I recently received an email from a reader who is currently in the Navy and interested in what it takes to transition from a military career into an industry role at a company like Microsoft.   Since I didn’t know anything about military careers, I forwarded his note to our veterans’ and reservist’s aliases here at Microsoft for assistance.  They gave me a warm welcome and loads of advice.  I even received a phone call from a Microsoft employee, who is also a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves, who offered to contact the reader and give him tailored career advice. 

I learned that there are many career opportunities for which we recruit former military personnel.  Currently, there are openings for application developers, engineers, infrastructure architects, consultants, and program managers, to name a few.  The technical skills learned, strong work ethic, team work, discipline, and leadership skills embodied in the men and women of the Armed Forces, make them highly desirable candidates for careers at Microsoft.    

Also, I found out that Microsoft has an article in the June edition of “GI Jobs”, featuring an interview with Josh Wilson, a systems engineer at Microsoft.  Josh talks all about his personal transition from military to civilian life and his current role in the Army Reserves. 

Likewise, there is a larger story set to publish later this year that takes a more holistic view of Microsoft’s military-friendly recruiting processes and highlights a selection of full-time MS employees who have made the transition.  These folks represent a diverse snapshot of employees, representing different military branches, and different roles at Microsoft. 

So, stay tuned to hear more about Microsoft’s military recruiting efforts in the coming months.  Also, thank you to all of the Microsoft employees who so graciously offered me information on this topic. 
 
-Jenna