Q&A: Steven from Microsoft's Vancouver office
Several months ago, Jim posted a video from his experience at the Vancouver office. I’m pleased to say that I recently hired Steven Shelford, Senior SDE, to work out of that office for the Live Search Relevance team. I asked him to talk about the Vancouver office and what distinguishes it from Redmond headquarters. Here’s Steven, and what he had to say.
What was your first impression of the Vancouver office?
I have been impressed ever since arriving at the facility. It is hard to imagine that the MCDC only opened its doors in September. How much work must have been done for the facility to open so quickly from its initial announcement, and how much it has grown since, is hard to fathom.
The diversity of people is also amazing. While we are only about 250 people now, the MCDC employees represent over 40 countries, with over 15 distinct languages spoken. I’m sure that is a statistic that is increasing in impressiveness every month as we welcome new hires. This rampant growth and diversity obviously creates an exciting atmosphere. It seems that every month we are adding more permanent space. Strangely, there always seems to be room for the foosball table and we now have a basketball hoop with the future plans of building a basketball court. Shooting a few hoops always helps break up the day.
What’s the environment / culture like?
That is a tough question for a newly created facility, especially one that continues to grow at a tremendous pace. I think we’re actually still determining our own identity and perhaps struggling to keep it unique from Redmond, which is tough with Redmond so close. One thing that I know about the group here is that we are all proud of being at Microsoft, and we all bring a unique view to work each day.
How is it similar / different than MS headquarters in Redmond?
There is the obvious difference: we’re smaller with a large percentage of new hires. This is quickly changing as we continue to gain experience here and as some employees from Redmond come up and bring their experience with them. Our smaller size can be quite advantageous for us: fewer meetings, getting more work done, and mixing more easily with other teams.
To tie in the previous question, I think we have a fabulous opportunity to shape our identity and culture. I don’t believe we need to replicate Redmond, but leverage our own situation and environment to create a fun, innovative, and ultimately productive work environment.
Are there many full-time teams located out of that office?
Don’t forget that the office is new. Teams need to be grown, not just moved. We definitely have a few teams that are creating a big presence here, such as the Live Search team. I am sure it won’t be long until the MCDC is recognized for its innovation, which in the end is what Microsoft truly needs to compete against its formidable competitors.
If you do have any questions about the Vancouver office, please feel free to post them. I’m sure I can get Steven to jump in to help answer them.
- Lisa
6 Comments
Kris said:
What kind of positions do you recruit for in Vancouver - Product Development/Consulting?
Do you recruit any local candidates or is it just providing an alternative for the H-1B cap to employees in the US?
If you hire local candidates, where do you post the job openings for Vancouver office?
Thanks.
Lisa said:
Hi Kris,
We hire a wide range of positions for Vancouver. You can view job openings for that office here: <a rel="nofollow" target="_new" href="http://www.microsoft.com/canada/employment/search.mspx">http://www.microsoft.com/canada/employment/search.mspx</a>
Also, we do hire local candidates for that office. Steven is such an example. :)
Please let me know if you have any other questions.
Lisa
Harold Hsu said:
Other than the Live Search team, can you tell us what other product teams are located in vancouver?
Kareem said:
Hi,
I am starting at MCDC in September as a PM. I am wondering if you can tell me if there are private offices for everyone like it is in Redmond and if not what the workspace is like.
Also how do you communicate with Redmond is it through video conference or do you travel down a lot.
Thanks
Kareem
Steven said:
Hey Kris, yes we hire local candidates. I am from B.C. and worked in Vancouver prior to this job. I have no plans to get an H1-B.
We actually have several people here that were previously working in the Vancouver area. The goal of this facility is to build several permanent teams here and build this into a world-class development centre. We'll see what happens.
- Steven
Steven said:
Kareem,
You should feel free to contact your recruitor with any specific questions regarding your employment. They should be eager to help you.
However, no, we do not have offices for everyone here. We don't have enough space, plus, communication is eased with open workspaces. There are pros and cons to the two types of environments. Hopefully we get a good balance here with the use of open workspaces, offices, and plenty of "breakout" rooms.
- Steven