By Gretchen Ledgard

You may have noticed we here on the JobsBlog team have been signing our posts again on the blog, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn lately. (Hope you are following us over on those other sites, too!) It’s the same team behind the posts, but we’re hoping putting a name to our posts will help you get to know us that much better. Yes, we are real people behind this blog.

So who is the JobsBlog team? If you’ve been following us for a while (almost 8 years for some of you!), you probably know us all too well. In addition to our amazing recruiters such as Eugenia, Kenji, Jason and Anne who offer advice on getting a job and managing your career in the tech industry, the rest of the gang includes:

Zoe Goldring, Managing Editor: Zoe was one of the original founders of JobsBlog, and she makes sure everything runs smoothly on the blog and our related social media channels every day. Ever well-connected and an anthropologist by training, Zoe is our go-to-gal to find the amazing people, places and things we uncover around Microsoft.

Thomas Kohnstamm, Chief Microspotter: Thomas is our reporter in the field. A seasoned writer, journalist and ski enthusiast, Thomas lets us tag along as he explores the geek culture of the ‘Soft.

Ashley Hallenbeck, Recruiting Concierge: If you interview in Redmond and Building 111, chances are you’ll meet Ashley in person. But before you get here, Ashley is your ambassador to learn more about the company and how we work. If you’ve ever asked a question to us on Facebook or Twitter, it was probably Ashley who answered you.

Gretchen Ledgard, Editor-in-Chief: And then there’s me. Like Zoe, I’m also a founder of the blog and have been working at the intersection of social media and recruiting ever since. I was the classic yearbook editor geek in high school and college ... and I still get to do it here!

Now that you we’ve re-introduced ourselves, we’d love to get a quick roll-call from you:

Who’s out there, new or long-time reader—and what would you like to see more or less of from the JobsBlog team? Shout out!!

And finally, here’s a quick look at the JobsBlog team … behind the scenes. Zoe even cut off her face in the video to show you just how real we’re keeping it. ;-)
 
 

In a typical day walking down the hall you might meet anyone of these people at Microsoft.  Whether they have been here for two months or nine years, you’ll hear the dedicated engineers in Windows Servicing (AKA Win SE) echo similar sentiments: instant impact, fun, collaboration, customer facing, rewarding, challenging. This is how the folks in Win SE describe what it’s like to work in this team in their own words.

Once you have watched their video, make sure to check out all the OPEN JOBS on their team. Positions are located in Redmond, WA and Hyderabad, India.

- The Jobsbloggers

 By any stretch of the imagination building 4 on our main campus in Redmond is old. It was one of the first buildings occupied by Microsoft when we moved here in 1986. Bill Gates even had his first office here overlooking the pond we now affectionately refer to as Lake Bill. So it only seems natural that it was time for this building to undergo an extensive remodel. And even more fitting that, the very place where Microsoft started off, is now home to our grass roots innovation incubator called The Garage.

Now, thanks to our friends over at Channel 9, you get to have a first-hand video tour of the changes that were made to building 4. What goes into making a building functional, enjoyable and tailor-made for kick starting creativity? John Snavely gives Channel 9’s Nic Fillingham a tour of the transformed workspaces that some ‘Softies now call their home away from home.

If you are interested in opportunities working in building 4 or any of our other locations, make sure to apply for open positions at Microsoft Careers.

There might be the perception out there that Microsoft is a digital fortress that houses dimly lit offices and cubbyholes where zombie employees zone out coding all day while drinking mass quantities of free soda. Nothing could be further from the truth! Well okay we do drink free soda, but we’ve also developed some pretty interesting and aesthetically pleasing work environments that support the creativity of ‘Softies as they work on innovative and technologically diverse products.

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Whether utilizing Azure to ease the devastation caused by floods or collaborating across international borders to make music with Windows Live, people are doing amazing things with Microsoft technology.

Launched in February 2011, Microsoft Next is a competition for our global employees to submit 3-minute videos showing how Microsoft people and technology are helping individuals and communities around the world.

Today, we have the honor of announcing the Top 30 winners of Microsoft Next submissions. See the amazing videos and an introduction from Jean-Philippe Courtois, President of Microsoft International, here.

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‘Softie in Question: Laura Foy

Job Title: Video Production Goddess (aka Senior Technical Evangelist).

Laura, it’s hard to miss you online here at Microsoft and beyond. I’ve seen you in everything from an interview with Craig Mundie about NUI to a Justin Timberlake spoof music video about Xbox. Tell me about your role here.
I host and produce stories about what’s going on with Microsoft and technology. I have a weekly show called Ping!, I share breaking technology news, I talk about Windows Phone 7, make kitsch horror movies, music videos, travel all over the place… you name it. There are so many things going on at Microsoft and so many places to create content that I never have a shortage of ideas or material.

I recently saw the award-winning documentary We Live in Public about internet pioneers and I noticed you in a couple of scenes. Tell me about how you got in on the ground floor of online media.
I had just graduated from NYU. The late 90s .com bubble was in full swing and a friend told me about a job at Pseudo.com. The job was just cataloging tapes and basic stuff like that, but I was bartending at the time, so I was like “sure, I’ll give it a try.”

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I totally just spit free soda all over my screen watching this Channel 10 video. Extra funny? The comment from the dude who doesn't get the joke.