Sandeep Sood
My name is Sandeep Sood and I support staffing needs for Microsoft's Server & Tools division. I’ve been recruiting at Microsoft since 2008 and firmly believe that the future is Cloud Computing.
I was born and raised in the Himalayan terrains of India, went to school in Bangalore to receive my bachelors in Computer Science engineering and started my career as a network engineer. However, I soon discovered that my real passion was in “matchmaking.”
Prior to Microsoft, I recruited for top technology companies in Silicon Valley & I can tell you that the Microsoft recruiting process is the best in the world - just like our benefits :)
Posts by Sandeep
Cloud computing talent: Where do I grow from here? (Part 5 of 5)
Have you been wondering what cloud computing roles we have here at Microsoft? Or how we evaluate cloud computing talent? If so, this is the series for you.Make sure to take a look at the full series:
Part 1: Cloud computing talent: What is it?
Part 2: Cloud computing talent: Who is it?
Part 3: Cloud computing talent: What do we look for?
Part 4: Cloud computing talent: What if no cloud?Thank you to Chandra Prasad for his insight throughout this series and to Yunus Mohammed for his assistance on Part 2.
Today, we finish up with the peerless Chandra Prasad on Part 5, "Cloud computing talent: Where do I go from here?"
What are the career opportunities you see for cloud computing talent in the years to come?
We believe that we are just in the beginning of the paradigm shift towards the cloud. It is really an exciting time since this kind of a transformation happens infrequently.Cloud computing talent: What if no cloud experience? (Part 4 of 5)
Have you been wondering what cloud computing roles we have here at Microsoft? Or how we evaluate cloud computing talent? If so, this is the series for you.In Part I, we discussed "Cloud computing talent: What is it?" with Microsoft's Chandra Prasad, one of the world's foremost authorities on cloud computing. In Part II, we looked at "Cloud computing talent: Who is it?" with Chandra and Yunus Mohammed, the Dev Manager with Windows Azure team. Part III was "Cloud Computing Talent: What do we look for?" again with Chandra.
Today, we'll consider Part IV "Cloud computing talent: What if no cloud experience?
Cloud Computing is relatively new, so we have a smaller pool of candidates with direct cloud experience in the industry or at the university level. Please clarify: what are the other skills we look for in the absence of direct cloud experience?
Cloud computing talent: What do we look for? (Part 3 of 5)
Have you been wondering what cloud computing roles we have here at Microsoft? Or how we evaluate cloud computing talent? If so, this is the series for you.In Part I, we discussed "Cloud computing talent: What is it?" with Microsoft's Chandra Prasad, one of the world's foremost authorities on cloud computing. In Part 2, we looked at "Cloud computing talent: Who is it?" with Chandra and Yunus Mohammed, the Dev Manager with Windows Azure team.
Today, we're going to examine "Cloud Computing Talent: What do we look for?" - again with Chandra.
What are the core skills we look for in a person with cloud computing related experience?
First and foremost, we are still looking for the basic core competencies and great software engineering skills that we would look for in any other position. We still expect that they are solid software engineers, have good customer focus, have great communication skills, and can collaborate and make the team around them better.Cloud computing talent: Who is it? (Part 2 of 5)
Have you been wondering what cloud computing roles we have here at Microsoft? Or how we evaluate cloud computing talent? If so, this is the series for you.In Part I, we discussed "Cloud computing talent: What is it?" with Microsoft's Chandra Prasad, one of the world's foremost authorities on cloud computing.
Today we follow up with Chandra for Part 2 of our series "Cloud computing talent: Who is it?"
Yunus Mohammed, the Dev Manager with Windows Azure team, assisted with the answer.
Who qualifies as someone who has cloud computing experience?
Cloud computing talent: What is it? (Part 1 of 5)
After the positive response to my earlier JobsBlog interview with Chandra Prasad, I decided to do a full series of interviews with him about the nature of cloud computing talent.Chandra is the Development Manager in the Distributed Application Server group in the Business Platform Division, which is a long way of saying that he is one of the world's foremost authorities on cloud computing.
Have you been wondering what cloud computing roles we have here at Microsoft? Or how we evaluate cloud computing talent? If so, this is the series for you.
For Part 1 "Cloud computing talent: What is it?", I asked Chandra, "What is the definition of cloud computing talent?"
Read on for Chandra's answer...
Are you a good fit for Microsoft? Show us (Part III of III)
Dear JobsBlog:
I'm gearing up for an interview with Microsoft. I’m prepared for the technical questions, but want to know what non-technical "soft skills" I should focus on in my interview. Any suggestions?-Covering All My Bases
Dear Covering All My Bases:
In Part I of my answer, I explained The Three P’s of Microsoft: Passion, Potential and People and I focused specifically on how to convey "Passion" during the hiring process. In Part II, I discussed "Potential.Today, in my final part of this series, I will talk about "People."
Are you a good fit for Microsoft? Show us (Part II of III)
Dear JobsBlog:
I'm gearing up for an interview with Microsoft. I’m prepared for the technical questions, but want to know what non-technical "soft skills" I should focus on in my interview. Any suggestions?-Covering All My Bases
Dear Covering All My Bases:
In Part I of my answer, I explained The Three P’s of Microsoft: Passion, Potential and People and I focused specifically on how to convey "Passion" during the hiring process.Today, I want to continue the conversation and discuss "Potential."
Are you a good fit for Microsoft? Show us (Part I of III)
Dear JobsBlog:
I'm gearing up for an interview with Microsoft. I’m prepared for the technical questions, but want to know what non-technical "soft skills" I should focus on in my interview. Any suggestions?-Covering All My Bases
Dear Covering All My Bases:
Over the years, I’ve received many variations of this question from job candidates.I like to think of the answer in terms of The Three P’s of Microsoft: Passion, Potential and People. Hiring teams try to identify these “soft skills” along with the core skills required for the role. Understanding the Three Ps helps candidates make their best case during the interview process to get a “hire recommendation” from the hiring team.
Today, I’ll explain the First P – Passion – and I will follow up on Potential and People in the coming days:
Even in the Cloud, a good manager is essential
‘Softie in question: Chandra PrasadJob title: Development Manager in the Distributed Application Server group in the Business Platform Division
Chandra on the forefront of the Cloud. He works on the AppFabric Foundation on Windows Server and Windows Azure. In simple terms, Chandra oversees the development of some of the most cutting-edge technology in the world. That said, he believes that even in the most advanced of work environments, there is great value in a reliable manager.
Chandra, how did a manager affect your success at Microsoft?
I joined Microsoft as an industry hire with 15+ years of industry experience. While this experience was was relevant, it was even more important that I contextualized this experience to Microsoft. The manager who hired me into Microsoft played a crucial role in helping me fit my past experience into my new position at Microsoft, providing me with the right set of opportunities to showcase my strengths and establish credibility on the team. He helped me to build connections and networks that served me well.