Gretchen Ledgard
Hi, I'm Gretchen Ledgard, founder of JobsBlog ... way back in 2004! My job has changed a lot since then, but I'm still around and working on the site. When I'm not here on the blog, you can probably find me over at http://facebook.com/MicrosoftCareers or http://twitter.com/MicrosoftJobs or soaking in the culture somewhere around our Redmond campus.
In my day job, I work on marketing and PR programs for Microsoft recruiting, especially for the audience most near and dear to my heart: developers, developers, developers. Want to know more? http://www.linkedin.com/in/gretchenledgard
I own an iPhone, iPad and Kindle. I'm addicted to Facebook. And you'll occasionally catch me using Google. I also use and love lots of Microsoft products, like Office, Windows, Windows Live, Xbox, Windows Phone and IE - just to name a few. And, above all else, I believe this is a truly special place to work.
Posts by Gretchen
JobsBlog roll call: Meet our team - and introduce yourself!
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. ;-)
Microsoft employee photographers' book now available
By Gretchen Ledgard
Back in February, we shared the story of Larry Golden and the team behind the homegrown Photographers@Microsoft book, which last year raised $60K for the United Way. When we last talked to him, Larry was just kicking off the planning for Volume 3, and I was excited to see on the Photographers@Microsoft page on Facebook the newest edition is now available! Needing an afternoon walk anyway, I headed over to our company store and just picked up my copy (which I’ll probably also put in our recruiting lobby in case interviewees want to check it out.)The 300+ page collection of images taken by worldwide Microsofties includes a photo description written by the photographer and technical details so you can geek out on how each photograph was taken. And purchases made by eligible Microsoft employees can be matched by the company, with all proceeds going to the United Way Worldwide again this year.
How can you buy? If you're in the Seattle area (employee or not), swing by our company store. Hey, that's a pretty fun trip anyway. Or check it out online at http://www.photographersatmicrosoft.com/
More links!
Fan on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PhotographersAtMicrosoft
Follow on Twitter: http://twitter.com/PhotogsAtMSFT
Our coverage of the 2010 book: http://jobsblog.com/blog/microsoft-photographers-bookGretchen
JobsBlog Rewind: The dreaded “HR Interview” Part 1: The Phone Screen
JobsBlog Rewind: this is one of our most populars posts and was originally written in 2005.
First of all, I hate this term …. “HR Interview.” I hate it when candidates say it. I hate it when Hiring Managers say it. I hate it when Scoble says it. I hate it.
Why, you may ask, do I hate that term so much? Well, besides the fact I despise being called anything HR (I know, I know – I work in HR, so I should get over it), I resent the connotation that comes long with it. And I resent the way people say it … as if it is beneath them or just a silly, meaningless hoop they must jump through. (“Oooh, it was just the HR Interview. I thought you were talking about a real interview!”)
I HATE it! And now I digress … The HR Interview (which I will henceforth refer to as the Core Competency Interview) is the Achilles heel of many a potential job seeker. You’ve submitted a great resume and received a call from a recruiter. Now you must face the next challenge.
Microspotting and JobsBlog: Together at last!
Happy new year to everyone! Hope you are all having a great 2010 so far.
I wanted to share a few changes we've got brewing here at JobsBlog for the new year:
Microspotting and JobsBlog merge: Yes, that's right. Two of your favorite Microsoft blogs are now one. :) Back in the fall (before Ariel, Microspotting's founder, left Microsoft), we decided to bring both blogs together onto one site. Actually, it was Ariel's idea, and I think it's a great one. We know the audiences of Microspotting and the traditional JobsBlog can be a bit different so you'll have the option to read the sections together--or separate.
If you want to read both blogs together, continue visiting our main blog site or main blog feed.
If you just want Microspotting, you can pass go and skip directly to the Microspotting page or Microspotting feed.
Happy birthday to Microsoft Silicon Valley
Happy birthday to our Silicon Valley campus who turned 10 last week. Our largest U.S. campus outside of Redmond, Microsoft Silicon Valley (MSV) is now home to 1300 employees (with 2000 total in the Bay Area) working on products like Mediaroom, Windows Live, Bing, Xbox, Microsoft for Mac, PowerPoint and more. You can find out more about the culture and jobs (yes, we are hiring) at Microsoft Careers: Silicon Valley.
At Microsoft, the doctors come to us
A couple years ago, Jenna wrote about her own experience with Microsoft’s Mobile Medicine benefit. Now, a recent Business Week article tells you a little more about the details—and economics—of our plan: The Return of the House Call.
Life at Microsoft: The truth revealed...again!
A while back, the Channel 9 team revealed what it’s really like to work at Microsoft. Ok, well, maybe not really—but we sure did enjoy it. Now Tina and the gang are back again with new insight:
Pivot: The latest technology from Live Labs
Today at PDC (Microsoft's Professional Developers Conference in LA), our Live Labs team unveiled Pivot, an experimental application that makes it easier (and fun) for people to interact with a massive amount of data in new ways. Right now, Pivot is in a limited technical preview for PDC attendees but check out the video to see this technology in action.
Are you a bug killer? A very special Halloween from Channel 9
Our friends over on the Channel 9 team (as well as all of us here at Microsoft) hope you have a very fun and safe Halloween weekend!
Microsoft Retail Stores: We’re hiring!
You may have heard about our plans to open Microsoft retail stores in cities around the world. Well, I know a lot of you have heard because the JobsBloggers have been getting peppered with questions. :)
We’ve recently announced our first two stores in Scottsdale, AZ and Mission Viejo, CA. And we’re now hiring!