The JobsBlog

Microsoft International Development Centers

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:19:14 GMT

I've got good news for International job seekers interested in Microsoft software development opportunities, but not ready to relocate Stateside: we have jobs in the places you live!

This is the first in a series to showcase some of our global development centers and development teams. They are working on a wide variety of different technology and products with the team sizes range from big to small. The one thing that they all have in common is that they have huge impact on products that are used around the world. I'm looking forward to sharing the interviews and pictures from these places around the world.

So keep an eye on JobsBlog for my posts over the next months as we go around the world - meeting the people who build the software we use. Our first stop next week will be in Oslo, Norway.

In the meantime, for a listing of all of our development opportunities – visit the below links. There may not be openings right now in all of these locations, but join the Talent Network and get notified as opportunities become available within your location and technology interests.

Canada: Click Here
China: Click Here
Europe: Click Here
India: Click Here
Israel: Click Here
Japan: Click Here
For all other positions and locations: Click Here

Thanks all – hope this helps you find that job you’ve been looking for….it is possibly closer to home then you thought!

-Anne

International Development Center Series: Norway

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 21:22:21 GMT

In my last post I mentioned that we would be touring the globe visiting some of our international development centers. Our first stop: Oslo, Norway. Take a moment to find out more about one of the 'Softies that works at this location and what he works on. Some pretty interesting stuff happens on our campuses around the world!

All the best - Anne

‘Softie in Question: Sveinar Rasmussen
Position at Microsoft: Principal SDE
Group: Search Foundation, IEG
Location: Oslo, Norway

Tell me more about the Microsoft offices in Oslo?
The offices here are nice. Last year (2011), a few areas in the offices here were refurbished. A sip of coffee in the new library is relaxing between the coding sessions – and there is a foosball table too, kicking back with games and consoles. The atmosphere is relaxed but with lively loud discussions sometimes. The cantina food is great with a huge selection of salads plus a hot dish every day. On most Fridays there are plenty of cakes to counter those healthy salads, too! It’s balanced.

What is it like to work at Microsoft in one of our subsidiary offices compared to working in the US Headquarters?
Despite its Redmond-centric past, I feel that Microsoft is embracing the subsidiary offices quite well. With extensive use of Lync, the practical difference isn´t huge. Being a subsidiary, I believe we are in on the action. Naturally, we cannot attend the yearly huge company meeting in person - but we do get the luxury of attending these meetings from the comfort of our chair. Another thing that I feel is very heartwarming and respectfully impressive: Redmondians happily suggest Lync outside their working hours. We get the same employee benefits like a fantastic free Windows Phone 7 device... and discounted Kinect sensors and games etc.

What was the reason you considered applying to Microsoft? How did you find out about the specific role you are currently in right now?
I would claim that Microsoft is a company for us engineers. And with the focus on delivering quality software, I feel that one can truly be proud of what Microsoft is doing to stay relevant in the technology sector. The competition is fierce, but we are tenacious. But with certain innovative products in the market now like Office 2010, Windows 7, Xbox360, Kinect, Bing and Windows Phone 7, there is a huge customer base that follows. When you have so many users of our products, the impact of this great engineering playground offers a great place to work building the next version of Office.

I have been writing search engines for over a decade. Microsoft acquired our team here back in 2008. The role I have today is mostly the same as it has been all along - having fun, learning and building a platform to help people with finding stuff they need. Being a principal software engineer for enterprise search is rewarding. I blessed with skilled co-workers here with strong problem solving abilities, expertise in server side development with emphasis on scalability, reliability and security.

Any tips to job seekers around the world interested in relocating to Oslo and working at Microsoft?
Oslo is not a big city, the weather isn’t particularly warm during the Norwegian winters... but the working atmosphere that Microsoft offers, the friendly warm people in our distributed group coupled with the joy of tech = makes my day. Maybe it will do the same for you, too?

The Microsoft Interview Process

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:05:27 GMT

I’m sure the enterprising reader has already read through this site and numerous others to piece together our interview process, however I don’t believe we’ve ever fully outlined it in one place. (Ginny did a great post on the college process– though it’s slightly different than what’s used for experienced candidates.)

So what’s going on from the experienced/industry candidate side? Here’s the general Microsoft interview process (from an industry recruiter’s perspective – mine!)

Application (via our Microsoft Careers website)
Recruiter review (See below for more details)
Recruiter interview (often by phone, sometimes email)
Technical Interview (phone, in person, email, or Live Meeting)
On-site interview (also in rare situations: Video Teleconference or Live Meeting)

Now, the details for each of these steps can vary slightly by recruiter and position. And each probably warrants its own topic within this blog. However, the one piece I want to focus on today is Recruiter Review, as this hasn't been discussed much previously.

"Recruiter Review" is the step during which the recruiter is reviewing the resumes for all the various applicants on a given position. To do this, the recruiter applies a search algorithm to pull a list of applicants which closely matches the requirements for that position. The recruiter then goes through that list of applicants, reading each individual resume to determine who to move forward and contact.

What does this mean for you? Well, remember this post from Gretchen way back when? What’s better than one recruiter attempting to read every resume submission that matches our profile? 200+ recruiters checking resume submissions and matching them against our profiles! :-). Keep in mind we’re only human, but we’re out there looking and matching every day!

So what’s the next step? Search our site, narrow your search to the right jobs, and apply online. Oh, and if you happen to come across anything that mentions Windows Live – click those first! ;-)

- Kenji (who also happens to recruit for Window Live ;-)

The best way to list skills on your resume

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:37:49 GMT

Dear JobsBlog: I've done it before, and I've seen it in virtually every resume that I come across. But let’s put the question to rest. What is your take on the famous "list of skills" like: "Programming lauguages: C#, Java, C++ Software Design: UML, Merise Services and Hosting: Web Services, WCF, OData, Windows Azure platform." Are they always good, always bad, or "it depends"? Should this list be included on a resume? If so, why? Thanks in advance!

-List of Skills

Dear List: As a Developer or Engineer, your main skill or trade is your ability to code, build, ship, optimize, test, and solve problems. As recruiters we review a lot of resumes and appreciate it when you include the arsenal of technical skills you have with regards to specific programming languages, database experience, and other tools/technologies. So yes, you should include this information. With one caveat: what we don’t want to see are technologies listed you barely have experience with. If you’ve used XML once and aren’t well versed in it, it is better to leave it off your resume. Anything you list is fair game to call out during a technical interview/screen. It doesn’t bode well to list things you aren’t very familiar with. We know you have a lot to offer and that you have broad technical ability but we want it to be clear to us what you have done and what your areas of strengths are technically. For example, by your skills list alone we can tell if you’re a hard core Microsoft technologies engineer, someone who fully immersed in the mobile world, a UI Developer, or someone who is focused on the LAMP stack.

Beyond technical skills, if you have a strong ability or domain expertise in an area please call that out. Without clearly listing this, we won’t know what your expertise is in, what jobs might best suited for you, and better yet what your technical background looks like. Also if you have special skills such as experience with R, machine learning, data mining, Hadoop, or MapReduce to name a few, we would love to be able to see these skills listed clearly. Writing a resume is not an easy or quick task however erring on the side of simplicity, getting straight to the point about what your contribution was for each job, and clearly citing your strong ability in certain technical areas is probably your safest bet. A resume is supposed to summarize your skills and experience on paper, it’s job is to get you that phone screen and interview. Help us understand you on paper and get you to the next step in finding your new career.

Good luck!
Eugenia

From NERD to One to Watch

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 21:15:52 GMT

‎‎Microsoft's renowned social media researcher danah boyd (yes, the lower case is intentional) is in the news again since Fortune magazine announced her as One to Watch.

danah is currently off doing fieldwork, so we decided to run our Microspotting interview with her from early 2009 - shortly after she started working for Microsoft.

How's it going getting settled into NERD, aka Microsoft's New England Research & Development center?
I haven't done enough nesting yet, but so far, so good. mostly, it's a crash course in setting up computers, balancing meetings, figuring out hierarchies, learning the intranet … a radical change from the last six months of never leaving my couch just writing, writing, writing. ‎

Right: you're not only transitioning into a new job and new city -- but also out of dissertation mode. How's that going?
Yup. New city, new job, far far far far far more human interaction. I mean, in the last six months of my dissertation, i really didn't see anyone but my partner. I was a COMPLETE hermit. Mandatory isolation is required training to be an academic. That said, I'm loving the people at NERD, so it’s a welcome re-intro into civilization. I mean, they’re just as geeky as I am!

So, give me a glimpse into the range of researchers on your team.
Well, we have 7 full-timers including physicists, a mathematician, a cryptographer, a game theorist and a theoretical computer scientist — or at least I think that's what they are. They label me a sociologist which always makes me giggle, so i can't imagine how badly i'm doing labeling them. ‎‎

You research social interactions on the web, but aren't a sociologist. Do you identify more with information systems?
Scholarly labels come with a lot of baggage -- they mean specific things about method, theory, framing. I'm pretty darn interdisciplinary in my approach to scholarship. My work in the last few years would be closest to anthropology, but most anthropologists wouldn't count me in their club. Rick Rashid calls me a computer scientist which just makes me ROFL. Honestly, i avoid those labels like the plague, but here, it’s kinda tricky.

I'm super curious about your decision to come to Microsoft -- especially given the fact that some in the social media industry have been known to hate on Microsoft ...
I wrote a rant on my blog about why i chose this lab. I don't really care about what the industry has to say about MSFT. I’m here because it’s the most interesting place i could be at.

Which was rougher: defending your dissertation or defending your choice to work for Microsoft?
Honestly, I can't even compare my dissertation or job. . . both pale in comparison to defending the Enhancing Child Safety and Online Technologies Task Force Report that I put out. It’s been complete hell trying to get politicians to accept data that doesn’t match their worldview. It made everything else feel like cake.

What do you like about working here?
What I really care about is that the company values research. Microsoft Research is hands down the most impressive research institution i’ve seen. Even though my research has product implications, i’m not a product person, but i love being in a place where my work funnels into products. I also think a lot of folks underestimate the role that MSFT plays in shaping policy, both explicitly and implicitly. I hope my research also shapes policy going forward.

Interesting. What policies are you most curious about impacting?
Well, right now, the policies related to youth and the internet … but in general, policies and practices that involve information sharing and communication. There's always an interaction between companies and policy. At the most mundane, companies have to figure out how to implement policies that are put into place. But companies also shape how those policies are formed, how they are thought about, and how they are implemented. MSFT has played a major role in many different policies and it's been shaped by them too.

So, once you get settled in, what are you must excited about sinking your teeth into, research wise?
Mostly, i've been puzzling about boundaries, especially around the notions of public/private and how people manage tensions of audiences online. Everyone's up in arms saying that the kids don't get privacy. And of course there's the old battle cry that privacy is dead. But i think that both are dead wrong. I think that privacy is playing out in new ways that are connected to the dynamics of social media. So, i want to explore that. In the short-term, it'll mostly mean looking at things like Twitter and Facebook Status Updates and whatnot, but i’m more into the bigger issues than those particular technologies.

LINKS: • a longer interview with danah: research.microsoft.com • danah's website: danah.org • danah's blog: zephoria.org/thoughts • danah's research: danah.org/papers • danah's twitter: twitter.com/zephoria

Viral video lands Brandon Foy at Microsoft

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 20:22:23 GMT

By Thomas Kohnstamm

Geek in question: Brandon Foy

Job title: User Experience Designer, Windows

Earlier this year, a shockingly good Window Phone 7 fan video was making the rounds online and creating a lot of chatter on social media.

Microsoft tracked down video’s creator, Florida native Brandon Foy, and invited him to make a second video for MIX11. If the video got 200K views, Microsoft promised to use it as a TV ad.

While the video didn’t make it to TV (yet), Brandon scored himself a pretty decent consolation prize: a full-time job as a User Experience (UX) Designer in Windows.

Not too shabby, Brandon.

I sat down with Brandon at his new office on the Redmond campus to discuss how he surprised Microsoft with his WP7 video and how Microsoft surprised him with its commitment to design.

Your work is really impressive. Where’d you get your skills?
I’ve been interested in design, technology and music since I was a little kid growing up in South Florida.

I studied design at Full Sail University and also learned a lot about motion graphics, computer animation and compositing. I’m always looking for a new challenge.

Did you ever think that your video would land you a job at Microsoft?
People are always complimenting me on “my plan to get a job at Microsoft.” Honestly, I wasn’t looking to come and work here. I didn’t even know that Microsoft had high-level design opportunities.

Where did you want to work?
I had recently graduated and was interning at Full Sail while I sorted out my next step. I was pretty focused on getting into the film industry, but – more importantly –I wanted to go where I could make an impact.

How’d you get the idea to make the video then?
My cousin and I are very close and have always shared a passion for technology. He’s a big “Microsoft guy” and had a new Windows Phone 7.

I was amazed by the principles of motion design that the phone exhibited; it was the first time I had ever seen a mobile device go that route. As a flipped through the phone, I started to imagine the motion graphics with music behind them.

I like to create all sorts of different things, but making music is my “foundation.” I always have a soundtrack coursing through my head. When I am doing things, even regular day-to-day things, I add music in my mind – especially music timed to movement.

I told my cousin about my idea and he encouraged me to turn it into a video.

How long did it take you to make?
A couple of weeks. And towards the end, I wasn’t sleeping very much. I finished it, posted it on YouTube and some social media and then crashed.

I had the first solid night of sleep in a while and woke up to find out that the video had already gone viral. Hashtags and everything. I mean, it really blew up.

That’s when you started getting calls from Microsoft?
Yeah, it was crazy. All of a sudden, I was speaking with five different people at Microsoft.

They were like, “Can you make another video for Mix11?”

And Microsoft brought you out to the event in Las Vegas?
Yes. It was a very cool experience, but also surreal.

I couldn’t believe it was all happening until I was up on the stage in Vegas. And next thing I knew, I was out here in Redmond, interviewing for design roles.

Is the company pretty different from what you imagined?
I’m impressed by how much youthful influence we have on the team. There’s a lot to learn from people who’ve been on the team for a while, but they also listen to us and really value our ideas.

There’s a devotion to design here. The focus on design runs much deeper than at a lot of agencies known only for their creative work.

What would you say to other young designers who are starting their careers?
While agency work or something like film can be fascinating, Windows is where it’s at – it is the base for everything.

Not only do I challenge myself as a designer every day, but I know that my work is really going to impact peoples’ lives around the world.

LINKS:

Brandon’s design site: www.brandonfoy.tv

Brandon’s music site: www.phnkmusic.com

Listen to Brandon’s music here: www.soundcloud.com/phnk

The Fastest Engineer in Hyderabad

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:01:42 GMT

Geek in question: Steve Kaplan

Job title: Program Manager at Microsoft India Development Center (MSIDC) in Hyderabad.

Other titles: Runner. Marathoner. The fastest engineer at the MSIDC.

Upon shipping CRM 2011, Steve Kaplan sat at his desk at Microsoft headquarters in Redmond pondering his next step. A few months later, he logged in from his new desk at Microsoft’s India Development Center (MSIDC) in Hyderabad.

Although working and living on the other side of the planet, Steve took with him his passion for adventure, technology and hardcore distance running. He also took a passion to learn from India and his new co-workers.

I spoke with Steve via Lync to find out why he made this move and what makes him tick.

Did you always know you wanted to work for Microsoft?
Growing up, I was always passionate about technology and Microsoft software was always in my house. As a teenager, I read every book by Bill Gates and thought that working at Microsoft sounded cool.

How did you first start working here?
During my junior year at Carnegie Mellon, I did an internship at MSN Money. It was an amazing experience. I got to build real things and ship a real product. I had an offer to come back again as an intern, but instead I went to Salesforce.com for my next summer to work in their Professional Services group. I wanted to try something different while the stakes were still low.

I learned a lot there too, but also decided that I most wanted to build products. Microsoft was and is really one of the best places for a grad to be an engineer, particularly as a PM. You truly learn how to ship large software at scale. Just as McKinsey might be like finishing school for business types, Microsoft is the same for software nerds.

Tell us about your first role at Microsoft and how it led you to India.
I started as a full-time employee in the CRM product group in 2008. I worked on the team for 3 years and got a ton out of the experience – learning, learning, learning. But after 3 years and shipping CRM 2011, I was ready for a change.

Half of our team was based in Hyderabad and after meeting some of the team who were visiting Redmond, I got the idea that I would like to work as an engineer in India.

What was it that drew you to India in particular?
I’ve always been fascinated by India – it is the world’s largest democracy and has such rich cultural history. At the same time, I was also looking to work outside of my normal comfort zone – as that’s when I have some of the most interesting experiences.

What was the process of getting the job and moving?
I met with the Group Program Manager from Hyderabad while he was in Redmond and interviewed then. He was interested, so I did a field trip to India for two weeks to try to wrap my head around what I was about to do.

I decided to go for it. Microsoft was extremely supportive in terms of logistics. They shipped all of my stuff. I had a stipend for relocation expenses and even a relocation consultant. The consultant helped me to get the lay of the land, including a car, apartment and a driver. Incredibly, this made it possible for me to be in the office and getting stuff done on day one.

How does working at MSIDC compare to working in Redmond?
As someone who grew up in the US, there is so much wild stuff happening here in India that work is actually the most familiar thing to me. From the physical campus to the work culture, it is very similar to Redmond. Specifically at MSIDC, it is amazing to see the deep engineering contribution teams are making to several Microsoft products from CRM to Office to Bing. MSIDC is truly a key location in Microsoft’s global shared development strategy.

And you’ve continued your outside-of-work interests in India too?
Running has always been a passion of mine and I’ve brought that with me, even to India. I’ve been training five to six days a week. I recently ran the Hyderabad Marathon, traveled to Berlin for another and am now competing in all of the major distance races in India. I just completed the Mumbai Marathon this past weekend and finished 6th in the open race.

Since I’ve been in India, I’ve met a lot of local runners online. And through them I’ve figured out times and places to run. It is important to go early in the morning here before it gets too hot and the streets get too crowded or noisy. This actually forces me to be much more disciplined about my running and I have to say that I think I am in the best running shape of my life.

Do you meet other North Americans who have moved to India to work in tech?
I’m surprised that there aren’t more young people doing something like this, especially considering all that is happening in India. I think this is really an amazing opportunity.

What’s next?
China? Maybe. I love that I can work in different countries and get these experiences all within Microsoft while still being focused on building the best products.

Inspired by Steve's story? Here are the top engineering positions open at MSIDC. Take a look. You might be suprised at what you find!

Group Program Manager, Microsoft Office Division

Principal Test Manager, Microsoft Office Division

User Experience Manager, Microsoft Office Division

User Experience Designer, Bing

Test Manager, Online Services Division

Senior Test Lead, Windows

Senior Development Lead, Microsoft Business Solutions

Partner Director SDE, Server & Tools Business

Partner Development Manager, Server & Tools Business

Translating Military Experience to Real World Jobs

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 17:23:36 GMT

Sometimes we get questions that even our expert staff needs a little extra help answering. We are very lucky that we have so many talented recruiters at Microsoft to draw from. Today we have a special guest post from Joe Wallis who agreed to help us out with this question from a reader.

Dear JobsBlog: I will finish my degree in Information Technology in a few months. Technically, I am inexperienced in the job market, but I have 11 years of experience in the Air Force. During those years I've set up SharePoint portal pages, developed databases, managed accounts etc. Basically, I've worked on computer systems and programs with no real focus but to "get the job done". My question is how do I use those skills I picked up in the military to make me appeal more to hiring managers, specifically Microsoft? - Very Eager Technologist

Dear V.E.T. - That is a great question and we appreciate your interest in Microsoft. First of all, thank you for your service and Microsoft wishes you the best of luck in your career search!

As you finish your degree in Information Technology and with your computer systems background in the Air Force, Microsoft is a great place to leverage your skills and a company that values your experience. Microsoft has a specific military/veteran recruiting program called Militay2Microsoft. We use the tagline “We Still Serve”. A great place to start engaging our program is at our website, www.westillserve.com. Our site has several functions that can assist in finding the right opportunities to match your experience. We have a MOS/AFSC/NEC decoder tool that will present you with open positions at Microsoft that best match your military specialty.

Every Friday afternoon between 12 and 3 PM PST, you can chat with veterans at Microsoft through our website and find out how they made their transition to Microsoft. Veterans representing our internal Microsoft Military Community are available to answer your questions concerning a career at Microsoft.

Our website also has a function to join our Talent Network and set up a search agent that will email you open positions that match your experience at whatever frequency you want. This is set up with keyword entries and is a great way see where your skills currently match to Microsoft open positions. I would also recommend you follow our social media sites at LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. Our social pages are all named “We Still Serve” and can be found on our website.

As our program presents numerous well qualified veterans to our staffing organization and our internal Military Microsoft community advocates within their businesses for veterans, hiring managers are becoming well aware of the great skills and experience our veterans bring to Microsoft. Again, good luck in your career search and we look forward to hearing from you.

Regards,

Joe

Good Science's Shannon Loftis: Gaming as critical work

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 14:00:42 GMT

Geek in question: Shannon Loftis

Job title: Studio Head – Good Science Studio

Shannon Loftis can barely walk ten steps on campus without someone waving to her, saying hello or shouting her name. Since starting as a temp at Microsoft in 1992, Shannon has spent almost 20 years rising through the ranks of gaming and making more than a few friends and admirers along the way.

As the head of the company’s prestigious Good Science Studio, her team was tasked with creating the original games for Xbox Kinect. Good Science’s first release was Kinect Adventures, which shipped with every first-generation Kinect.

I met up with Shannon to find out the secret of her ongoing success in one of the most desirable and competitive areas in the tech industry.

How did you get your start in gaming?
In the mid 90s, I was doing database design and project management for Microsoft. The story I heard was that Bill Gates was really into playing online bridge and decided that we should have a version of the game on the then-emerging technology of MSN.

I came to games to work on that project, which evolved into a virtual card table, which evolved into an online gaming service, which evolved into a lot of other new things. At the same time, Microsoft was ramping up in sports games, flight simulation games, and was inventing new ways of PC gaming.

You must have seen gaming change quite a bit since then.
Gaming is big business these days. It is huge compared to other types of entertainment - even movies. The industry has a lot of creative brilliance and with Kinect we are really pushing the boundaries of technology. The technology is just so much more powerful now, and we can do so much more for people.

While some people dismiss gaming as too violent or just for kids, there is much more to it than that. It’s critical work. Entertainment is a fundamental human need, and gaming is a great way to give people a moment of pleasure and enjoyment in an otherwise stressful day. Life gets faster and faster paced and interactive entertainment is a great release.

There are a lot of other game studios out there. Why have you stayed with Microsoft?
I fell in love with the culture and still find it intoxicating that everyone around is so smart and is somebody you can learn from.

That and Microsoft’s huge range of opportunities. You never find yourself at a dead end here. There’s always something new and exciting and the company keeps evolving. For example, it is the only company that could pull off something like Kinect.

How did Good Science start?
A bunch of people started working on Kinect when it was still “Project Natal” back at the end of ‘08. All that we had at that point was a rudimentary camera duct-taped to a very expensive PC with a high-end graphics card. It was up to us to turn that into a consumer-friendly product.

I was working for Microsoft in the United Kingdom at the time and the company asked me to move back to Redmond to start Good Science in ‘09. Our goal was to figure out what kinds of experiences were best to introduce Kinect to the world.

And how did you structure the studio?
Good Science bridges the gap between incubation and research. The goal was to make a team of flexible creative generalists. We wanted to find the best way to introduce the world to full-body, no controller gaming and no-barriers UI. Hence, Kinect Adventures. And we’ve got some great new stuff in store too.

How many people work at the studio?
The size of Good Science is wildly variable as it expands and contracts depending on the projects at hand. At the smallest it can be 45 people and at the largest it is about 75.

So, it’s like its own startup within Microsoft?
Microsoft is a fairly fractal company, so teams must know how to stand on their own. Good Science has a ton of creative freedom, like a startup, but we’re able to tackle big challenges and boldly move forward with the support of Microsoft.

Unlike a lot of startups, we have the focus and depth to make really big bets.

Did you know right away that you were onto something huge with Kinect?
We had lots of challenges to overcome but knew pretty quickly that what we had was magic. Seeing the crowd reaction when we showed it off at E3 in 2009 was one of the most exciting experiences of my life.

Do you plan to stay in gaming for the rest of your career?
It’s likely too late for me to cure cancer or go the moon, so this is still my shot at deep, fulfilling work.

Kinect is already profound and will be even more so in the future. For example: there is a Kinect “hack,” Jewel Mine, that helps rehabilitate people who have had strokes as the interactive movements can repair neural damage.

This is all just the start. I look forward to being along for the journey.

Why work at Microsoft? International Microfilms Contest Shows Why

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 14:00:25 GMT

A few months ago we published a brief story on a contest we were running at Microsoft that challenged our employees to tell us why they loved working here in a video of 10 seconds. 10 seconds is not so much time when you think about it. But our US winners were impressive in their creativity.

The contest was also run with our offices globally and we now have the exclusive video from the international winners. Check out the moving, hair raising, and downright heart felt submissions by the winners from our offices around the world. Congratulations!

After viewing the films, take a moment to customize your job search experience with us! You can sign up for individualized job agents and be notified of upcoming events. It only takes a few minutes and it's all here right now!

Emel Ozturk - Microsoft Dubai

Leo Shum - Microsoft China

Basar Guner - Microsoft Istanbul

A Glimpse into the Kinect for Windows Team

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 21:17:39 GMT

Jason Pankow is a regular contributor to Dear JobsBlog, but that's just in his spare time. His real job is devoted to searching the world over for top technical talent - most recently as part of Kinect for Windows. Jason took a few minutes to write about his new recruiting gig with this group at Microsoft. The stuff they are working on is pretty unreal. But don't take my word for it. Just read what he has to say...then see if you or someone you know is ready to take on a new career challenge in 2012!

About 2 months ago, I started supporting the Kinect for Windows team. At first I was unsure what to expect. Kinect was launched to change the way people play games and experience entertainment. How would that translate to Windows? I honestly had no clue. Here is what I have learned about the innovative and highly gifted Kinect for Windows (K4W) team and the product they’re developing.

The release of Kinect for Xbox in late 2010 not only resulted in a Guinness World Record being set for the “fastest selling consumer electronics device,” but it lit a fire of innovation. Technology savvy consumers and developers quickly saw the advantages of using Kinect to interact with computers using simple gestures, voice commands, and movement.

The transformative powers and limitless possibilities of Kinect became known as the Kinect Effect.

From around the world, people were using Kinect in ways never before imagined. Recognizing this enthusiasm and energy, Microsoft formed the Kinect for Windows group. K4W is a fast growing team that is building the hardware, software, tools and resources to enable the use of Kinect beyond gaming and entertainment. The team has already launched two beta versions of a non-commercial software development kit (SDK) and will be releasing version 1.0 hardware and software in early 2012.

Lead by Craig Eisler, formerly the Corporate Vice President for Entertainment Clients and the Zune Music and Video Business, Kinect for Windows has the passion, drive, and resourcefulness of a startup while being part of a well-established Microsoft business group. The team has grown rapidly and WE’RE STILL GROWING!

We are actively looking for people with diverse backgrounds and experiences to join the team!

What does it take to succeed in the Kinect for Windows group? I asked Craig who explained, “We’re seeking people who embrace constant innovations and welcome the opportunity to become a part of the journey. As a new group, team members must have the flexibility to accept new challenges and branch into areas that have yet to be defined.”

So…is this you? Currently, the team is hiring software development engineers and technical program managers. Engineer roles are available for a range of skills and experience levels including system development for audio and graphics systems, building and executing automated and manual test plans, and developing SDKs and UI frameworks.

Check out our latest Kinect for Windows job openings for full details on what kinds of qualifications we’re seeking.

Microsoft encourages our employees, partners and customers to “Be What’s Next". The breakthrough natural user interface (NUI) platform being developed and evangelized by the Kinect for Windows team isn’t just on the cutting edge of technology…it is what’s next!

In early 2012, the Kinect for Windows commercial program will launch -- ushering in the use of Kinect-enabled devices in education, healthcare, automotive, retail, and more. This program will also increase the need for people of varying viewpoints, ready to lay the groundwork to enable businesses and industries to utilize the many capabilities of Kinect software, hardware, and resources to create innovative, highly interactive applications and experiences for their customers.

If you are a techy geek like me (and I suspect you are or you wouldn’t be reading this post) keep your eye on the Kinect for Windows team.

Think you’re up for the challenge? Feel free to apply and find out.

3 Tips for Getting What You Want in the New Year

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 14:00:55 GMT

Hello Dear JobsBlog Readers,

We are rounding out an amazing year of growth, loss, and change in the world of technology. As a part of the people that make up this workforce, I wanted to reflect on 2011 and starting 2012 - another year full of possibilities and products.

As citizens of the high technology world, this is a chance to think about what you will do in the New Year and what part you will play:

1. Recommit yourself to your job. Maybe you have been thinking the grass is greener but are generally happy with your job. Either recommit yourself to your job – doing the best work possible with a positive attitude - or recommit yourself to finding a job that will get you to do your best work with the best possible attitude. Sometimes the grass isn’t always greener and I think as a whole we need to be thankful for what we have been blessed with. This is a trait often forgotten in this world of tumultuous talent change. If you’re not there personally, you can take steps to get there.

2. Keep yourself marketable. Complacency is another thing that is so easy to fall into. As we all know the economy is something that is uncertain. Equip yourself with what you need to be marketable – a class, a programming language, a mentor. You know you’re marketable when you meet the requirements for jobs you are interested in and get job interviews and offers if you choose to take it that far. Don’t let comfort and loads of work block you from taking care of yourself and your future.

3. Choose your attitude – I hinted about this earlier. Your attitude towards life and work – you control it and it controls the outcome of your work, job, and sometimes life. I’m not saying to view the world with rose colored glasses but be aware that you control your happiness. Sometimes keeping up with Joneses and getting to the next level are not what you are really looking for. Reexamine what your top priorities are and reinvest your time, energy, and attitude to those things.

Here’s to a happy and successful New Year and may 2012 bring you and your families’ great joy, hope, and true happiness.

-Eugenia

Top Ten Microspotting Profiles of 2011

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 19:23:04 GMT

The end of the year is a blur of traditions, predictions, champagne, diet resolutions, family time and, of course, annual “best of” lists for everything and anything you can imagine.

As we don’t want to be left out in the cold, we’ve compiled a list of the Top Ten Microspotting profiles featured on JobsBlog in 2011. With one twist; our list goes to eleven.

This year, we interviewed lone employees who pioneered roles as female developers and employees overcoming challenges. We also got to know groups like Microsoft’s a cappella choir and couples who found love at the company. We met those who are exploring the frontiers of technology and others who are educating the next generation of tech innovators. And, of course, we sniffed out the unexpected from the former NFL prospect who went pro at Microsoft to the employee who moonlights as the mascot for the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks (and uses the position to raise money to fight multiple sclerosis).

Without further fanfare, here is the list of our favorite Microspotting stories from 2011. The stories are not ranked in any particular order, but all are sure to inspire.

1. Ben Martens, North America’s most ambitious ski bum

2. Our Valentine’s Day tribute to love found at Microsoft

3. Janet Galore, explaining the future of technology

4. Ryan Asdourian, Microsoft’s #1 Seahawks fan and superhero fundraiser

5. Ed Donahue & Ashley Myers, two-time Imagine Cup finalists and Microsoft co-workers

6. Sue Loh, inspiring future coders through retro gaming

7. Betsy Speare, blazing trails and building community for female developers

8. Jenny Lay Flurrie, embracing disability, finding success and helping others do the same

9. Boris Erickson, Xbox LIVE’s Enforcement Unicorn Ninja (yes, you read that correctly)

10. Albert Rocker, former NFL prospect goes pro at Microsoft

11. The BaudBoys, Microsoft’s Kings of Geek-A-Cappella

Jenny Lay-Flurrie: working through challenges to achieve success and enable others

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 05:59:01 GMT

‘Softie in question: Jenny Lay-Flurrie

Job title: Senior Director - Advertising Support and Services (AdSS)

By any standard, Jenny Lay-Flurrie has enjoyed an impressive career in the technology industry. But Jenny’s success is even more remarkable when you consider that she spent her education and much of her early career privately struggling with a hearing impairment.

For years, she was able to cope using hearing aids and lip reading, but when Jenny moved from our London office to our Redmond headquarters, she finally embraced her disability and reached out to management for support. We met up with Jenny at her office to talk about her experience and how she’s gone on to spearhead a company-wide cross disability group.

Jenny, did you always want to work in technology?
I actually wanted to be a musician. When I was a child, my mother would have me sit on speakers so that I could feel the music. I played the recorder and then flute, clarinet and piano. I studied music at university with an eye on a career as a musician or music therapist.

Did you do a special music program at school?
I didn’t take special classes or attend special schools. I was in the same programs with everyone else. I have had hearing aids since I was a small child and had some help at different points, but, for the most part, I simply did my best to get by.

In music, it’s very important to prove yourself on your own merits and I wanted to be sure that my work stood for itself.

Tell us about the transition from music to technology.
Alas, when I moved to London after university, like many others, I found it very hard to make a living in music. But I was good with computers and found work at the Daily Mirror doing tech support.

I’m what I call “deceptively deaf,” and rely mostly on lip reading, so my disability remained under the radar. However, it was still challenging to deal with the constant phone calls from anxious journalists with computer problems. I would say “thank you so much, but could you please follow up with an email” and put the phone down. That way, I was sure to get the essential information.

It’s a miracle that I didn’t get fired!

You not only kept your job, but it seems that you excelled.
Again, I made sure that my work stood for itself. I went on to manage helpdesk, technical support and ISP work for Cable and Wireless, T-Mobile and then moved over to Microsoft’s London office.

Was there a catalyst that led you to open up to HR about your disability?
I have to admit that Microsoft is no easy place to work. It was extremely challenging with all of the conference calls, dozens of acronyms and everyone talking a million miles per hour. Suddenly, I was like “whoa there, I’m in over my head, maybe I shouldn’t be doing this.”

Finally, the mentality, tactics and technology that I’d relied upon since my music education hit a wall. I decided that it was time to reach out to Microsoft Human Resources.

And how did they respond?
They really exceeded my expectations. You can be completely open about who you are here. It’s OK to be an individual and your differences are valued. HR put me in touch with all sorts of accommodations and provided support such as ASL interpreters and captioning. I am not told of the cost and my manager does not see the cost either. My challenge now isn’t if I can hear what’s going on, it’s how well I perform my job.

I love that I’m totally supported to do my best work and evaluated on my work performance alone.

Were you directed to employee groups for others with hearing disabilities at Microsoft?
I was directed to an online “huddle” for people with hearing disabilities. It was great as we could discuss everything from the best new hearing aids to how to deal with those pesky conference calls.

The value of our group got me thinking about people with other types of disabilities – some less represented at Microsoft or not represented at all. Disability affects one in five in the global population. Along with some others, we decided to create an “all up” cross-disability group - “The XD.” It’s an umbrella group for all of us at Microsoft and we’ve found amazing company support from Microsoft Global Diversity and Inclusion.

Did management get involved too?
Steven Sinofsky, President of Windows and Windows Live, became our management representation and brought a lot of passion and momentum to the table. With his support, we made a video for Microsoft Global Exchange (MGX) - an annual employee event - that was very well received. Steven has a great enthusiasm for accessibility. He, like us, really wants to enable people to be successful. But this has mostly been a grassroots effort and there are some amazing people at Microsoft that are passionate about this issue.

What’s next?
We’re going to continue to build our internal community and raise awareness with events such as Disability Day and getting events like the company meeting captioned. But we’re also looking forward to raising visibility externally, encouraging people to join and recruiting folks with a diversity of life experience that can bring different ideas and perspectives to the company.

Microsoft’s #1 Seahawks fan and superhero fundraiser

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 05:48:16 GMT

Fighting chronic illness in a giant bird suit, Microsoft's own Ryan Asdourian—and the Seattle Seahawks' mascot Blitz—gears up for the Walk MS event this Sunday at University of Washington's Husky Stadium.

The 'Softie in question: Ryan Asdourian
The job title: Hardware Marketing Lead

It’s no coincidence that Microsoft is full of folks whose outside lives are just as fascinating as their careers. Microsoft’s workplace flexibility attracts those who understand that an ambitious career and outside passions need not be mutually exclusive.

Take, for example, Ryan Asdourian: Microsoft Hardware Marketing Lead by day, he suits up at the Seattle Seahawks’ mascot, Blitz, during football season - all the while raising significant sums of money for multiple sclerosis research.

We caught up with the man behind the beak for a few questions:

Ryan, we’re dying to know, which came first: Microsoft or Blitz?
Microsoft was first. I came here as an intern, eventually got a full-time position and, two years into it, I reached out to the Seahawks. Next thing I knew: I was Blitz, leading insane cheers at the NFL’s loudest stadium.

Just like that? Seems like you’d need a slightly different skill set from hardware marketing.
To be fair, I already had a lot of mascot experience. I was the Gator at the University of Florida back in college. Now, I’ve been Blitz for five years and even have a backup Blitz if I can’t make it to a game. That said, I rarely miss a game.

Considering that you put so much time into Microsoft and being an NFL mascot, where do you find the motivation to do all of this fundraising work we hear about?
In December of 2008, I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS). It was devastating at first. But, I learned that there are lots of treatments out there, and you can still lead a very active life. I decided to use my position to raise awareness and show people that just because you get diagnosed with MS, it isn't the end of the world.

How did the diagnosis affect your job at Microsoft?
Microsoft was and continues to be super-supportive. No matter what I need, whether it’s a special Vitamin D office light or an MRI, I know that Microsoft has my back - that’s one of many reasons that I love this company. Plus, as a Microsoft employee, I have the best insurance on the planet!

Excuse the pun, but it seems like you were uniquely suited to become the mascot for multiple sclerosis fundraising.
Exactly. One of the first things I did was start Team Blitz for the MS Walk event. And we’ll be doing the MS Walk again this April 3rd at 9 a.m.

The best part is that 11 of the other NFL mascots are flying out here to help kick off the walk. We do a convention every year and this year some of the veteran mascots said they wanted to have it in Seattle to support me and help with fundraising. So, even though the NFL is in lockout, all of the mascots are going to come together this year for a common cause.

Do you have an overall fundraising goal this year?
Well, I have this whole theme based on the capacity of the stadium, but if every Seahawks seat holder donated two dollars, we’d have way more than $134,000. All I’m asking for is for two dollars from every Seahawks fan.

One of the coolest things we’re doing is that I have a big prize for $5,000 donors. One donor per game gets to be Blitz’s assistant. You get to be on the field and backstage with me and up to the 300 level with me when I play drums.

Have you involved Microsoft in the fundraising?
Of course. Microsoft will match every dollar employees donate, so a $5,000 donation becomes a $10,000 donation from Microsoft employees. And Microsoft also matches for all my time that I donate to organize the event, which is phenomenal.

I also started an "MS @ MS" email alias at Microsoft. We got the MS Society involved and now have 75 or so people onboard, and it’s been the greatest resource. It’s become a real community.

Do you plan to branch into additional fundraising and charity work?
I am already doing all sorts of work as Blitz, from the Special Olympics to autism walks to kids’ birthday parties, you name it, I’ve been there and done that. I probably do 40 to 50 appearances a year. I’d say that I am booked pretty much every other weekend.

All the while, Microsoft has not only been supportive, but has never made me choose between my passions.

Chasing inspiration: from Imagine Cup to Microsoft

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 05:40:35 GMT

The ‘Softies in question: Ed Donahue and Ashley Myers

The job titles:
Ed: Academic Developer Evangelist
Ashley: SDET, SharePoint Service Experiences

Ed Donahue and Ashley Myers (Tech)cellent Adventure started when they met as undergrad computer science students at DePauw University and competed together in two Imagine Cups (’09 and ’10). Their team, MangoBunnies, made it all the way to the US Finals – not once, but twice.

These two dynamic, young technologists are now both employees of Microsoft with Ashley on the Redmond main campus and Ed holding down her own home office in Washington, D.C.

Microspotting caught up with the two to get the inside scoop on Imagine Cup and life at Microsoft.

First off, I’ve gotta ask: where’d the name MangoBunnies come from?
Ed: It’s ridiculously simple, actually. I thought, mangos are delicious and bunnies are adorable, so, how about MangoBunnies?

Even though your team has a warm and fuzzy name, I hear that you took on some very serious world issues at Imagine Cup. Tell us about your team projects.
Ed: In ‘09, we made Computer Assisted Medication Regimen Adherence, or CAMRA. It reminds HIV/AIDS patients when to take their medication. Keeping patients above a 90% medication adherence rate helps to avoid drug-resistant virus mutation.

Ashley: And in 2010, we made the Light Alert app, which notifies women on their smart phone when they are in an area that has a history of sexual assault.

What are some of the challenges from those Imagine Cup projects that have served you well in the tech industry or specifically at Microsoft?
Ed: I had to make a 20-minute presentation on the CAMRA project, but I’d never spoken that long in public before. I was really nervous. I attended a seminar at Imagine Cup on how to make a presentation, and ended up going back to the hotel that night and making a lot of edits to the speech. The next day: I nailed my presentation.

That success gave me a lot of confidence moving forward and now I’m an Academic Evangelist so I get in front of crowds and have to make presentations at the drop of a hat.

Ashley: I was the lead developer for MangoBunnies, so my experience was a little different, but Imagine Cup was a great bridge for me from academic thinking to industry thinking.

Building an open-ended project taught me the importance of a long-term business plan and helped me to understand how all of the pieces fit together.

What would you say makes Imagine Cup different from other tech competitions?
Ed: At the core, it’s a student tech competition hosted by Microsoft. But, what makes it different from other exam-oriented competitions is that it’s about thinking outside of the box and building a complete end-to-end project.

Ashley: I’d say Imagine Cup is really about inspiration. It's not a Microsoft recruiting event and doesn't even feel like a competition. It asks students to try to solve the world’s toughest problems and it’s a place to incubate ideas and get feedback from CEOs, CTOs and more.

Did you always have your eye on a role at Microsoft?
Ashley: No. I was always planning to have a career in my hometown in Indiana. It wasn’t until Imagine Cup and all of its related conferences that I started to meet so many Microsoft employees. They were from all different areas of the company, but everyone was passionate about what they were doing. The excitement was contagious.

Ed: For me, I came to understand that I had two career passions: I love sharing ideas with people, but I also love coding and building things. The evangelist role at Microsoft was the perfect marriage of my passions.

Competing in Imagine Cup seems like quite an inspiring experience. What’s it like now that you are actually working at Microsoft?
Ed: I love it here. I’m also really passionate about “women in technology” and “technology in the classroom.” Microsoft is so supportive of those initiatives.

I ask different Microsoft teams for back-up on projects and the answer is always “Let’s do it.” They understand that it’s not just about a product or even about Microsoft, but about the future of the technology industry and how technology can change people’s lives. They’re always looking 3, 5 or 10 years ahead.

And are you two involved with the Imagine Cup this year – from the other side?
Ed: The academic evangelists are supporting the US Finals. So, I’m already busy with a lot of different aspects of it.

Ashley: I’m super excited because I have the opportunity to be a judge for the US finals. And again, as the whole Imagine Cup is really like a dialogue between the students and other professionals, I know that I will come away from it having learned a lot more too.

Any plans for new MangoBunnies projects?
Ed: Not yet. I’m really involved with Microsoft and outreach work right now like DigiGirlz.

Ashley: Yeah, I’m working on Teaching Kids Programming and IGNITE!

Ed: Maybe when I’m next in the Pacific Northwest, I’ll have to proctor some of Ashley’s classes. It’ll be a MangoBunnies mini-reunion.

Learn more from (and about) Ed and Ashley at “Ed & Ashley’s 5 Minute Show” vlog.

Xbox LIVE community patrolled by Enforcement Unicorn Ninja

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 05:31:12 GMT

The ‘Softie in question: Boris Erickson
The job title: Enforcement Unicorn Ninja, Xbox LIVE

With millions of gamers inhabiting the Xbox LIVE community, creating a safe and fun environment is paramount. Not to fear: Microsoft has its very own special ops division charged with policing this world. One of the more colorful members of the team is Boris Erickson, whose title is Enforcement Unicorn Ninja. And, yes, we are being completely serious.

All joking aside, Boris holds an important role in helping keep harmony between gamers. He is also responsible for Vulcan, the software that arbitrates complaints from gamers and determines what, if any, corrective actions may be enforced. We caught up with Boris the day before he left for some face time with the gamers at The Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) in Boston.

Ok, Boris: Does your business card actually say, “Enforcement Unicorn Ninja”?
Yes. I was told I needed a new title and asked if I had any requests. I asked if I could work “ninja” in there, and in two days I had this new title. It fits me, and it’s always a good icebreaker.

What are your job responsibilities as the Enforcement Unicorn Ninja for Xbox LIVE?
The primary part of my day is making sure that the toolset I designed—called Vulcan—keeps running. People file complaints on Xbox LIVE, and Vulcan is the conduit through which those complaints come to our enforcement team. The team then reviews the information and takes appropriate action.

It sounds like there is a whole team of ninjas. Do you see yourselves more as police or chaperones?
We do want to be chaperones but we don’t want to be authoritarian. We’re not going to take action on someone for dropping an occasional expletive in a game, like if you get sniped from all the way across the map. We like to think of ourselves as enabling safe, fun experiences for people.

It seems like a fine line to walk. Is it important for the people on the team to come from differing backgrounds?
We think it is important to have a team from all over the map. We value a diverse population in our investigators not just in gaming platforms like Xbox or PC, but diversity in gender, race, and age. Because sometimes we come across content that is super offensive to one of us, but it’s kind of grey area, so we’ll all talk about it.

Does that mean you are responsible for making the community standards for the gamers?
It’s more about reflecting a community standard, because we don’t want to be the arbiters of morality. We want to make sure that the team isn’t getting in people’s private lives, but when you come into the public sphere, into the public arena, that’s when we get involved.

How do the gamers view you then?
Generally most of the public sees the enforcement team as a vital resource for Xbox LIVE for keeping the peace, keeping the rules and keeping people on reasonable behavior. We don’t like to be arbiters of what’s acceptable. We believe in like-minded gamers gaming in like-minded ways.

Mainly, Xbox LIVE Enforcement is there to guide people and help maintain a fun and safe place for gamers to connect.

And clearly that’s what is all about – a fun and safe connection point.
Yes, especially as we try to bring more families into the fold with Kinect and broader entertainment offerings on Xbox LIVE. We want people to have video Kinect chats with their grandma across the country, and creating an attractive environment for everyone is important.

Do you think anyone can find a place within the Xbox LIVE world?
The Xbox LIVE community is as diverse as any community out there. And I believe Xbox LIVE is a greater microcosm of the wider population of the planet than most of the other Microsoft software user demographics.

So yes, I think there is room for everyone on Xbox LIVE. Mostly because the technology is so capable and it’s just going to get more accessible and more multi-purpose as time goes on. As more people come to this forum our job is to sort of help people form communities within the larger community.

And keep the peace?
Indeed.

Finding love at Microsoft: A story of bowling, bug fixes and business

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 05:16:52 GMT

It’s not uncommon for Microsofties’ lives to revolve around Microsoft—not necessarily “work Microsoft” but “social Microsoft.” Bug triages, stand-up meetings and coding marathons easily turn into happy hours, soccer games and ski trips. When you work for a company with 90,000 employees worldwide, the built-in community comes with it, and the odds are pretty good you’ll find life-long friends—and maybe even romantic partners—along the way.

For Valentine’s Day, we decided to explore the romantic angle a bit more. Who are some of the couples whose love blossomed thanks to the company Bill built? Today, we introduce you to three—all with very different stories. Meet Jen & Darren, Piyali & Raj, and Marie & Joscelyne. Happy Valentine's Day!

The ‘Softies in love: Jen, Paralegal, Patents
Darren, Sr. Test Manager, Microsoft Research (MSR)

The love connection: The Microsoft Bowling League

We heard you two met during the opening match of the 2000-2001 bowling season—10 years ago!
Jen: Yes, our teams ended up bowling next to each other all season so even if we didn’t bowl each other, we always saw each other and chatted. We started spending more and more time after the bowling was over talking, and Darren eventually asked me out with just a few weeks left to bowl.

Darren: I waited until the end of the season in case things didn’t work out so it wasn’t awkward at bowling!

Jen: For both of us, bowling was something fun to do on a Monday night. We had no idea we’d find our mates.

So who’s the better bowler?
Jen: Darren is definitely the better bowler. We don’t get to bowl against each other now because we switch every other week so one of us can be with the kids. He bowls one week and I bowl the next but I usually bring the kids to the alley to play with all the other kids there, and we get to watch Darren bowl.

What’s it like being part of a Microsoft couple?
Jen: It is actually really nice. We know the ins and outs of the company and can relate to the culture much easier than if we both didn’t work here. We have definitely used each other’s expertise and knowledge when needed.

The 'Softies in love: Piyali, Software Development Engineer in Test 2 (SDET), Robotics
Raj, Sr. Software Development Engineer (SDE), Core File System team

The love connection: Their parents—and Building 9

It was your parents—not Microsoft—who first introduced you?
Piyali: Ours was an arranged marriage. When our parents set us up, we were both already working at Microsoft. I was working in Games and Raj was in Windows Server at the time. But our first meeting was in Raj’s office in Building 9. So we did literally meet at Microsoft!

Tell us about that first meeting.
Piyali: It was an early fall, sunny Saturday afternoon. As I parked, I still remember thinking, “This is great! I can swipe my badge and get into this building.” Building 9 is one of the older buildings on campus, and I had to search for his office in a couple corridors. He was working on a bug fix when I found him. He took a few minutes to wrap up and then we went to Golden Gardens in Seattle. He hadn’t completed his bug fix yet so, needless to say, at the end of our first date, he went back to his office to work!

While we were setup by our parents, we'd say we had an "arranged cum love marriage.” We celebrated the birth of our son Siddharth in November 2009, and he just recently transitioned to toddlerhood.

You’re both software engineers, although you work on different products.
Piyali: Yes. We have fascinating conversations over the definitions of developer and tester roles at Microsoft. One of those ended with me telling Raj to read up the CSPs (career stage profiles), which are Microsoft’s career guides for the company’s different disciplines. We regularly discuss developments at work and can provide feedback to each other as we share the common organization and work culture. I often take his advice on questions related to career growth in the company. All of this would not be possible without being in the same company and field of work. Microsoft technologies and products discussions are a regular conversation which we both enjoy. Flexible hours work really well for Raj since he gets his best ideas at night.

There are also minor things: We can exercise double backup care benefit for Siddharth, which thankfully we have not had to use so far. We enjoy a variety of activities on campus, be it the Giving Campaign 5K run during work hours, Sid's first Halloween in Microsoft Commons, table tennis sessions after work or the fall colors on campus. We get to attend holiday parties in both teams. Raj occasionally leaves a surprise gift in my office in the middle of the night!

The 'Softies in love: Marie, Sr. Diversity Program Manager, Human Resources
Joscelyne, Compensation Consultant, Human Resources

The love connection: On the job

You’re both featured in Microsoft GLEAM’s “It Gets Better” video contribution to the Trevor Project.

Joscelyne, in the video, Marie says, “You will meet the love your life . . . It happened for us—here.” That comment actually inspired us to write this article about finding love at Microsoft. So tell us: how did you meet?
Joscelyne: Marie and I met on the STB (Server & Tools Business) Human Resources team when I started in 2006 and were just colleagues and friends until we got together in 2009. Of course, being a couple—and a gay couple, no less—with the same HR team was unconventional.

We were up front with our manager about it, and she was very supportive. Still, it was a unique challenge to work in close proximity, be in meetings together, and “take home our work” since we knew all the same people. Eventually, for career reasons, I moved to a new team and role, and this has worked out well.

And we hear you found out that you share very similar and even uncanny interests and tastes.
Joscelyne: After we’d started dating and discovered that we were both really into silver jewelry, Marie gave me a fun challenge: Pick out any ring for her from the Sundance Catalog—which has hundreds of choices! And she’d do the same for me. We exchanged all 5 ring sizes just to keep things interesting.

We set a date to go out to dinner and give each other our rings, and somehow, we found that we had both chosen the same design ... each for the other’s left ring finger! Inscribed on the ring is a Rumi quote: “In your light, I learn how to love; in your beauty, how to make poems.” This was perfect as we both are into eastern philosophy and are both writers. The chances of us having the same thought, though, were so slim that it made the exchange truly special and amazing.

We still wear our rings everyday as a reminder of our love and commitment.

See Marie and Joscelyne at minute 04:16.

Speech manager blends art and technology to share Microsoft’s future computing vision

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 05:05:09 GMT

You might know that Craig Mundie is Microsoft’s Chief Research and Strategy Officer. But you might not know that he sits on the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, participates in roundtables at the World Economic Forum and travels frequently for speaking engagements worldwide.

And you might never guess that Janet Galore is the speech manager responsible for creating the presentations Mundie uses to inform and inspire. We tracked her down after TechFest to find out how she helps bring these tech talks to life.

The ‘Softie in question: Janet Galore
The job title: Senior Program Manager for Craig Mundie in the Advanced Strategies and Research division

First things first: What does a speech manager for Microsoft’s Chief Research and Strategy Officer do?
Primarily, my job is supporting Craig for all of his speaking engagements, especially the ones that require visual support. Helping him tell stories about the future of computing is the best way to describe it.

Some people think ‘speechwriter’ and think you are writing what he says, but that is not true at all with Craig. He speaks extemporaneously; we provide an outline and the tools he needs to give that presentation. Then he very much makes it his.

Walk us through your typical preparation for a speech.
We usually start off meeting with Craig to understand where he is headed and to get his take on what is important. We also work with the team who is requesting the engagement—which might be within Microsoft, or might be a university, business organization or a government agency. Then we’ll take that away and refine it, coordinating with other thought leaders within the company and with corporate PR.

I’ll work on an overall flow for the talk as well as thinking about the points we want to cover, the best way to tell that story and the visual assets—pictures, photos, videos, diagrams, live stage demonstrations—we need to line up to make it really great. Then I’m responsible for working with my colleagues to put that together.

What is it like to travel with him and see a big speech through execution?
It definitely helps to be an adrenaline junkie for this job—it’s very intense. The deadlines don’t move and you do whatever it takes to get ready. When you are on the ground, it’s just focused on making sure everything comes off well.

We rehearse a lot, fix all the bugs, work though it with Craig and make any changes he wants. On the ground there is a lot of prep and then it’s watching him deliver something really compelling and inspiring to people. Afterwards it’s just this elation, if it goes well.

What was the most interesting speech you’ve worked on in the past year?
Craig’s most recent speech at the Cleveland Clinic was a new speech platform. Every year we update the big themes that he is talking about and then we’ll evolve that and customize it for different audiences. This one was a refresh of all of his materials, and it seemed to resonate. It was the biggest audience they’ve ever had for this speaker series—Craig beat out previous speakers like Oprah, Tom Brokaw and Michael Dell.

We used a very visual presentation. I based it more on film titles and telling a story through visuals. In general, we want to give him the raw materials to use to tell his own stories. It was great to see him do that in Cleveland and be very engaging.

It must be pretty cool to get such an inside view into where Microsoft’s technology is moving.
That is what I live for. But, because we are thinking so far ahead, sometimes it feels like things take forever. Things that are happening today we’ve been talking about for a long time. So sometimes it’s frustrating but we also understand it takes a few cycles for technology to catch—the market, the infrastructure and the audience all need to be ready for change to be adopted.

On the flip side, there is also this feeling that things are really happening quickly now—especially in the areas of mobile and new types of interfaces.

How have the presentations changed to reflect the changes in technology?
It’s interesting. Events like TED put exemplary talks online for everyone to see, and it is raising the bar. Sharing great presentations and stories online does elevate the expectations of audiences—when they come to see a talk, they don’t want a bunch of bullet points.

We use PowerPoint as a framework, but now a lot of different media are very well supported. We’ll push the boundaries, but the software doesn’t necessarily dictate how the content comes across.

The prevalence of video and media everywhere has changed the way we communicate, as a company, to large audiences. The bar is high and that is part of what makes the job fun. Otherwise, why bother?

And you have even had the chance to present yourself?
In my core job my role is behind the scenes, but sometimes we are asked to present. So, in 2009 at the Consumer Electronics Show, I presented with Steve Ballmer.

Wow, that must have been really intense.
Yeah, it was an out-of-body experience. It was really fun and he was great to work with, but all the media were taking pictures, and every word you say gets tweeted out, so it was a bit intimidating. I taught in grad school, I’ve done some theatre, and in my previous role I led tours of the Microsoft Home, so I’m not uncomfortable being in front of people.

Does it ever get boring?
Nope. It can’t.

Microsoft mentors inspire future coders with retro gaming

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 04:48:53 GMT

The ‘Softie in Question: Sue Loh

Job title: Sr. Software Development Engineer, Windows Phone Client

Remember Hunt the Wumpus?

If you played computer games in the 70s or 80s, you likely recall huddling with friends around your family’s computer and evading bats and bottomless pits in search of the sinister Wumpus.

For those who think that Sonic and Super Mario Brothers are the ancient history of gaming, Wumpus (originally released in ’72) may seem as useful as Sanskrit or wooden tennis rackets. But wait up… while it may not be as instantly gratifying as Portal 2 or Modern Warfare 3, a mentoring program at Microsoft has found that the relative simplicity of Hunt the Wumpus has immense teaching value.

Microspotting hunted down Sue Loh, who has worked on Wumpus outreach for 6 years, and got to the bottom of this program’s success.

Sue, tell us the goal of the Wumpus high school outreach project.
We pair Microsoft mentors with computer science classes at public high schools with an aim to increase the quality, quantity and diversity of high school students choosing computer science as a career.

Why use Wumpus and not a more contemporary game to teach students?
These days, kids look at a game – and while it may be fascinating – it is hard to understand what makes it work.

Like the difference between looking at the engine of a 1950’s Chevy versus lifting the hood of a new car?
You could say that. Back when games were simpler, you could see how they were actually put together.
And, we’re not just asking the students to recreate Wumpus as it already exists. We get them to build the game in a new and exciting way.

So, the Wumpus outreach complements existing programming classes in high schools?
The idea is not to simply teach programming. That’s already out there.

Our point is to give them a project that a) teaches them teamwork and b) forces them to design something.

Do they struggle with that new responsibility?
The students get really excited at the beginning of the school year. They start throwing around ideas and writing code. But then they tend to get confused because it is more free-form than anything they’ve experienced. Some kids just freeze up like a deer in headlights and expect to be hand-fed the answer.

There aren’t black-and-white problems or ready-made inputs. They must discover the problems on their own and – most importantly – they must figure out how to work through those problems together.

Is there an eventual “ah-ah” moment?
Once they make that mental jump and start to design and use creative problem solving they become inspired and things move quickly.

Did you get any opportunities like this when you were in high school?
Not even close. I was an army brat. I moved around a lot and went to high school in a podunk Utah town with almost no computer resources.

What, then, was your first exposure to creative programming?
One day, my dad came home with a Tandy TRS-80 color computer and a book on how to program in BASIC. I studied the booklet on my own and discovered that I could get the computer to do what I wanted. The more I learned; the more I could do. I got really excited about it and, by the 10th grade, I knew I wanted to go into computer science.

I was lucky that I found such a good fit, but not everyone is so fortunate.

[Editor’s note: Although Sue is too modest to admit it, she taught herself so well that she went on to get her BS and MS from another “podunk” school called MIT]

Is the Wumpus program a way to give back?
Like many people at Microsoft, I want to help the next generation get involved in computer science. You could say that I have the itch to give back, especially to offer encouragement to young women who are potentially interested in programming. Unfortunately, the numbers of female programmers are still very low.

What are your favorite parts of the Wumpus program?
This process shows the students that they’re capable of accomplishing bigger things than they’d ever imagined.

Sometimes they take things completely in their own direction. Instead of bats and bottomless pits, they come up with all sorts of stuff, like dolphins and whirlpools. Some students even made the game 3D.

It’s amazing to see them get so creative.

Sue works as a Sr. Software Development Engineer in Windows Phone. Interested in positions in her group? More information can be found here.