Does Microsoft recruit at smaller colleges?
Dear JobsBlog: I have a computer engineering degree and several awards, distinctions, and honors. However, I did not attend a bigger college on the east/west coast. How do I get a Microsoft recruiter to look at my resume?
-Under the Radar
I’ve asked Alicia, a fellow recruiter from our U.S. University Team, to help answer your question.
-Janelle
Dear Under the Radar: Microsoft has always made it their business to hire the best and brightest students, regardless of what university they attended. We know that students choose universities based on many factors like location, cost, size, urbanization, program standings and, of course, reputation. That means that incredibly smart people are everywhere, not just at the Ivies.
What does this mean for you? Well, there is a recruiter who works with students from your school, no matter where you go. If your dream is to work at Microsoft, you should get your resume in front of them and know that you are getting the same consideration as every other student who has applied.
There are lots of great ways to apply, but the best way is online at www.microsoft.com/college. A recruiter will read your resume and if you’ve done a great job showcasing your passion and talent in your resume you’ll be invited to interview. And the silver lining? We know that all universities teach differently and we’ve got tons of prep material to help you “get comfortable” with our interview format and expectations.
-Alicia, Microsoft Recruiter
9 Comments
kushal said:
hi ,
i have 1 question regarding the recruitment for freshers...
what are the chances of person having low GPA but ,MCPD and OCP certification?
KUSHAL
Nick said:
Well Kushal, not to be rude or anything, but I believe that most companies (not saying Micrsoft does) sees that a low GPA means that you're irresponsible. I'm not saying you are or anything, just that most companies will see it this way. As for your certifications, that just means you know your stuff, but are you responsible enough to be reliable and productive as an employee? Companies not only want to hire someone who knows their stuff, but someone who will do their job well.
Of course, if this is your passion, then you will do great at it. People who do what they love are happier and do a better job than others. That is a proven fact. You just have to make them know that you love to do what you are applying for and that, despite your low GPA, you will exceed their expectations. Plus with your certifications, they'll know that you know enough, if not more, for the position your applying for.
I hope this helped you out a bit. Even though I didn't give you a solid answer to your question, this should help you get closer to the answer you're looking for. Good luck in your job hunting, and may you land the dream job you want!
Regards,
Nick B.
PS: I am not affiliated with Microsoft, nor employed by them. Just a fan of their products. :P
ranajit said:
i have completed mca(scince).how can i apply for microsoft job
abhishek said:
Hi,
I have one question about recruitment of the freshers. In the previous post I have seen you talking about low gpa. Is gpa of 3.6/4 ok to get into microsoft. The other thing is especially there are like easy courses and tough courses in all universities. Doing tough courses always reduces the GPA. Is it fine to do those easy courses n keep your gpa at 4.0 ??
The other question is ,I am interested in windows developement. I have good concepts and fundamentals.Since at the university level people work on Unix based systems mostly does Microsoft expect us to learn Windows API ?? or just good concepts are enough?
Thanks & Regards,
Abhishek.
jobsblog said:
Janelle has written a couple posts about GPA in the past. Read more on the importance of grade point average at: <a href="http://microsoftjobsblog.com/blog/how-much-does-gpa-matter/" target="_blank">microsoftjobsblog.com/.../how-much-does-g</a>
-The JobsBloggers
khem chander said:
Dear Sir,
My son is a High School Senior and is in the process of deciding a Software Engg career and is considering following schools :
1) Univ of Texas Austin
2) Univ Of Illinois Urbana Champaign
3) Purdue Univ
4) Rice University
5) Univ Of Arkansas Fayetteville.
He wishes to work for Microsoft in future. Can you advise if cost is not a consideration for education for us, then which of these schools increases the chances of him being able to land a job at Microsoft when he graduates few years later.
Regards
Khem Chander
kchande@yahoo.com
jobsblog said:
As this post states: Microsoft has always made it their business to hire the best and brightest students, regardless of what university they attended.
In that case, it is really an issue of which school will be the best personal fit for your son and will provide him with the best education as a software engineer.
Anyone else want to chime in on this issue?
Smartguy Who didn't Try said:
I have always defined myself by my desire to prioritize. It just so happens that this unyielding desire encompassed my whole life from 0 to 255. While my writings and poetry were being nominated for awards in high school and college, my foreign language and calculus grades were less than satisfactory. My Information Systems and Writing based courses' grades were repeatedly above a 3.5, the rest of the courses assigned to Priority 2 and 3 dragged my GPA and ultimately, my career to the dark abyss that manifests itself as an "IT Consultant".
How can I most efficiently gain the attention of a Microsoft recruiter without having the tangible qualifications (GPA, Awards, scholarships etc) to market myself as the next "best investment" to MSFT?
anton said:
@#6
your answer will be UIUC definitely! if your son get accepted there then go there. UIUC is top 5 for computer science. Even if your son could not get to Microsoft other companies will que for him. (Given he has good record)
Does anyone know what Microsoft recruiting time is? If I wanted to apply for Summer internship 2010 will March be too late ?