Microsoft Hiring Update

Posted Jan 22 2009 1:24 PM by Gretchen Ledgard

GretchenAs you’ve probably seen in the headlines today, there are changes happening at Microsoft including some job eliminations. 

In case you are wondering … Yes, Microsoft is still hiring with a focus on our most important business priorities and areas of opportunity and growth.  We continually update our careers website to reflect the most current available jobs.

If you are currently working with a Microsoft recruiter, please feel free to contact your recruiter to get a status update. College students, you can also contact your school’s Microsoft recruiter with questions.

Gretchen

32 Comments

  • Michael said:

    Hi Sir / Madame,

    What happens with the people that has been invited for Microsoft Interview?

    I've noticed that many of these interviews has been placed on hold.

    Regards

    Michael.

  • jobsblog said:

    Hi Michael - Recruiters are contacting active interview candidates this week - but if you have interviews scheduled, feel free to contact your recruiter to check on your individual status.

    Gretchen

  • Hasan said:

    Hi Gretchen

    I was put on hold after passing a phone technical screening for a dev post last november, I was even sent the e-tickets and the hotel reservation for the in-person interview, and then I was told by my recruiter "To be clear, you will not need to block time for the interviews since this event will not be happening in November as expected." Please advise, as I really was so enthusiastic about this opportunity. Thanks in advance

  • jobsblog said:

    Hi Hasan - My advice is the same as above. You'll need to contact your recruiter directly for a status.

    Our recruiters are fielding lots of inquiries this week so please be patient if you don't hear back immediately.

    Gretchen

  • TJ said:

    Would this have any impact on "international" hiring?

    I'm growing a bit concerned since I haven't heard back after applying two months ago.

    I know you receive a very large volume of applications but two months does still seem

    a bit long. Is the recession impacting applications from overseas for the Redmond campus?

    I put "international" in quotes as I've applied as an international applicant through the graduate section as the instructions suggest to do so based on the applicant's location rather than citizenship.

  • pukl Nina said:

    Hi, will you still hire the usual number of students this summer?

    Or there will be no student placements at all?

    I was just hoping that in a month or so, recruiting for internships will start moving again,

    so I don;t need to accept another job offer, which I am not so interested in..

  • Anne Cheng - International Recruiter said:

    TJ - Right now we are still recruiting international candidates for our critical roles across our development centers. I primarily focus on candidates from Europe and Russia interested in core development roles and we have openings in Norway, London, Munich, Denmark, etc. As for not hearing back - typically candidates will receive an email when they apply to let them know that recruiters will contact them if a position opens up that matches their skills/interest/experience. For example - I was working with a great games candidate. It took a few months, but once a position opened up, I reached out to them about the opportunity. If your contact information or your experience changes - I encourage you to reapply so we have the most up to date information. Good luck on your job search!

    Pukl Nina - we will be looking for candidates for our internship program this summer. So definitely apply!

  • Nikhil said:

    Hi.. Gretchen

    I want to know having 10 months of working exp. Where should I apply means as Fresh Grad or as Prof exp candiate..

  • jobsblog said:

    Nikhil - Good question! Up until one year, you would apply as a recent grad. Check out these pages for more info: <a target="_blank" href="http://microsoftjobsblog.com/apply/students/">microsoftjobsblog.com/.../students</a> and <a target="_blank" href="http://microsoftjobsblog.com/apply/experienced/">microsoftjobsblog.com/.../experienced</a>

    Gretchen

  • Andrew said:

    Hmm, the job search site seems to be down. (http://members.microsoft.com/careers/search/default.aspx)

    Untimely coincidence or a spot of house keeping?

  • Wondering said:

    Gretchen thank you for the wonderful blog and update. I was hoping for some follow up advise on how you say to contact our recruiters if we are mid-interview. I had a phone interview in December and was told I'd be contact with my results within 3 months. It has been over a month and I've called and e-mail my recruiter with no luck in getting any response whatsoever. Should I keep calling until I know where I stand or move on?

  • Wondering said:

    Oops I meant to say 3 weeks above sorry!

  • Michael. said:

    ummm? :)

    Server Error in '/careers' Application.

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The log file for database 'Careers' is full. Back up the transaction log for the database to free up some log space.

    Description: An unhandled exception occurred during the execution of the current web request. Please review the stack trace for more information about the error and where it originated in the code.

    Exception Details: System.Data.SqlClient.SqlException: The log file for database 'Careers' is full. Back up the transaction log for the database to free up some log space.

    Source Error:

    An unhandled exception was generated during the execution of the current web request. Information regarding the origin and location of the exception can be identified using the exception stack trace below.

    Stack Trace:

    [SqlException (0x80131904): The log file for database 'Careers' is full. Back up the transaction log for the database to free up some log space.]

    MSArm.UI.Common.XpSession.CreateNew(HttpContext Context) +461

    MSArm.UI.Common.XpPage.CreateNewSession(String redirectUrl, Boolean signout) +81

    MSArm.UI.Common.XpPage.CheckSession() +4333

    Microsoft.HRIT.Staffing.Web.External.Pages.MsComCareerPage.Page_Load(Object sender, EventArgs e) +109

    System.Web.UI.Control.OnLoad(EventArgs e) +99

    System.Web.UI.Control.LoadRecursive() +47

    System.Web.UI.Page.ProcessRequestMain(Boolean includeStagesBeforeAsyncPoint, Boolean includeStagesAfterAsyncPoint) +1436

  • John said:

    The day before the announcement, I was contacted by a recruiter for a phone interview. I went back to the Careers website to look over the job description and it is no longer listed. Should I halt my interview preparations?

  • Nikhil said:

    Hii..

    Gretchen. Thnx fr ur Reply. One more ques I like to ask you. As i am Intl Applicant. So can you give me whn Ur planing for Indain Applicant for SDE.

  • MM said:

    Love the blog. Several months ago I interviewed at Microsoft and made it to the final rounds however there was an impasse over the salary. It was difficult for me at the time to take a 20% pay cut even with the MS benefits calculated in. We all know that times are hard right now and I do somewhat regret my decision to hold firm on the salary. So my question is how do get the information into the MS recruiting system that I would take a lower salary now?

  • Mike said:

    Hi Gretchen,

    Love your fantastic blog! I was actually informed by one of your international office that I had been selected for a particular job role however this role was put on hold due to the current economic climate, and that I would be contacted after this role is re-open. I also went to the careers site and that the role had already been removed. After clearing several rounds of interview and eventually received the green light that I had been selected for the role, I was utterly dissapointed to hear that the role had been put on hold and on this hiring process. It has already been about 3 months.

    Do you have any advise on how I should proceed from this point on?

    Regards.

  • Alex said:

    Gretchen,

    Thanks for the update. I had a phone screening back in October 2008. The person who interviewed me stated that my recruiter will follow up with me. I haven't heard back from the recruiter since. I attempted to contact the recruiter, but received no response. What can I do at this point? I know time is key right now. But I have been waiting since October, and been worried for months now.

  • jobsblog said:

    Hi everyone – Sorry for my delay. As many of you know, I work part-time at Microsoft – which means I wasn’t monitoring the comments as closely over the weekend. Let me tackle some of your questions …

    Andrew – Coincidence. :)

    Wondering – if you email us at msftblog (at) microsoft (dot) com, we’ll try to get you connected with your recruiter.

    Michael – Yep, still a coincidence.

    John – Not necessarily. You should contact the same recruiter who scheduled the phone interview to get a status on your interviews and that position.

    Nikhil – I’ll let Anne (our resident international recruiting expert) jump back on here and try to provide you with some additional details if she has them.

    MM – thanks! We often talk to people who later change their minds about compensation, relocation (the most common one), job type, etc. There’s no flashing neon sign attached to your record. My advice is to when you speak to a recruiter or manager about a job at MS, just be honest that you turned down an opportunity before due to salary concerns but you are open to revisiting that decision. Clean slate.

    Mike – thank you – and I’m sorry to hear about your situation. My best advice is to stay in touch with the recruiter and the managers you spoke with during your interview process. (Sending a quick check-in email every month or so usually works great.) You could also ask your recruiter to share your information with other recruiter who may be trying to fill current roles. We’re pretty good about staying in touch with people if we say we will, but it never hurts to be proactive. Good luck!

    Alex – Could you also email us at msftblog (at) microsoft (dot) com? We can help you get in touch with your recruiter.

    Thanks for the great questions, everyone!

    Gretchen

  • Anne Cheng - International Staffing Consultant said:

    Hi Nikhil -

    I encourage you to apply directly to india_cv@microsoft.com. Your resume will be reviewed by the recruiter that works with candidates from India and if there is a fit with our open roles, they will reach out to you directly. Thanks and good luck with your job search!

    Anne

  • Archana said:

    Hi Gretchen,

    Thanks for all the inputs!

    I was interviewed for a contract SDET position at Microsoft and i was made an offer.

    But unfortunately, the position was put on hold just after the offer was made.

    Are there any chances that such positions might get "off-hold"?

    Will the hiring managers get back to old interviewed candidates or is it all a fresh start ?

    Is Microsoft still hiring Vendors?

  • Usman said:

    Dear Gretchen,

    Thanks for such a great information, I was wondering about the microsoft hiring due to the current on-going crisis and 5000 jobs elimination from MS as I am a third year computer sciences student and hoping to apply in Microsoft for SDET position in next year, so will this crisis effect on the hiring of international candidates in coming years? also can international candidates apply for summer internship program in MS redmond campus while studying in last year of their graduation.

    Thanks

    Usman

  • Kenji said:

    @ MM: I would also add that it could be a good idea to contact your old recruiter. You never know, they could still have openings :)

  • jobsblog said:

    Archana - We're still hiring for our key business priorities. I advise staying in touch with your recruiter (even for a vendor or contract opportunity)for that and other potential opportunities.

    Kenji - good point. :)

    gretchen

  • Anne Cheng - International Staffing Consultant said:

    Hi Usman - We are still hiring candidates for our critical roles - this includes some roles that would be a great fit for international college candidates. To apply for full time or internship software development roles - visit http://microsoftjobsblog.com/blog/microsoft-international-jobs/. We do have internships for international candidates here in Redmond for this summer.

    Thanks!

    Anne

  • Nikhil said:

    Hii..

    Thanks Anne for Your Reply. Is their any Particular time Schedule to visit India for Indian candiate as a recent cllge grad.!

  • Imran said:

    Hi Recruiters,

    My questions is, for the last three years Microsoft's teams used to come to Dubai for interviews, are you going to come to Dubai this year too for interviewing candidates from Pakistan, India etc. Is there any such visit planned in the near future ??

  • Johnny said:

    Hello Gretchen,

    I am willing to work for free at Microsoft. I live in New York City. Is this at all possible? If so, who do I e-mail/call?

  • ejiro olori said:

    hi, please i need an internship position for a 6months duration. please could you tell me if there are available positions in lagos, Nigeria and who to apply to.thanks

  • David said:

    Hi Gretchen,

    First of all, I just love this website. Its been a great help. Thank you so much for putting all the information together.

    Secondly, you mentioned that "Microsoft is still hiring with a focus on our most important business priorities and areas of opportunity and growth". Can you tell me which product groups are actively recruiting? This is in context with an MBA internship.

    Thanks

Comments have been disabled for this content.