Microsoft JobsBlog: Blog

How to avoid typos on your resume

The JobsBloggers — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:43:00 GMT

The Washington Post's recent article Tiny Typos Can Add Up To a Big X On Your Résumé details a few suggestions on how to avoid typos on your resume.

The most interesting one, which I have yet to try, is to proofread your resume from the bottom up. I’m notorious for skimming too quickly, and this method just provides an extra check and balance since you are less likely to skip over sections.

-Anne

Ditch these 6 words

The JobsBloggers — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:30:00 GMT

Many candidates find it difficult to capture their experience on their resume, so what ends up happening is a pretty generic explanation of their role and responsibility with little detail on their impact and contribution.

Lifehacker had a great simple tip to create compelling resumes by avoiding 6 commonly used words on a resume - ditch these six words from the fold.

Many of these words are on my most current resume which I likely won’t change – but I think their point about having details is solid. Definitely worth a try!

-Anne

Our Chief Research and Strategy Officer visits campuses

The JobsBloggers — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:33:00 GMT

This week Craig Mundie, Microsoft’s chief research and strategy officer, has been visiting college campuses to talk with students about how the new capabilities in computing will help tackle some of the planet’s toughest challenges.

At Cornell, Harvard, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and the University of Washington, Craig is showing the leading-edge work taking place at Microsoft and demonstrating work from the Computational Science Group out of Microsoft Research Cambridge (U.K.). He's also discussing the kinds of computers students will soon be using.

If you had a chance to attend one of his talks, let us know what you thought!

Resume, resume...What did I do with that resume?

The JobsBloggers — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:10:00 GMT

Recently I decided to explore new opportunities at Microsoft that are aligned to my career aspirations. This meant that I needed to update my resume (which hasn’t been touched since 2005) with my work experience that I have gained over the last 4 years. Hmmm… what exactly did I do over the last 4 years?

I must have sat there for 30 minutes with a blank resume while I tried to remember what I accomplished. Besides a general idea of the responsibilities I had, I couldn’t remember the exact metrics I achieved, awards I won or extra projects I took on. That’s when it hit me that I shouldn’t have waited until I was looking for a new job to update my resume!

Lucky for me, I had to document what I accomplished every year for my annual review at Microsoft, so I was able to reference what I had written in the past to help with what to write on my resume. Had I not been able to view those documents, I probably would have been up a creek without a paddle (so to speak) and might be still sitting here with that blank resume unsure of what to write.

So my words of wisdom for the week are this: Whether you’re potentially exploring opportunities or think you’ll never leave your current job, dig out your resume and update it. You never know when you’ll need it and don’t want to go through the mental stress that I did. Plus, it gives you something fun to do on a Friday night… ok, maybe it just gives you something to do on a Friday night.

-Lisa

Are you a bug killer? A very special Halloween from Channel 9

The JobsBloggers — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:30:00 GMT

Our friends over on the Channel 9 team (as well as all of us here at Microsoft) hope you have a very fun and safe Halloween weekend!

Bug Killer: A Channel 9 Halloween Special

WARNING: This video contains blood, gore and one extremely frightening software developer.

Have you spent countless nights up late writing code? Have your eyes burned after staring at a monitor for 18 hours? Have you ever wanted to hack up a co-worker or two? Sure, we all have! Here’s the story of what happened to one developer on a dark and foggy night when the pressure was just too much…

Life in Redmond, Washington

The JobsBloggers — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 16:23:00 GMT

Hi everyone, Alison here, the concierge for the Experience Microsoft candidate lobby. Many out-of-towners want to know about the area where Microsoft is located—Redmond, Washington. The great thing about Redmond is that you can take day trips to all kinds of different activities.

Downtown Seattle is about 12 miles from Microsoft campus, and it only takes 20 minutes to get there by car (if there’s no traffic) because it’s mostly freeway. At Pike Place Market, you can see the famous fish throwers and the brass pig, have fresh donuts for breakfast, and eat outside at Copacabana for lunch—the market is mostly about the food, and of course the people watching. There are lots of street musicians, most of them with some real talent. The Seattle Art Museum is there, along with the Space Needle, the Pacific Science Center, the Woodland Park Zoo, and the Seattle Aquarium. Then you can take the Underground Tour and see what old Seattle looked like before it was destroyed by the Great Seattle Fire of 1889. Seattle also has an excellent symphony and ballet.

Redmond is close to many locations for skiing and snowboarding. Of course there is always the ongoing debate about the best location, but the Summit at Snoqualmie is only 47 miles from Microsoft; since this is also mostly freeway, you can get from Microsoft campus to the Summit in less than an hour, which makes it possible to go on a regular basis.

The area surrounding Redmond is excellent for hiking. The Redmond Town Center REI can direct you to excellent hiking trails and all kinds of other outdoor activities, and they rent gear if you’re trying out a new activity. They even have free classes such as Backpacking 101. Contrary to popular opinion, Seattle’s weather is mild enough to be outdoors almost any day of the year.

Redmond itself is a great town, with many small restaurants and good shopping. It’s big enough to have everything you need, but small enough to feel homey. Some of the best restaurants are in Redmond, including El Toreador if you like Mexican food, Frankie’s or Tropea if you like Italian, and Kanishka if you like Indian.

Redmond has a little bit of everything, which makes it one of my favorite places—and I’ve moved a lot. I would say one of the best things about working at Microsoft is living in Redmond!

-Alison

Welcome Alison to the JobsBlog team!

The JobsBloggers — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 18:35:00 GMT

We have a new JobsBlogger! Alison is the morning concierge in our “Experience Microsoft” candidate lobby at our headquarters in Redmond, WA, greeting candidates before their interviews and helping them plan their local itineraries while visiting the area. She also manages several communications, including JobsBlog, the monthly U.S. Careers newsletter, and the weekly intern and new hire newsletter. Alison plans to use her on-the-job experiences to share information on JobsBlog ... like info about Seattle, the Microsoft campus and interesting interviewee questions.

And now, in her own words:

Hi everyone! I graduated from the University of Washington in 2007 with a B.S. in Psychology. I've traveled extensively in Mexico, so I speak Spanish fluently. I'm training to hike the Grand Canyon this Christmas, and I love to read. When I was little I wanted to be the garbage man because I thought it would be so cool to ride on the back of the truck!

I was a concierge in Mexico and really enjoyed it, so I'm looking forward to being that comfort feature and light-in-the-dark for all our visitors, especially those here to interview. I'm also really excited to put my writing/editing skills to use on JobsBlog and the other publications. I think I'm going to learn a lot here!

-Alison

Students: Connect with Microsoft in even more ways!

The JobsBloggers — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 17:01:00 GMT

Today's guest post is from Microsoft's Student Audience Marketing digital team, a group who reaches out to all students who use and are interested in Microsoft products and technologies - not just those who want to work here. The team manages our student digital outreach efforts such as the Microsoft Student Experience site, Microsoft Student Lounge site, Microsoft Student Facebook and Twitter sites, and Mobile Student Experience site. They engage students through social causes, videos, and content that spans from career to learning to fun stuff to software and technology.

Hi all,
I’m Amy – I've been with Microsoft over 10 years but have a unique work history here. About 4 years ago, I left to be a “bigger fish in a smaller pond” (so to speak) but realized that my heart and passion is with Microsoft. So, after 6 months of being away, I interviewed with Microsoft and was re-hired.

It’s great to be here - on JobsBlog - to share some tools and information that may be of interest to you in your career search and interview preparation. Of course, coming to JobsBlog is a great resource. In addition to this resource, there are many tools offered by Microsoft to help you out.

I run a great team that keeps our Student Experience digital site full of content just for students. In the Career section, you will find many helpful resources from writing a resume, preparing for an interview, tips for writing all types of letters, to getting Microsoft certified and more. As a student, you also qualify for many software discounts and even no cost software through the DreamSpark program to help you on your way towards a successful career.

One last resource I want to share with you is the Microsoft Student Lounge. Here, students from all over the world blog about their experiences with Microsoft products, new ways to use existing programs, and so much more. You can be involved here too,. You can post videos and picture blogs or participate in one of the many forums. The Student Lounge is also home to Student TV, where new episodes of My Intern Life are shared each week. My Intern Life is a unique opportunity for you to watch how eight Microsoft interns navigated their summer internships.

Check it out, post a blog, leave a comment or start a new forum thread.

Amy

Check out the latest episode of My Intern Life

My Intern Life Episode 9 from MicrosoftStudent.tv on Vimeo.

Weird things said in job interviews Part 4

The JobsBloggers — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 15:02:00 GMT

CNN and CareerBuilder recently published a list of the 43 weirdest things said in job interviews, and we asked for your stories. We also asked our JobsBloggers. Here is Matt's answer.

I knew this interview was going to be a memorable one when I picked the candidate up in the lobby and he had his sunglasses (Yes, even in Seattle!) resting on the top of his head.

I always encourage my candidates to stay comfortable and relaxed, but when we got back to my office his posture in the chair was more appropriate for a day of couch surfing instead of intense interviews.

He quickly snapped out of his lounging however when his cell phone rang. This happens every so often, no big deal.

While I expected him to quickly turn it off, he asked me to “hold that thought” while he took the call! When the call was over, he did have the grace to apologize with this classic line: “Sorry about that, but you never know when someone is going to offer you a job!”

I was glad he had a backup plan, as needless to say, he didn’t get an offer from me!

-Matt

Weird things said in job interviews Part 3

The JobsBloggers — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 20:12:00 GMT

CNN and CareerBuilder recently published a list of the 43 weirdest things said in job interviews, and we asked for your stories. We also asked our JobsBloggers. Here is Lisa's answer.

I actually had to think hard about this one because I block those crazy memories from my head. :)

A few years ago, I was interviewing someone onsite for a Software Development Engineer (SDE) role for Messenger. The last question I asked him was “Why are you interested in working at Microsoft?” I thought it was a pretty easy question to ask.

There are many different motivations to want to come here, so I like to find out what interests potential future employees. Without typing out the exact response I got (since it’s not exactly appropriate for this blog), he made a figurative, negative reference about Microsoft and then stated, “Windows is nasty.”

He then said he doesn’t “use Messenger much but can see how it’s widely used because it’s better than…” he then puts his hands in the shape of a megaphone and yells, “…screaming across the room!” Suffice it to say that he did not get the SDE job for Messenger. :)

-Lisa