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. ;-)
21 Comments
Jimmy said:
Hi
I'm your reader for just a few months, since I screwed up my interview at Microsoft UK. Stupid me, I know.
What I would like to see is not just US coverage. I know who could I speak with in US but UK team seems to be quite isolated. Maybe you could bring them along?
Keep posting!
Regards,
Jimmy
Alvin Ashcraft said:
My name's Alvin. I'm a Visual C# MVP, blogger, father of 3 girls, husband and all-around geek/nerd. I am a .NET developer (C# and ASP.NET) at Oracle *gasp* in Conshohocken, PA. If I can ever convince my family to move to Redmond, I will be interviewing with you folks someday.
Thanks for the great insights into life at Microsoft!
sahin siddique said:
GRt Job yar keep it up !! All the best :)
Asim said:
Hi Gretchen Ledgard..
Good to see you guys working behind the scene..
I already follow your linkedin and facebook page. You guys put up nice stuff every now and then. Today's intro video of your team was cool.. Started following the twitter site today.. :)
The links for Facebook and LinkedIn page in the second line of the post don't work. FB page points to microsoft.com/microsoftcareers and LinkedIn has a space at the end. Also the Dear JobsBlog footer link goes to a 404. Hope you guys will fix it.
Keep posting good stuff.
Thanks
Asim
Olaoluwa Ola Adaramola said:
I will like to see more of Career opportunities, the ideal qualities Microsoft look for in candidates and Microsoft resources available for students.
Thank you
Ola.
Jorge Alvarado said:
Hi, I'm a new reader of your blog but I have been a Microsoft Fan since I was a kid! now I'm 25, I'm originally from Honduras but now I'm studying my master degree in Switzerland, and once I graduate probably one of the first things that I'm planning to do is to apply at Microsoft Development Center in Zurich, I have already taken a lot of your advices about how to build a correct CV, highlighting the best that I could offer to Microsoft as an Individual to collaborate on a team. I have been preparing myself, taking Microsoft Certifications to be ready for the next best thing! do you have any idea how to contact Microsoft here at Switzerland? is it through you guys? or should I do it independently? I think it would be great to know about those regional development centers (not only Redmond). Just and idea!
All in all I think this is a great idea to let us now all people interested in working in such a great software company. You never have let me down!
Sean Kearney said:
Looooooooonnnnng time reader (and probably one of the few people to write a song about JobsBlog and not get attacked by a thousand flaming Sharepoint monkeys!)
Long to see that inside view. LOVE to hear inspirational stories (especially ones like our good friend who is living his dream after his Absolutely ASTOUNDING Windows Phone 7 Video)
Keep on doing the great work. And make sure every Nerd is checking out the Jobs Blog Now :)
http://landofsilly.mypodcast.com/2008/08/JobsBlog_Now-134914.html
Sean
MCSE, MCTS, MVP Windows Powershell
Honarary Scripting Guy
Member of the Springboard Technical Experts Program
----- Retired Friday Funny Guy --- ;)
Moumen said:
Hi, I'm Abdelmoumen BOUABDALLAH, a recently graduated computer science student from Algeria, and a future Microsoft employee (SDE) :D This blog was very helpful for me, and I'm trying to help others as well through my blog (http://www.AbdouMoumen.net).
Now I understand what the <AH> in your twitter replies mean ;) thanks for the nice post :)
Patia said:
Hi Gretchen, Zoe, Thomas and Ashley,
I found this post through your LinkedIn page. I like it when there are real people behind the company logos. :-)
I'm a writer, editor, social media and web content manager who's recently applied for a few jobs with Microsoft. I look forward to reading your blog and seeing if I can pick up any tips on getting hired. Thanks!
Darren Kavanagh said:
I'm a definite newbie to your blog. I've no technical/programming qualifications at the moment, but have a definite interest in everything new and wonderful in IT. If you were to recommend an area in IT for somebody to qualify in what would you suggest? Also what do you think the future growth areas for jobs will be?
Look forward to reading more posts from Microsoft Jobs Blog.
Regards
Darren
Roy Chew said:
Hi!
Found the page through LinkedIn, great work there, now we know what's happening behind those walls!
I'm a Consulting Manager in a Singapore-based IT firm, a self-proclaimed nerd that was unfortunately tasked to do a sales job. Recently landed myself in a position, tasked to inject fun, enthusiasm and innovation into the company. Have been a long fan of MS' garage project and you guys (and gals) just proved my belief that an IT company doesn't have to be boring.
Keep up the great work and I hope to be able to work alongside you guys behind those walls in time to come!
Sarah said:
Hello,
I have a recruiting/interviewing question that I have not seen answered. I am wondering if the JobsBlog team has any insights on "Hiring Events" held in Redmond and how these differ from one-on-one interviews. Is it still a second stage interview?
Thanks!
Sarah
Shivani Tiwari said:
hey... am a new follower and is passionate about technology plus is a Microsoft fan . I am a fan of microsoft since I met some of my friends who work there and got to know about it. Nice to see this move .Thanks for providing us the insights of microsoft !
Dagny said:
Hi guys!
I am just another lost soul navigating the MSFT recruitment maze - but a long time reader of this blog, and you guys keep my spirits up! Thank you for that and all the other insights you offer.
Renecia Noeli Rieth said:
Hi everybody
I woul like to enjoy this page., and receive daily job opoortunitys
I always like to help each others
Tks
Renecia
RTS said:
It would be nice there were more examples of "self taught" software engineers who have been hired by Microsoft, and maybe even how they got noticed. Some of us out here have completely given up on ever being hired by your organization.
resume writing said:
It's a full of informatic.Thanks for most valuable information sharing.
Chris west said:
Just wanted to stop in say hi. Im a new follower saw it on twitter.
admin said:
Jimmy - Great feedback - thanks! We're trying to do more global spotlights, and we'll keep working on this.
Alvin - Have you family check out the blog. :) Maybe they will see some great things about Seattle here. We have a few posts about living in Seattle, too. Would more content like that help?
Sahin - Thanks :) <blush>
Asim - Awesome. And thanks for the catch. I will fix those links right now.
Ola - You got it.
Chris - Hi! Glad to have you!
Jorge - The best place for a job and contact in Switzerland is start at http://careers.microsoft.com/careers/en/ch/home.aspx. But also like I mentioned above, we're planning to do a lot more in the coming months to highlight our development centers everywhere. Thanks for your feedback!
Gretchen
Filipe Duarte said:
Hi,
My name is Filipe, I've been reading this blog for a few months (although I remember visiting it several times over the past years). I'm currently getting ready for my interview next week!
This blog has been really helpful! Keep up the good posts!
Regards,
Filipe
admin said:
Thanks to all you dedicated readers and newbies... all great comments!
Sarah - to answer your question, we have two interview styles: individual loop candidates that interview on their own around campus, and interview event candidates that gather as a group in our interview center and cycle through individual interviewers. The interview style is determined by several factors including position, group, timing of interview, and scheduling. Both are second-stage interviews and are equally important.
RTS - thank you for the suggestion, we'll keep it in mind for future posts.
<Ashley>