apartment and a driver. Incredibly, this made it possible for me to be in the office and getting stuff done on day one.

How does working at MSIDC compare to working in Redmond?
As someone who grew up in the US, there is so much wild stuff happening here in India that work is actually the most familiar thing to me. From the physical campus to the work culture, it is very similar to Redmond. Specifically at MSIDC, it is amazing to see the deep engineering contribution teams are making to several Microsoft products from CRM to Office to Bing. MSIDC is truly a key location in Microsoft’s global shared development strategy.

And you’ve continued your outside-of-work interests in India too?
Running has always been a passion of mine and I’ve brought that with me, even to India. I’ve been training five to six days a week. I recently ran the Hyderabad Marathon, traveled to Berlin for another and am now competing in all of the major distance races in India. I just completed the Mumbai Marathon this past weekend and finished 6th in the open race.

Since I’ve been in India, I’ve met a lot of local runners online. And through them I’ve figured out times and places to run. It is important to go early in the morning here before it gets too hot and the streets get too crowded or noisy.  This actually forces me to be much more disciplined about my running and I have to say that I think I am in the best running shape of my life.

Do you meet other North Americans who have moved to India to work in tech?
I’m surprised that there aren’t more young people doing something like this, especially considering all that is happening in India. I think this is really an amazing opportunity.

What’s next?
China? Maybe.  I love that I can work in different countries and get these experiences all within Microsoft while still being focused on building the best products.

 

Inspired by Steve's story? Here are the top engineering positions open at MSIDC. Take a look. You might be suprised at what you find!

Group Program Manager, Microsoft Office Division 

Principal Test Manager, Microsoft Office Division
 
User Experience Manager, Microsoft Office Division

User Experience Designer, Bing 

Test Manager, Online Services Division  

Senior Test Lead, Windows 

Senior Development Lead, Microsoft Business Solutions 

Partner Director SDE, Server & Tools Business

Partner Development Manager, Server & Tools Business 

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. I'm looking forward to sharing the interviews and pictures from these places 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. Our first stop next week will be in Oslo, Norway.
 
In the meantime, 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.
 

Canada:  Click Here
China:  Click Here
Europe:  Click Here
India:  Click Here
Israel:  Click Here
Japan:  Click Here
For all other positions and locations:  Click Here
 
Thanks all – hope this helps you find that job you’ve been looking for….it is possibly closer to home then you thought!
 
-Anne

The end of the year is a blur of traditions, predictions, champagne, diet resolutions, family time and, of course, annual “best of” lists for everything and anything you can imagine.

As we don’t want to be left out in the cold, we’ve compiled a list of the Top Ten Microspotting profiles featured on JobsBlog in 2011. With one twist; our list goes to eleven.

This year, we interviewed lone employees who pioneered roles as female developers and employees overcoming challenges. We also got to know groups like Microsoft’s a cappella choir and couples who found love at the company. We met those who are exploring the frontiers of technology and others who are educating the next generation of tech innovators. And, of course, we sniffed out the unexpected from the former NFL prospect who went pro at Microsoft to the employee who moonlights as the mascot for the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks (and uses the position to raise money to fight multiple sclerosis).

Without further fanfare, here is the list of our favorite Microspotting stories from 2011. The stories are not ranked in any particular order, but all are sure to inspire.

1. Ben Martens, North America’s most ambitious ski bum

2. Our Valentine’s Day tribute to love found at Microsoft

3. Janet Galore, explaining the future of technology

4. Ryan Asdourian, Microsoft’s #1 Seahawks fan and superhero fundraiser

5. Ed Donahue & Ashley Myers, two-time Imagine Cup finalists and Microsoft co-workers

6. Sue Loh, inspiring future coders through retro gaming

7. Betsy Speare, blazing trails and building community for female developers

8. Jenny Lay Flurrie, embracing disability, finding success and helping others do the same

9. Boris Erickson, Xbox LIVE’s Enforcement Unicorn Ninja (yes, you read that correctly)

10. Albert Rocker, former NFL prospect goes pro at Microsoft

11. The BaudBoys, Microsoft’s Kings of Geek-A-Cappella

By Thomas Kohnstamm

Geek in question: André Alfred
Job title: IT/OPS Program Manager, Global Foundation Services, part of the Online Services Division

This fall, Microsoft hired a 30-year-old engineer from Lafayette, Louisiana, named André Alfred. In spite of his relatively young age, André has a deeper resume than many middle-aged professionals. This is due to the fact that André started working in tech at the fresh age of 16 and built a remarkable career on his own terms.

While André was interviewing at Microsoft, he emailed his recruiter to say, “You know 14 years ago I was featured on Microsoft's TechNet as ‘Web Doer of the Month,’ and just this weekend I found the print-outs as I was clearing out some shelves... Fate?”

I think that it is fate. (Check out André’s 1997 interview here.)

Microsoft acknowledged André for his talent and drive at a young age. He spent the first part of his career exploring the technology industry and learning its various facets, but now he’s come around to the place where he can create his long-term career and push his talent and drive to their limits.

I recently checked in with André at his new Redmond office to find out about his journey from a prodigy recognized by Microsoft to a Program Manager at Microsoft. I was also fortunate to be there when he got the good news that he and his family had just closed on their first house in the Seattle-area.

How did you become so interested in technology?
My dad brought home a Tandy when I was just 5 years old. Originally, we were both really into playing games on it. But then my interest just grew and grew. I started taking the computer apart, swapping boards and RAM and driving my dad crazy by breaking and rebuilding everything.

I bet that got in the way of his gaming.
For sure. And when I was 16, my dad told me that I needed to get a job or start cutting the lawn. We lived on three-and-a-half acres; which is no joke to mow in the Louisiana sun. So, I applied for a job at the helpdesk of a local ISP.

That’s when Microsoft recognized you a “Web Doer of the Month?”
Yeah, I was only getting minimum wage, which was something like $4.75 an hour at the time, so I also starting running my own web consulting business on the side. I won first place in Desktop Publishing at the Future Business Leaders of America Conference and then Microsoft got in touch about an interview for TechNet.

And you went to college after that?
I’m actually still working on my degree. Slowly, but surely.I guess I was very fortunate in that I always knew what I wanted to do. I started at that ISP and soon I was training in Cisco systems and next I had engineering, IT manager and PM jobs at Lucent and Aggreko.

Eventually, I married my wife, relocated to Richmond, Virginia, and went to work for Capital One. That’s when a Microsoft recruiter “re-discovered” me on LinkedIn.

Did you think that you would ever work at Microsoft?
I was definitely always interested as I am a tech geek at heart and, whether they admit it or not, every tech geek dreams of working at Microsoft at some point.

Plus, I like working with other people who are kinda nerdy. At other companies, I was “the engineer” or “IT guy,” but this is a whole company full of people like me.

I can talk about gaming or code with just about anybody in the hall here.

You’ve had a very entrepreneurial career. Did you have reservations about working for a large tech company?
Honestly, I maxed-out in some of my earlier jobs. I don’t consider myself to be a job hopper so I wanted a place that would really give me the potential to grow and move in the next stages of my career – and at Microsoft there is no limit.

If anything, the idea of supporting so many customers is a little intimidating, but – at the same time – it’s a very exciting challenge.

Congratulations on the new house. Was it hard to move to the Northwest considering you have such deep roots in Louisiana?
Now that I am married and have two kids, Microsoft’s benefits and relocation were very attractive for my family. The company couldn’t have handled the move any better. And it also helps that my wife is always up for an adventure.

So, what’s next in the adventures of André Alfred?
My job is to deliver major initiatives across teams that have many different skills. So, right now, I’m looking forward to heading to Tallinn, Estonia, to integrate the Skype team into Microsoft.

By Thomas Kohnstamm

What do Tom Selleck, truckers and scores of Microsoft employees around the world have in common?  At least for the month of November, it happens to be mustaches.

And when I say that these Microsoft employees have mustaches, I don’t mean simple hairs sprouting out from under their noses. I mean money-raising, cancer-fighting magic mustaches.

OK, so what the heck am I talking about?

It’s called Movember. And Microsoft’s Movember “Captains” Darshan Bavaria, a software engineer in Office, and Matt Bielich, a software engineer in Xbox, explain that this month-long mustache-growing fundraiser “is the biggest global grassroots campaign for men’s health in recent memory.”

Movember was founded by a handful of Australian “Mo Bros” in the early 2000s (the name is a mashup of “mo,” Aussie slang for mustache, and the month of November). It started in response to the fact that 1 in 2 men will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime and though rates of prostate cancer are comparable to rates of breast cancer in women, fundraising for men’s health is infinitesimally smaller.

Darshan says, “Most men are uncomfortable talking about their health in the first place and more so about issues like prostate and testicular cancer.” He sees Movember as the antidote to men’s refusal to confront these issues in that, “You need to have a sense of humor to do Movember and, obviously, humor is a great way to get people to address difficult issues.”

Matt seconds the point, “Growing a mustache can be a bit humiliating – in a good way. If people have always known you to be clean-shaven, a mustache is the ultimate conversation starter. And if that conversation helps raise money for men’s health, then all the better.”

Movember mustaches started to creep onto the upper lips of ‘Softies in the last few years. While past organizers did a commendable job of getting the ball rolling, the Movember effort remained fragmented among a number of different Microsoft teams.

And then Darshan and Matt got involved.

These hirsute heroes became the brains behind the mustaches at Microsoft. Their streamlined effort built a company-wide Microsoft Movember that has raised over $82,000 this November. Matt adds, “And the greatest thing about doing Movember at Microsoft is that the company matches donations of $25 or more from employees, so we end up doubling much of the fundraising dollars.”

Darshan and Matt successfully spread the word through our internal OfficeTalk application, external social media sites and homemade posters around campus. They also increased participation by offering a series of facial hair awards and by sticking adhesive mustaches on the bathroom mirrors.

Darshan says, “We send a weekly newsletter with tips of the week on how to improve your mustache and how to perfect your fundraising like letting the highest bidder name your mustache or you can make the process interactive and let people bid on your mustache style.” Matt chimes in, “My mustache was named Sir Reginald von Burlington IV.”

Both Matt and Darshan have been impressed by the global breadth of Microsoft’s participation in this year’s Movember.

Matt says, “We have Mo Bros at a variety of offices like Microsoft Ireland and Canada, but there’s also been support from a surprising variety of businesses within the company. For example, the guys at the Microsoft Store in Mission Viejo, California have come through big and they don’t get to hide in an office all day. They have to wear their mustache with pride while speaking with customers.”

Women (affectionately called Mo Sistas) can also get involved in Movember through fundraising, event hosting and generally being tolerant of their partner’s and friends’ facial fuzz.

Matt and Darshan already have their sights on Movember 2012. Darshan says, “Next year we have even bigger plans with a more elaborate kickoff party and we want to get people to pre-pledge because, otherwise, we are faced with November fundraising right after the end of the October Microsoft Giving campaign.”

Matt smoothes back the corners of his glossy ‘stache and philosophizes, “Movember is also a great bonding event for employees. It’s a chance for us to come together beyond our work roles and do something good. That and, obviously, we want to raise more money than Google.”

UPDATE: 546 people from Microsoft office around the world participated to raise over $100,000 for Movember this year. You can view a special message from Movember Executive Director and CEO, Adam Garone here.

Recently Microsoft ran an employee competition challenging 'Softies to create a short film showing why they loved working here. A really short film. I mean 10 seconds short. That's not a lot of time to convey a lot of information, but these three contestants managed to do it and do it well. These winners are from the US and we are waiting eagerly for the International winners to be announced. Until then we hope you enjoy these three short Microfilms!

Cheers,
Zoe

Jordan Naftolin: What I Like About Microsoft Song

Hal Zucati: My Microsoft

Robert Deupree: Culture of Focus

By Thomas Kohnstamm

Anybody out there know what a “baud” is?

If you know, you’re a geek and – congratulations – you’ve found your way to the right blog. If you don’t know, I’ll clue you in (I myself had to consult an old friend named Wikipedia). A baud is… a unit used to measure modem speed. Obviously.

It also happens to be the name of Microsoft’s prize-winning a cappella group, The Baudboys. But why would an a cappella group with a growing reputation and two regional titles name themselves after something so anachronistic and obscure?

The first part of the answer is that The Baudboys are a venerable Microsoft institution, dating all the way back to 1988. That’s when Microsoft released Windows 2.1, Mike Dukakis was a presidential candidate and modems were still an essential piece of hardware. (Doesn’t seem like that long ago, but twenty-three years is like 160 years in the tech industry.)

The second part of the answer is that The Baudboys were born out of Microsoft’s culture like Athena sprung from Zeus’ head or Spock was born to Sarek and Amanda Grayson. The Baudboys’ Music Director Elliot Lewis explains, “We have a very Microsoft kind of drive. We tend to be very detail-oriented, precise and focused on getting all of the music and choreography just right.”

And according to The Baudboys’ President Jonathan Schwartz, “We’re not just a cappella, we’re Geek A Cappella. It’s part of our routine, our sense of humor and what we sing about.”

The Baudboys are an eight-man group comprised of Microsofties and former employees.  They’ve won the Pacific Northwest Harmony Sweepstakes twice (and the Audience Favorite award twice), released an album, opened for multiple-Grammy award winning music legends Take 6 and Manhattan Transfer and generally seem to be on the path towards world domination.

According to Jonathan, “The Baudboys were formed by four guys who split out of a larger Microsoft choir called the Microtones. They wanted to be a barbershop quartet.”

It was pretty informal at first, but many of the singers came from an intense college a cappella background and yearned to continue to push their boundaries as singers. The Baudboys grew to eight members and set about becoming a serious outfit.

Elliot, who sang a cappella at Yale, points out, “Singing in college requires a time dedication similar to playing a varsity sport. It’s easily 20 to 25 hours per week with rehearsals and recording.”

Like many of The Baudboys, when both Elliot and Jonathan started their careers, they found themselves missing the music and camaraderie that comes with being part of an a cappella group. 
Then they discovered The Baudboys.

Elliot elaborates, “Being part of The Baudboys is another thing that makes Microsoft life much like life on a college campus. People here are passionate about their work, passionate about their hobbies and passionate about helping others. Beyond a cappella, there are a lot of other activities like theater, bands, sports teams and a variety of social groups that all foster collegiality and make a big difference in employees’ quality of life.”

These days, The Baudboys have a scheduled practice every Thursday in a conference room (strategically located to not share any walls with someone’s office) on the Redmond campus. As a 501c3 non-profit, they do a lot of volunteer shows for organizations like the King County Library System, local schools and retirement communities.

In 2009, The Baudboys released their first album Hello World which leads off with a fantastic cover of The Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Aeroplane and continues through ten more great tracks including their take on The Police’s Every Little Thing She Does is Magic.

Geek A Cappella is serious business and during the ramp up to a show or when putting the finishing touches on an album, “being a Baud” requires a lot of dedication. But it is all worth it.

Jonathan says, “It’s just fun to get up there and delight people, whether it is a bunch of school kids or a concert for a thousand. All of the planning and hard work pays off when you see an excited audience.”

Elliot believes that singing with The Baudboys both dovetails with aspects of his work and fulfills other aspects of his personality that he doesn’t experience at work. He notes, “There’s known crossover between mathematics, logic and music. That said, I work in Customer Relationship Management, so a cappella rehearsal can be the right shift of gears that I need at the end of the work day to reenergize myself.”

The Baudboys are on a roll with more shows, more competitions and more albums on the horizon. When they recently held an audition to fill two open spots in the group, some fifteen experienced singers showed up to try out.

Not bad for a group named after modem speed. But, considering, that Jonathan sang for The Krokodiloes at Harvard and Elliot was part of The Whiffenpoofs at Yale, maybe the name Baudboys actually does make some sense.

Though we can give you a taste of The Baudboys in this article, there is nothing like a performance to really get you hooked. Watch as they perform George Michael's Freedom:

Want more of The Baudboys? Here are are a few definitive links to get you started down the road to Geek A Capella fandom:
The Baudboys site: http://www.baudboys.com/
The Baudboys on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Baudboys/13854478185
NEW ALBUM Hello World on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Hello-World-Baudboys/dp/B002G3RV2O/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1315429631&sr=1-1