The JobsBlog

Jobs in IT: The Top Three Hottest New Majors for a Career in Tech – PART I of II

Tue, 22 May 2012 12:00:09 GMT

A couple of years ago, I wrote my list of the Top Three hottest academic areas for a future career in tech. The list went viral and was one of the most shared articles in MicrosoftJobsBlog.com history. And, you know what? Two years later, it still holds up well.

As I said before, if you are interested in a career in tech, it is worth thinking beyond a traditional Computer Science degree or even an Electrical Engineering & Computer Science (EECS) program. Microsoft is hiring people with unique backgrounds, some that are new with the inception of the Cloud, web services and the amazing scale at which the industry is operating (Exabyte anyone?).

Check out my Top Three list below and keep your eyes open for my 2012 analysis of hot areas in tech that we’ll publish this Thursday.

Data Mining/Machine Learning/AI/Natural Language Processing
All of these fields help us sift through and organize huge amounts of information or data. When you apply your knowledge in these areas to a challenging problem in the online space, you know that you are working at a scale that is just immense. It’s much easier said than done. If you have a passion for this area and have a technical background there are a multitude of open positions that might hold a long-term career for you. With the move to the cloud and the sheer amount of information on the web, this area of expertise will continue to be in great demand. Microsoft has a great need for both people interested in the research space and the applied space which is very refreshing.

Business Intelligence/Competitive Intelligence
The ability to see trends, make sense of data to a business audience and help to understand your customers requires a special person. Someone with a mix of engineering, BI/CI experience and a business mindset can take this field to the next level. You will help increase any employer’s bottom line and be able to provide organized data that is extremely valuable to any business. You can help drive business decisions and help your internal audience understand what the data is telling or showing you.

Analytics/Statistics – specifically Web Analytics, A/B Testing and statistical analysis
All of these subjects are offshoots of traditional degrees in CS and mathematics. They all apply to the online world we live in and will also be in great demand as we continue to monetize the web. Retailers, web services, and advertisers will need people in these fields as they try to get the most for their advertising money. As we continue to see the dollar amounts spent for online advertising worldwide, these fields will be hot and we will see online advertising change over time as a result of these positions.

If these fields interest you and you want to find out what some of these jobs really entail, visit our jobs site and search on the terms above to get a more detailed look at the positions. These fields are very HOT and looking long-term, the demand will be just that much greater in these areas.

-Eugenia

Jobs in IT: Three reasons why it’s ideal to be a Program Manager at Microsoft

Thu, 17 May 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Microsoftie in Question: Elan Levy

Job title: Program Manager II, SQL Server - Azure Business Intelligence

Location: Herzelia, Israel

Elan, how did you come to work at Microsoft Israel?
I didn’t follow a traditional path as I actually started working with a medical technology startup while still in high school. I collaborated with a doctor to build video games to test physiological levels for kids with asthma.

Then, I became a development lead in the Israeli Army and later worked for a communication network company. Up to that point in my career, I had always been a developer. But, I started to interact with customers and found it fascinating.

I realized that I wanted to be a program manager (PM) and decided to get a formal university education so nothing would stand between me and my ideal career.

So you had a lot of work experience before you even got your higher education?
Yes. And that way I really knew what I wanted when I went back to school in Computer Science and Psychology. While still in school, I started looking for PM internship. I didn’t even know if a specific PM internship existed, but I found the perfect internship at Microsoft.

In Israel, an internship can last up to two-and-a-half years. Microsoft was flexible and allowed me to do two days per week at the company and three days per week at school. My role eventually transitioned into a full-time program manager position at Microsoft. It is a dream come true because Microsoft is the best place to be a PM in the tech industry.

What makes it so ideal to be a Program Manager at Microsoft?
You get to oversee projects and teams that are unique in three ways:

First is “Education.” Microsoft brings in the smartest, most experienced people from throughout the industry. We frequently hire top people from other companies into high-level positions at Microsoft.

Second is “Direct Access.” Here you can talk to anyone at the company. This level of access helps you to learn from people in ways that you can’t at other companies.

Third is “Scale.” Our scale is enormous. Our products touch every corner of the planet. You can’t get that scale – especially across so many products – anywhere else.

You can experience that scale at Microsoft Israel?
We have a few hundred engineers working on Server and Tools, Windows Intune, Microsoft Reseach, Bing Mobile and Xbox, among other things.

I started on Windows 8 and am now on Cloud with SQL Azure reporting capabilities. Even though we are halfway around the globe from Microsoft headquarters, the opportunities here are still endless.

Women in IT: Happy Mother’s Day to the thousands of working moms at Microsoft

Mon, 14 May 2012 18:10:16 GMT

Today we’d like to celebrate all of the mothers at Microsoft – women throughout the company who strike the delicate balance of being a rockstar at work AND on the homefront. Check out our snapshot of Sr. Product Marketing Manager for Display Advertising Experiences, Anshu Khurana. Later today, look for some shorter profiles of working moms at Microsoft on our social media.

Anshu, have you learned any lessons from your children that serve you well at work?
Patience. With two kids under age 5, I am now a more patient person. With kids you have to stop, listen, and explain the tiniest of details. You can incorporate that quality into your personality, and it shows at work. Also, being a mom, I am more compassionate and empathetic. So if other folks around me are going through personal stuff and need space, I find that I am more sympathetic.

What time-management strategies have worked for you?
I don’t like taking meetings after 4 pm. I use the last two hours of the day to catch up on tasks. Also, I like to wake up and get ready to start working early in the morning so I can get more done. Microsoft is extremely supportive of a positive work/life balance.

What keeps you grounded when things get crazy-busy?
I keep things in perspective and give myself credit. I’m doing my best to be a good mom and a good employee. In the summer, some days, I leave the office at 4 pm, enjoy the sun with my kids, and catch up on my work later in the night. I make time for what’s important, whether it’s a meeting or a commitment to my kids.

You’re keeping a lot of balls in the air. What are you most proud of?
For me, satisfaction comes from winning in life’s different arenas. I am happiest when I’m succeeding at being a good wife, a good friend and good at work. That’s what keeps me going. And that is where I find the joy in my life.

Jobs in IT: passion, process & positive stress at Microsoft Silicon Valley

Thu, 10 May 2012 15:00:00 GMT

Born and raised in the Bay Area, Sean Turner started to intern at Intel during high school. By the time that he headed to USC for a degree in Computer Engineering/Computer Science, Sean already had more insight into life and career in Silicon Valley than many mid-career professionals.

As Sean neared college graduation, he decided to explore other corners of the Valley and chose to intern at Microsoft Silicon Valley (MSV). He says, "I wasn't sure where I wanted to work in the longer-run, but I was interested in creating tools to help other devs excel and Microsoft seemed like the place to go."

Of the 800 or so annual interns at Microsoft, a handful of them are located at MSV. Upon arrival on campus, Sean instantly became part of a tight-knit group. He reminisces, "We were all good friends. We were inseparable and even took trips together on the weekends."

While the camaraderie was important, it was attending Microsoft's Professional Developer's Conference (PDC) that convinced Sean to choose a career with Microsoft over the dozens of other high-powered Valley tech companies.

Sean says, "I saw Don Box and Chris Sells give the keynote speech. At that point, I was inspired to work with Microsoft's technologies that make SDEs' lives simpler. I wanted to give back to others in the same way that I was learning from that keynote."

Sean is now a Software Development Engineer II (SDEII) at Microsoft Tellme, creating Microsoft's speech recognition solutions, and is happier than ever with his decision to come to the company. Looking back at his other options, Sean explains, "I enjoyed Intel, but it is a more 'mature' organization. It is totally process driven. Microsoft - on the other hand - is driven by passion. That's not to say that we're a bunch of code cowboys, but there's a balance of process and passion."

Within that balance of process and passion, Sean sees something he calls "a positive stress level." He argues, "I have never felt pushed to work beyond my comfort level. That said, I have chosen to burn the midnight oil a lot and when there is a clear, global impact to your work, you are inspired to push yourself."

Sean's manager, Jim Chou, notes, "Here you get the rigor and high-impact horsepower of working with Microsoft properties, from Office to Bing to Xbox. And you get to work with people who are filled to the brim with the vibrancy of the tech culture here in the Bay Area, who contribute their passion and agility in their work each and every day."

As Sean points out, "I don't feel like I have a job or a 9-to-5. I really care about what I'm doing. Microsoft empowers individual devs to own features and take them to the next level. And we have decades of experience writing software at scale, bringing the process to bear at this high level. Microsoft has figured it out."

In the end, Sean knows that the company shares the same passion about creating world-changing technology as the devs who pour their hearts and souls into their work. He says, "We know that the Microsoft will always go that same extra mile. There is organizational commitment to match our commitment."

Dear JobsBlog: Top Three Reasons to Work for Bing

Tue, 08 May 2012 06:00:34 GMT

Dear JobsBlog: I am about to graduate and I plan to work in search. As a recruiter, could you please tell me why I should consider Bing over the traditional, obvious choice of Google?
-Miner of Data

Dear MOD:
If you want to work on state of the art search – whether it’s image, video, relevance, shopping or more – and you want to apply creative and innovative parts of yourself to your work, Bing is the clear choice. We have made search beautiful and useful.

We have also taken the time to listen to our customers and incorporate video, images, shopping, travel, information and shortcuts into our search engine results over the years. Something the ‘ten blue links’ didn’t have.

Let me give you a bit more detail… here are my “Top Three Reasons to Work for Bing.”

1) Bing is for doing
I can’t live without Bing Mobile on my phone. While on a recent vacation in Orlando, someone in my family desperately needed to find an item at Whole Foods. I simply spoke my search term into Bing Mobile, up came the Search Engine Results Page (SERP), immediate directions from my current location and I was there in minutes.

Bing is for doing: for me and – most importantly in that case – for my family. When you’re a mom, you have to deliver. And we work every day to make Bing a more useful tool for people around the world.

2) Scale
While those other guys have scale too, we have competitive reach and manage it in different ways. With the huge scale of sites, data, images, videos, shopping items, etc., there are always interesting challenge spaces for new employees on team. We want you to continue to find innovative ways to deliver requested content in the most user-friendly, fastest-time possible.

3) Microsoft is a great place to work
Here, we support our employees, give back to our local communities and have plans for your career growth. We are a company built of multiple divisions and businesses. Unlike other companies, we encourage you to experience a breadth of opportunities. We care that you are doing your best work now, but we also make sure that you are preparing for your best career in the future.

Apply now. Imagine working in a place where you will be challenged to do your best, grow and succeed.

Eugenia

Women in IT: Challenging the status quo

Thu, 03 May 2012 06:01:12 GMT

Today, I’m excited to kick off our Women in IT series. I’m sitting down with Juliana Gomez to learn a little bit about why she chose to join Microsoft and why she has been here for six years.

Check out the video below if you’d like to see Juliana share about her Microsoft experience in person. Following this first interview, look for future stories where Juliana talks about why she decided to enter IT and her three tips for women for women to achieve success.

Juliana, when did you join Microsoft and what is your job today?
I joined Microsoft in 2006 at the Redmond headquarters and had several roles in the IT organization, from large-scale Change Management programs to a field role where I work today in Ireland. I currently lead the Extended Quality and Business Excellence organization in Europe.

We do three things: Create a strategic portfolio of programs supporting the Country Managers to improve their processes; develop the quality capability in the organization and build a community of individuals who practice this methodology. Our goal is to always create a great experience for our customers.

Why did you come to Microsoft and what do you like best about working here?
The reasons I decided to come to Microsoft are also why I still like working here today. For me, it’s about the opportunities to do what you want and be who you are. I like the diversity at all levels. You can’t necessarily get these kinds of opportunities and you don’t see this kind of diversity at other companies.

At Microsoft, a woman in IT can push her career as far as her intellect and ambition will take her. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from, you can take your career as far as you want here.

What has surprised you most about the Microsoft culture?
The informality, openness and innovation.

By informality, I mean that the organization is flat – you have access to the people you need regardless of rank or title. Doors are always open. Openness is about being able to say what you think freely without fear. Here, we are encouraged to voice our opinions, take a chance and challenge the status quo. Innovation is about the environment Microsoft creates; we have the platform to be creative and implement new ideas. It’s ok if you don’t do it perfect the first time, you pick it up and try again. Individuals can build on others’ ideas, this fosters collaboration.

What would you like to tell someone who’s considering working for Microsoft?
If you have great ideas – it doesn’t matter what level you are, everyone is heard if they have a great idea!

Introducing our "Women in IT" Series

Wed, 02 May 2012 06:00:34 GMT

Does the tech industry have enough women in its workforce? What about in leadership positions? According to the data, the answer is "no."

Women make up half of the U.S. workforce but represent only 25 percent of the technology industry. These numbers drop significantly when you look at women in senior management and C-level positions. The President of IDG sees hope for women, as he explains in this recent article in CIO magazine: What Will It Take to Get More Women Execs in IT? And the author of another article, Women in Technology Face an Uphill Battle in Inc. magazine, proposes a couple good solutions.

I propose we give girls female role models they can look up to! Role models who can share why they chose this field, how they’ve achieved success and leadership positions and what they do to maintain personal balance in a constantly changing industry. Thankfully, I work with women who inspire me every day! So, as I mentioned in the article about the Sit with Me campaign, I am writing a series of stories about women in IT roles.

In the coming weeks, look for these women to share their tips for success. I hope they will inspire a new generation of women to join this exciting field. We’ve also taken some time - when we can catch them during their travels and in-between customer meetings - to shoot video of these women. This way, you can hear from them directly. Look for our first interview with Juliana Gomez, Director of Quality for Microsoft IT in Europe, to be posted tomorrow.

In the meantime, check out our open positions. Or read up on our Women Employee Resource Group; here you can also find links to awards and information on our famous DigiGirlz programs.

Great Place to Work: turning ideas into technology at "The Garage"

Tue, 01 May 2012 09:00:25 GMT

My name is Liz and I’m a Talent Sourcer for Microsoft’s Online Services Division (OSD). This is my first post as a JobsBlogger and today I want to talk about The Microsoft Garage. Ever heard of it?

No, it’s not a place to park or fix cars. The Garage is where we Microsofties get together to incubate our passion projects and entrepreneurial ideas.

In the Garage, we have over 3000 people from across Microsoft who are eager to hear each other’s ideas, provide feedback and, quite possibly, help turn those ideas into reality. The Garage also offers a collection of useful tools to put ideas into action including access to hardware, source control, testing instrumentation and even hosting for server- or cloud-based apps.

Last year, we in OSD started our own Garage chapter to provide community and infrastructure to accelerate grass-roots innovation across the team. The OSD Garage community meets twice a month to kick around new ideas, learn from each other and crank out some cool prototypes.

The OSD innovations coming out the Garage are still confidential, but a good example of a recent success to be born out of The Garage is the Lync Conversation Translator. This real-time translator lets two people who speak different languages have an instant messaging conversation in their native tongues.

Harry Emil, a Senior Test Lead in the Lync group, conceived the original prototype in his spare time at The Garage. With the support of other creative Microsoft minds, Harry’s idea is now part of our enterprise software and translates into to some 35 languages.

The Garage also mixes serious innovation with fun by hosting "Science Fairs," where employees put together poster-board presentations to showcase their last inventions. The judges wear white lab coats, award “Science Fair” winners with trophies and let them ignite a homemade volcano dubbed “Mount St. Awesome.” It’s… well… awesome.

Microsoft Advertising (part of OSD) held their first Science Fair in January. The goal of their science fair was to encourage innovation, facilitate feedback and concept generation between colleagues, and provide an outlet to showcase ideas. “Code speaks louder than words” was the mantra and over 30 startup projects were presented to a panel of judges compromised of the MS Advertising leadership team. The competition was fierce, the vibe was fun, and the innovation factor was high. The result of the first science fair?

Again, can’t tell you… yet.

But, I can say that that when our smartest minds from across the company get together and think outside of the box, the results are extraordinary.

Want to contribute your ideas to The Garage? Check us out here for jobs and your chance to ignite a homemade volcano.
-Liz

Dear JobsBlog: What are the new job opportunities at Xbox?

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 09:00:00 GMT

Dear JobsBlog:
I read that Xbox is now used more for music, movies and TV than it is for video games. Considering that change, what are some of the new job opportunities on the Xbox team?
-Hunting Always Large Opportunities

Dear HALO:
First of all…props for pointing out that Xbox is more than just a gaming device. Sure, 7 years ago, when you wanted to spend all night blowing up aliens or sniping people from a super-secret bunker, Xbox was the best way to join your friends in a high-powered digital death match. However, when we launched Xbox 360, we knew it would become much more. Today, Xbox is delivering movies, music, live TV and an amazing User Interface made possible through Kinect.

That said…the actual job opportunities are pretty similar. There are just more of them! We are still hunting for the same core tech skills sets including Software Development Engineers (SDEs), Software Development Engineers in Test (SDETs) and Program Managers (PMs). The LIVE Ops team hires Database Engineers and Systems Administrators. Game Designers and Producers are always needed for 343 Industries and Turn 10. Only now, instead of just looking for people who are passionate about games, we’re looking for people who are passionate about entertainment in general.

Some of the more noticeable differences are in Microsoft Studios. A few years ago, you would see job descriptions to work on specific games in a specific studio. Now, it’s more about content; content beyond first-party gaming.

Take this open Visual Designer position, for example. This person is going to be working very closely with our creative design team. But, if you read the job description, you’ll notice it doesn’t say anything about gaming. The job description states that the candidates need to be able to think “Big Picture.” Part of this is because Xbox isn’t just about games, anymore. The people we’re hiring can no longer have an attitude of “how can we make Xbox a better gaming console?” We need to think of how to be a better gaming console AND how to better deliver HD movies AND how to deliver live entertainment effortlessly. It’s a complete package.

Granted…we’re still working on our own projects. We want people like Executive Producer Kiki Wolfkill (Conan O’Brien’s new best friend) delivering a tremendous Halo experience, not worrying about how ESPN looks. But, in general, we want people who love entertainment. Not just games. Not just movies or music. Not just User Interface. Entertainment as a whole. That’s the real difference. Other than that… the opportunities remain largely the same, just in larger numbers.

-Jason

Great Place to Work: building your best future

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 06:16:00 GMT

Excel has increased productivity the world-over and been behind many a major business decision. What hasn’t Excel done?

To the best of our knowledge, it never inspired a sing-along – until last week, that is.

After “three great years” working for Excel, designer Karen X. Cheng is leaving for EXEC, a San Francisco-based startup. And as a departing gift to Microsoft, Karen wrote and performed an Excel tribute song to the tune of Don McLean's “American Pie.”

Check it out here:

While we’re sad to see her go, we’re pleased that we played an important role in Karen following her dreams. Nowhere else can a recent grad get the experience of working on a product with the massive scale and global impact of Excel. Nowhere else can you gain such perspective on the tech industry: the kind of insight that enables successful entrepreneurship within Microsoft or beyond.

We wish Karen the best on her new adventure. Thanks for the music and good luck.

Women in IT: fighting to increase numbers of women in technology

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 06:03:00 GMT

Sometimes you have to sit to take a stand.

That’s the premise behind the National Center for Women & Information Technology‘s "Sit with Me" campaign to spotlight the important role women play in the future of technology.

“Women improve technical innovation,” says this non-profit coalition that works to increase diversity in computing and IT, “Groups with greater diversity solve complex problems better and faster than do homogenous groups.”

Women hold only 25% of technology and computing jobs, though they fill more than half of all professional occupations in the U.S. Only 11% of C-level executives at Fortune 500 tech companies are women.

Microsoft is committed to recruiting and supporting women in IT. With this story, we are starting a series of profiles and videos on women in leadership roles at the company. And, it’s important to note the role men play in supporting women’s careers in IT, as well.

Microsoft’s Online Services Division is an enthusiastic Sit with Me participant. In the month of April, OSD executives are sitting in the campaign’s iconic red chair* to emphasize Microsoft’s commitment to increasing the number of women in technology fields and to supporting their career development.

“Innovation is enhanced when ideas are considered from as many diverse perspectives as possible. Celebrate being unique,” says Ted Cahall, corporate vice president of MSN. That’s why Microsoft works hard to create a corporate culture and an inclusive business environment where the best and brightest diverse minds – employees with varied perspectives, skills, and experiences – work together to meet global consumer demands.

The campaign makes business sense. Research shows that companies with the highest representation of women in their management teams have a 34% higher return on investment than do those with few or no women, the center says.

As Katie Hafner recently stated in her New York Times story about recruiting women to programming jobs, “Yet as with the effort to attract more women to undergraduate computer science programs, there are signs of hope in the corporate world. “

*Oh, and that red chair? It is made from 111 recycled Coca-Cola plastic bottles, which is a whole other story.

Check out Sit with Me stories and Microsoft employees’ Sit with Me stories and don't forget to connect with "Women at Microsoft" on Facebook and Microsoft Careers on Facebook.

Great Place to Work: Late Nights, App Hack-a-thon & Plenty of Tech Talk at Experience Microsoft

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 06:00:28 GMT

Imagine this: 75 computer engineering students from universities around the US, a chance to build killer apps and a visit to The Garage at Microsoft. That’s some weekend.

That’s Experience Microsoft.

Technology companies vie for the opportunity to recruit talented technology students, sometimes starting as early as high school. To give college students a chance to experience what working for Microsoft is like, the company invited students to its main campus for a weekend.

During Experience Microsoft 2012, April 5-6, students worked on actual projects – they created 48 apps during the event’s hack-a-thon. They even practiced interviewing for a job at Microsoft.

Participants were selected based on recommendations from Microsoft campus representatives and university professors. It wasn’t an easy crowd to impress. Comments indicated the depth of the students’ skills and interests. Before the event, many students expressed an interest in not only how the technology works, but also which ideas make it to market.

“I'm looking forward to the chance to ask engineers about interesting or unique product ideas they've worked on which, for whatever reason, never really became mainstream. I think it tells you more about a company to learn what it's willing to try than to only know about the attempts that succeeded,” said one student.

After learning from speakers at the event, participants said they felt better about how to prepare for their futures. Several people were also surprised by the freedom Microsoft employees have to test their ideas.

“It was a really amazing experience. I got to see so much technology and so much behind Microsoft that you never really get to know. When you see Microsoft in the news, you don’t see the people behind it, see how much innovation and freedom they give all of their employees, and really how awesome it is to work here,” said another.

Women made up almost 50% of the Experience Microsoft 2012 class, reflecting the company’s commitment to encourage young women’s interest in technology careers.

The networking and excitement continues as Experience Microsoft students returned to school; many are actively in touch with each other and the recruiters following the event. With their permission, Microsoft will stay in contact with the students as they complete their educations.

Women in IT: working at the intersection of search and social media

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 14:21:00 GMT

After earning a PhD in Algorithms and Data Mining from Stanford, Shubha Nabar's skills were in high demand. So, she went right down the road to that titan of data mining known as Google… right?

Not exactly.

Although a number of Shubha's friends and colleague went to work for Google, she became a Senior Development Lead for Bing.

Shubha says, "I went to Bing, because it is simply more exciting. We are the underdog. We are really taking big risks and pushing to change search."

She started at the Bing headquarters in Bellevue, Washington, but desired to return to Silicon Valley. This was due to the fact that her husband's career was in the Valley, but also because there was cutting-edge work happening at Bing Social in Microsoft Silicon Valley (MSV).

Bing Social brings together the worlds of search and social media by enhancing your search results on Bing with pertinent information from Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Shubha explains, "For example, if you search for a person on Bing, you'll find the corresponding person on Facebook who is closest to you. You can also see which of your friends already 'Liked' a search result which is helpful for making all sorts of decisions from picking a restaurant to choosing which e-commerce site to buy a customized Indian cricket jersey."

Shubha's manager, Bing Social Principal Development Manager Chad Carson, says, "Our team is leading the charge to bring social network data to search - especially dialing up the connection between Facebook and Bing. Using both Twitter and Facebook data, several times we have beaten Google to market with major new features."

And rather than being a massive search company, Bing Social is a strike team of around 100 people with the feel of a startup.

Shubha says, "We are an extremely agile team - but with the resources of Microsoft: when we set out to do something, we get it done. We're good at innovating and we are scooping Google on a lot of things, such as Twitter search."

And Bing Social has a lot of important projects on the horizon. They've just struck a deal where they have exclusive access to deep Facebook data so that you can search even better with the help of your Facebook friends.

Shubha is impressed by everyone's dedication and camaraderie at Bing Social. She points out, "When there is a deadline on the horizon, everyone pulls together and makes it happen."

When Bing opened the office at MSV, they thought hard about what a team in the Valley would be best suited to bring to search. Chad declares, "The obvious choice was to make the most of social and real-time data, since Facebook, Twitter, and most of the other players are here, and the engineers we can attract here are immersed in the world of social networks."

While being in the Valley helps the team to get a constant inflow of ideas and people from different startups, Bing Social is hardly a Bing outpost or side project. Shubha announces proudly, "We're playing a very key role in the overall Bing strategy."

That's why Shubha went to Bing and never looked back.

This article was originally published on our sister site MicrosoftSiliconValley.com. Check out the site and learn more about the cool work we do in Silicon Valley.

Microsoft is a Great Place to Work: A-List Entrepreneur seeks Long-Term Relationship (LTR)

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 13:00:00 GMT

Geek in Question: Asha Sharma

Job title: US Windows Product Marketing Manager

Microsoftie – and recent college grad – Asha Sharma was recognized by President Obama’s Campus Champions of Change Challenge as one of the top 15 national college entrepreneurs helping the US to out-innovate and out-educate the rest of world.

She got the nod (and the invitation to the White House) for co-founding the nonprofit teen organization, The A-List, with a fellow University of Minnesota student in 2008. The organization officially opened its doors in 2011.

I sat down with Asha to find out why one of the country’s most promising young entrepreneurs decided to start her career at Microsoft.

How did you get the idea to create your award-winning non-profit?
During college, I started talking to a classmate in my stats course about the “opportunity divide” and why underprivileged kids aren’t engaging in the education system. We decided to look at it as a business marketing problem and embrace our passions and social responsibility.

It’s been a sensational adventure. We won over a half-a-million in funding, made it to the C-suites of General Mills, Cargill and Target, to name a few, and then all the way to the White House. Our plans are to replicate this success in every community of need.

Do you consider yourself to be a natural entrepreneur?
Yes. But, more precisely, I am a potentialite: driven by potential and magnetized by boisterous ideas. It’s that exact attraction that led me to start The A-List and brought me to Microsoft.

I heard that you were courted by a number of big companies. Beyond potential, why did you choose Microsoft over the others?
Microsoft was willing to give me autonomy and allow me to cut my teeth on a tough, meaningful opportunity. I am about 7 months young here and am the US lead for a new cloud product that will be a half-a-billion dollar product world-wide in two years.

On any given day, I could be meeting with the CEO of a Microsoft partner company, making million dollar investment decisions or in a discussion with our Corporate Vice President. Cloud is transforming the industry and I get to work on it, first-hand.

Do you find that there’s room for you to be an entrepreneur here?
Being entrepreneurial is why I can be successful here and I see a bright future as an intrapreneur – being an internal entrepreneur with the institutional support of the company. Microsoft is the kind of giant that can change the world with the flex of a muscle and there is something alluring about being part of the disruption on the horizon.

Other companies and startups may have a sexier reputation. But that is just lust. A one-night stand. For me, Microsoft is the real deal: a mutually beneficial relationship filled with sustainable passion and fire.

Jobs in IT: Three common interview mistakes

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 13:00:03 GMT

Dear JobsBlog:
What are some of the lesser-known but still common mistakes that prevent candidates from performing at their best in an interview?
-Init2winit

Dear Init2winit:
This is a great question. Fortunately, I’ve been assembling a list of these issues in my head over the last months. I’m glad to have the chance to get my thoughts out and hopefully help some Microsoft interviewees in the process!

The following are three mistakes I often see candidates make:

Lacking self-awareness
Self-awareness is one of the key traits we look for at Microsoft. That means having a solid understanding of your strengths, weaknesses and how your actions and behavior can impact others around you.

During the interview process you may be asked, "How have your interviews gone so far?" The candidates who possess a fair degree of self-awareness will reflect on each interview in order to critically determine what went well and what areas could have been improved.

Not taking feedback to heart
We also look for candidates who are "coachable." During on-site interviews, candidates receive feedback from interviewers such as different ideas of how to approach a problem, tips for future interviews and overall areas to improve. The goal is not only to help candidates excel in the interviews, but also to see if: a) they are actively listening b) they can learn and grow in a short period of time c) they don't have the mentality of, "it's my way or the highway."

Candidates who are able to accept constructive feedback and implement ideas from others, demonstrate the maturity and confidence to work effectively with a team.

Forgetting to relax and have fun!
Here’s a personal story that will (hopefully) clarify my point. During college, I ran cross-country. One day while on a training run, my coach ran up beside me and asked a really pertinent question, "Colleen, do you realize how much faster you run during practice than you do in meets?" It dawned on me that my “relaxed self” loved to run for the fun of it and performed so much better than I did on race day, when my body tensed up and I became plagued with fear.

I often see candidates so nervous during the on-site interviews that they have trouble thinking clearly. The more relaxed and at ease we are in situations, the more we allow our strengths to really shine. The key is to have fun and see the interview process as an opportunity to meet really dynamic people, solve cool problems and learn more about Microsoft.

I hope this helps.
-Colleen

Great Places to Work: Microsoft Employees Always First to Use New Software

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 13:00:18 GMT

Dear JobsBlog:
Is it true that Microsoft employees get to demo new software like Windows 8 while still in beta?

-A Wannabe Eager Super-ambitious One-day Microsoft Employee

Dear AWESOME:
Yes! The process of using our software prior to its release is called “dogfooding.” Microsoft has a long history of testing our own products internally.

What may have originally started as an email way back in 1988 – has grown to a corporate-wide program. These days, dogfooding is a big part of our company culture and one of the many things that make Microsoft a great place to work.

No matter if you are a Microsoft lawyer or Microsoft Game Studios animator; you get the chance to take new software for a test run before it hits the shelves. For all you Trekkies out there: “Dammit Jim, I’m a recruiter. Not a software developer,” but during dogfooding, I too get to play my part in the development and testing process.

The great thing about dogfooding is that it’s win-win. Many teams use the data and feedback collected from the dogfooding process to improve their products prior to release. At the same time, employees get to enjoy the perks of trying out cutting-edge software before anybody else. This gives us all a voice in molding the direction features might take.

While dogfooding can be quite fun and rewarding – it’s important to remember that it’s pre-release software and often involves a lot of work too! Therefore, there are a variety of tools, distribution lists and other resources aimed to help employees manage their dogfooding experience and ensure a positive user experience.

Also – I’d be amiss not to mention the importance of confidentiality. As an employee excited about the future of our products, it’s important not to let that excitement outpace our team’s disclosure plans - and you never know what features may be added or cut along the way.

To that end, while I’d love to tease out some of the great products I’m currently dogfooding, it’s all top secret... so I’ll play it safe by only mentioning our public consumer preview.That’s one you can all go out and give a run.
-Kenji

PS: Since I know a percentage of our readers are current employees and contractors, you can check out //dogfood while on our internal network for more information on current programs available and how to sign up.

Top Jobs in IT: Why I left Google – and returned to Microsoft

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 13:00:32 GMT

Geek in question: James Whittaker

Job title: Partner Development Manager – Bing Mobile

James Whittaker is a top visionary at Bing who is focused on making the web a better place for users and developers. He’s had a storied career from his days as a hacker in the late 80s to a startup founder to professor to Microsoftie to Googler and back.

James’ March 13, 2012 blog post “Why I left Google” has been burning up the web and making headlines on sites as disparate as CNN and TheNextWeb.

While the aptly named article gets right to the heart of why James is no longer at Google, people wanted to know “Why he returned to Microsoft.” I interviewed James at his office to get some insight.

James, you worked at Microsoft before working at Google?
I did work for Microsoft and, while I was a professor at Florida Tech, I also consulted with them continuously from 1994 through 2006. Among other things, I was on Microsoft’s Trustworthy Computing Academic Advisory Board.

After your time at Google, you could take your pick of any tech company. Why did you return to a company where you had already worked?
The answer comes down to going where I need to go to accomplish what I want to accomplish. I can’t come to terms with the current state of the internet: that you search for something and just come up with ten blue links. It can be so much more, should be so much more and will be so much more.

My goal is to make the whole web work better and while that is certainly not a fix just one company can make, it has been proven again and again during my career that if there is one company that can engage the developer community as a whole, it is Microsoft.

What are the advantages to working for “search” at Microsoft?
Unlike Google, we don’t have an advertising empire to protect. We are not invested in the broken search model. But, we too have indexed the whole world’s information and we are well-placed to make the best use of it.

We have one clear mission: to make the web more useful and more beautiful. We are not hampered by the past. At Microsoft, I know I will be able to make a fundamental contribution to the future of the web.

Beyond search, what are the advantages of software and IT careers at Microsoft?
Microsoft has an amazing concentration of really smart people. Moreover, Microsoft is not a single business. It is an OS, platforms, web, cloud, apps and the list goes on. There is a billion dollar business in practically every hallway. Here you can follow your passions in whichever direction they take you.

Follow James on Twitter @docjamesw.

Finding jobs in IT Part II: The Inside Scoop from a recent COLLEGE hire

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 13:00:23 GMT

Geek in question: Sam Doan

Job title: Associate Consultant for the Microsoft Academy for College Hires (MACH) Program

Sam grew up in Vietnam and later Georgia. He's a recent graduate of the University of Georgia—Terry College of Business and just started at Microsoft in the MACH Program.

He read our Finding jobs in IT: job interview advice story last week and wanted to give similar advice but for college hires. Take it away Sam:

Ever since I was a child, I have always been fascinated by technology and inspired by Bill Gates. I used to tell everyone that I would work for Microsoft one day—and now that day is here!

Being a kid from a small town in Vietnam who grew up with nothing taught me many valuable lessons and made me work hard to achieve my goals. I am also the first one in my family to attend college and I am very humbled to have not only this opportunity with Microsoft but also a chance to share my experience with college seniors who are interested in working for the company.

Getting Noticed
The best way for you to be noticed during recruiting events is to be proactive. Do not sit back and expect opportunities to come your way. Go the extra mile and make yourself stand out from the crowd. Make sure you leave a good first impression with the recruiter because he/she determines if you get an interview or not. That said, you should always be yourself and remember to have fun.

During the Job Interview
You should be prepared and have a thorough understanding of the company and the role that you applied for. Prior to your interview with Microsoft, you should have your resume critiqued by a career counselor and participate in, at least, one mock interview so you’ll be comfortable in the real interview.

It is essential that you are able to articulate your past experiences and the results of your contributions at past organization and be able to relate these things to the position for which you are now interviewing. The interview questions are designed to be vague and you are expected to ask thought-provoking questions. They are more interested in your thought process than your answers. So, make sure to ask a lot of questions to show how you approach and solve problems.

After the Job Interview
After the interview, always ask for contact information and write a thank you email to your interviewer within 24 hours. The resume only gets you in the door, but how you connect and present yourself in the interview gets you the job.

What is the MACH Program?
The MACH Program is a two-year career development program that strives to develop world class leaders in sales, marketing and services. It focuses on each individual’s career path and offers amazing support from a worldwide community. The program is designed to be vigorous and challenging so you can push yourself to the next level.

Key Takeaway
The key takeaway from this experience is for you to always believe in yourself. The biggest mistake that you can make is thinking that you are not good enough, but the reality is that you are good enough. Go in there with confidence and a positive attitude and enjoy the moment!

Top jobs in IT: Microsoft Research Chief Scientist recognized for pioneering online video technology

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 13:00:51 GMT

Geek in Question: Henrique “Rico” Malvar

Job title: Chief Scientist and Distinguished Engineer of Microsoft Research (MSR)

If you’ve ever used online videoconferencing with Skype, or watched YouTube videos, you can thank Rico Malvar. No, he didn’t singlehandedly invent the technology, but he was intimately involved in the creation of technologies that power audio and video on the Internet.

I sat down with Rico to learn why a man who could have a job at any company built his career and found his intellectual home at Microsoft.

Rico, I hear you were just elected to the National Academy of Engineers (NAE). Can you tell us a little about that?
Yes, I was pretty surprised. It is one of the top professional distinctions given to an engineer. It is quite an honor as other NAE members include Bill Gates and [MSR Chief Research Officer] Rick Rashid.

Congratulations. Were you always interested in engineering, even as a kid?
I was interested in electronics since I was a little boy in Rio de Janeiro and Brasília, Brazil. Both of my parents were professors who taught statistics. I was the first person in my family to go into engineering.

How and when did you move to the United States?
I got my PhD in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT. Afterwards, I went back to Brazil and taught at University of Brasília for 7 or 8 years prior to being recruited by a company in Boston. It was not an easy decision as I was happy being a professor.

And that was your crossover from academia to industry?
Yes, I was VP of Research and Advanced Technology at PictureTel which was one of the first videoconferencing companies. It was a great experience, but, eventually, I ran out of options to learn and be more involved in the creation of new technologies.

How then did you come to Microsoft?
I knew Microsoft Research offered a great combination of research and industry., I wrote an email to Nathan Myrvhold, Microsoft’s Chief Technology Officer at the time, and told him about my background and interests. My wife told me I was crazy for trying, but by the next morning I had an email inviting me out to Redmond for an interview. That was 1997 and I’ve been here ever since. And I’vewatched MSR triple in size.

Has Microsoft Research lived up to your expectations?
It exceeded those expectations and continues to exceed them. There is so much opportunity here that I have never, and will never, feel limited as I did in my prior jobs in IT.

At Microsoft Research, we have the best combination of innovative, blue sky research and practical application. I can brainstorm the future of computing or walk down the hall, knock on the door of the head of a global technology like Windows, Office or Xbox Kinect – and figure out how to create a new solution.

How do the three core software engineering jobs at Microsoft relate to each other?

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 13:00:39 GMT

Dear JobsBlog:
I understand how Program Managers and Software Development Engineers work together at Microsoft. But how do the Software Development Engineers in Test (SDETs) fit in with those other engineering disciplines at the company?

-SDET Candidate Looking for Clarification

Dear SCLC:
As in my last Dear JobsBlog post, I went right to the source and asked John Rodrigues, the Principal Test Lead for Hotmail, for his insights. John said:

Software Development Engineers in Test (SDETs) are a part of our core software engineering team which, in most parts of Microsoft, are comprised of three disciplines: SDET, Software Development Engineers (SDEs) and Program Managers (PMs).

Unlike at other tech companies, SDETs are more than just “testers” and are a first class citizen within this engineering triad. They are a central software engineering career at the company. They work daily with their counterparts to design, develop, qualify, ship and maintain software. From conception to termination, an SDET is involved in all aspects of the software development lifecycle.

As an SDET, you will be expected to engage in product and feature decisions, architectural roadmaps, product designs, prototype development and testing, automation development, bug analysis and fixing, and debugging.

Often, a small team of SDET’s, SDE’s, and PM’s are created to tackle a particular component or feature. This small triad of engineers has a close working relationship and will typically meet daily to discuss the work completed, complications that arose, and what is left to ship. The SDET is the gatekeeper for when a component, feature and overarching product is ready to go live.

Simply put, these three disciplines are at the core of Microsoft’s engineering DNA and work together to build some of the most widely used products in the world. The SDET role is of equal importance to both the PM and SDE roles.

Thanks so much. We hope this helped you to better understand software engineering careers at Microsoft.
-Colleen