A great place to learn and grow in software development
A typical day started off with reviewing, sorting, and when needed - respond to over-night emails. In addition to team and company correspondence, they also consisted of automation test results and testing done over-seas. Next, I would review my bugs in the database to see what needed follow-up on for that day. In my last position, we would have a daily scrum to sync up with all our teammates on where we all were in our tasks and goals for the project. This is also where we would make agile decisions on our workforce and re-assign folks or create new tasks to help keep the project on track for its determined release date.
Before working at Microsoft, I was a video editor and award winning 3D animator. However, I didn't know very much about software development - just how to manipulate it to get my work done. Working at Microsoft, I learned on the job about how to perform software testing - specifically manual UI. In addition, I picked up a lot of general information on the use of Microsoft products and devices. I also learned a lot about corporate networking. Because I served on many teams, I got to understand on a deep level the following products: My Sync II, Point of Sale OS, Hyper-V, Zune, IE, and CE OS and many portable devices over the years.
Microsoft is a big company, so my experience won't represent the company so much as just a small part of it that I worked with. My managers were all great and very helpful. Because I started after the company had matured, the man
ProsThe people, flexible work hours, remote from home work days, free sodas, coffee, and tea
ConsInconsistent work - as a contractor the waits between jobs can be too long
4.0
Hardware Design Engineer | Redmond, WA | May 13, 2019
Your success at Microsoft depends largely on the group you're in...
With the incredibly large and diverse amount of jobs at Microsoft, any one review is going to paint a pretty small picture of the whole company. Your success at Microsoft, while largely up to you, is also VERY much bound to the group you're working in. For example, the Windows group periodically turns into a dumpster fire where it must certainly be the worst place on Earth to work. Layoff's, lack of promotions, terrible work-life balance, etc... then the re-org comes, people get jumbled around, new people get hired and things stabilize for a year or two. Then decay starts and the process repeats. I've had 20 years to observe the cyclical nature of hire & fire at Microsoft, and there was also a time when I myself subscribed to 70 hour work week...but I wasn't rewarded for that additional effort, and in those 20 years I can honestly say that it's entirely up to you to manage your work-life balance, and pull yourself out of unsavory situations. There's so many groups to work in at Microsoft that it can be detrimental to your soul and your career to stay parked in once place too long. 15 years in Windows was about 13 years too long, and I definitely have regrets. The benefits have gone down-hill over the years, some of that was courtesy of ObamaCare. Prior to Obama, Microsoft's Healthcare was absolutely top-notch. Now, it's good but not anywhere near as great as it once was. Same for the company store benefits... they used to be spectacular, now they're mediocre. I of
ProsLOTS of resources and smart people here - if you can find them!
ConsCompany size, changing politics, changing policies, poor communications unless something bad has happened...
3.0
Senior Program Manager | Redmond, WA | Oct 17, 2019
The continual reorganizations are very taxing on organizations and individuals.
The churn from reorganizations makes team and relational cohesiveness elusive, sapping the synergies of orgs and individuals. It's like building a house and constantly having all the subs suddenly change multiple times. The "new team" now has to figure out what was done, where the pipes and wires were laid, and frequently either busts into the walls to redo what was already done, or suddenly finds a short circuit due to mistakingly cutting into an wire or pipe, or has vermin infesting the structure because holes were left gaping because the person who was formerly working on structure was moved to a new job. Moreover, I have frequently observed that annual mandated quotas of 5-10% "poor performance" rating system forces out amazing colleagues, not because of poor performance, but due to meeting arbitrary quotas. Ironically, the horrible impact to the churn mentioned above, plus the stress on staff, far exceed any theoretical benefit of "culling the poor performers." (Yes, there are sometimes bonafide poor performers, but 5-10% a year? What changed? MS hired them believing they were great. So did really 5-10% suddenly become bad performers each year, or is there something endemic with the organization that could be at play here? How much better would it be to really invest in those people assets to either get them the skills needed or help them find a great match for their skills and experience in another group?) I have had amazing bosses and brilliant colleagues sudden
ProsSmart colleagues, great benefits, challenging work, telecommuting
ConsRe-org churn, managers who are not good people managers, annual quota firing policy
3.0
Technical Sales Manager | Redmond, WA | Dec 29, 2017
Still great place to work, but not what it used to be
I am on my second tour of duty at Microsoft. I was there in the 90's when Bill Gates was still CEO, and I came back in 2010 when Steve B was still here and Satya has since taken over.
It is still a great place to work with respect to learning about, and implementing, new technology. They also provide many opportunities to get involved in side-projects to expand your exposure to new technology. There is also AMPLE opportunity to get career and technical mentoring there.
They still have the **BEST** employee benefits compared to anywhere in the US. I would still recommend MSFT to college graduates looking for initial technical skill development so they can move on to something else. Compensation has never been stellar at MSFT - but its good enough. Work/Life balance has improved greatly since the 90's.
However, I would no longer recommend it as a place to climb the ladder or get job advancement. MSFT has taken more to hiring people from the outside, and preserving their middle-management 'in-crowd' by continually providing lateral transfers to that group in order to maintain the careers of the anointed few. They have also implemented regional hiring practices to the detriment of many. Thus, even though you may do great promotion-worthy work in Redmond, WA, you will not get the job if the company decides that the job has to be filled in Las Colinas, TX!
Sadly their culture of late has gone off the deep end injecting west-coast political-correctness into the
ProsFree coffee and soft drinks, GREAT health care benefits, Excellent tech skill development opportunities
ConsNot a great culture - too much political correctness; not much opportunity to climb the ladder
Fantastic virtual teams, great people, career growth & learning, and ability to make an impact.
What is the best part of working at the company?
The company culture was lived by most, not just a talking point. Colleagues were kind, supportive, smart, and helpful.
What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
During a period of rapid growth, it became a bit disorganized and difficult to keep up with the volume of work.
What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
It was a very healthy environment, the best company I had ever worked for.
Mission:
To empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.
Cultural Attributes:
• Growth Mindset
○ We fundamentally believe that we need a culture founded in a growth mindset. It starts with a belief that everyone can grow and develop; that potential is nurtured, not pre-determined; and that anyone can change their mindset. We need to be always learning and insatiably curious. We need to be willing to lean into uncertainty, take risks and move quickly when we make mistakes, recognizing failure happens along the way to mastery. And we need to be open to the ideas of others, where the success of others does not diminish our own.
• Customer Obsessed
○ We will learn about our customers and their businesses with a beginner’s mind and then bring solutions that meet their needs. We will be insatiable in our desire to learn from the outside and bring it into Microsoft, while still innovating to surprise and delight our users.
• Diverse & Inclusive
○ The world is diverse. W
I largely worked remotely, and a typical day for me involved a lot of emails, several meetings in the afternoon (all attended virtually via Lync), and the occasional IM. When not wallowing in administrivia, I spent a lot of time thinking about and documenting ways we could do things better, and then working through others to put the changes in place.
Microsoft really matured me as an employee, as I learned to work at a level of professionalism that I had not before. It wasn't enough to be smart; I also had to be articulate and persuasive; I had to be strategic and understand how my work not only solved the problem at hand but set us up for future success.
Generally, I found management to be supportive. They existed to facilitate my work, trusting me to do the right thing, and working to cut down obstacles or provide air cover so that I could deliver my work.
I had some of the best co-workers here that I've had anywhere, and I consider them friends more than co-workers. At a company as large as Microsoft, there is a mix of personalities, and occasionally I'd run into that other employee who rubbed me the wrong way, but I figure that I've probably got my own quirks that bug people, too. Largely, though, I found people to be professional and smart, but also fun and friendly.
For me, there were a few challenges that seem intrinsic to the company. First, I found it to be very political in nature. Recent changes (e.g. One Microsoft) may gradually change that, but there
ProsGood coworkers, cutting-edge tech, professional growth
ConsPolitical landscape, Redmond-centric
2.0
User Experience Designer | Redmond, WA | Jul 3, 2017
The best day at Microsoft was my first day; the second best day was my last.
As a contractor, I never had a 'steady' project or 'steady' work; I was always passed around to various designers to 'assist' and 'help' on whatever they were working on.
The worst experience I had on the team was with a particular person who was very unprofessional by saying aggressive and simply untrue things about me in meetings, and only when I wasn't around. Without going into detail, Microsoft is a company that allows this kind of conduct, without consequence or repercussion. I professionally tried to resolve the matter personally with the person, but I was essentially 'put back in my place.'
However the best project I worked on was when I saw a project that needed some TLC, so I talked to my manager's manager and told him what I saw and how I believed I could contribute, and he gave me a significant role on the project; however, temporarily. In this project I was a true, contributing member of the team—attending meetings, making informed design decisions—and my word was trusted and valued. All-around I was seen as a top-performer and integral part of the project. Even after the product shipped I was told the product wouldn't have been what it was without me.
When I was taken off the project by my manager, I was back on the same grind where my skills were nowhere near close to being utilized to my potential.
In the following months, sometimes there would be days...weeks...on end where I would interface with no one. My manager was absent 90% of the time, and
ProsGood work/life balance, open office
ConsNo benefits, zero office culture, poor communication, no consequences for unprofessional behavior by senior/upper-level management
A great company to work for with great opportunities and benefits but some work with culture
Working at Microsoft is both fun and exciting. I loved being surrounded by a variety of hardware and software that was on the cutting edge of technology. The company does a great job of introducing new devices and software that will bring in customer, raise revenue as well as intrigue and have the employees engaged. The stores always have a beautiful and engaging design that allow for a fresh experience whether you work there or are visiting for the first time. The systems that are used at Microsoft are still very rudimentary and are still being worked on constantly. They are introducing new features to ensure that Microsoft employees receive the support and resources they need to make the Stores the best experience possible. Having said that the lack of established systems and culture leave a lot of room for long transaction times and awkward interactions where the system does not work the best for certain situations. As a Consumer Service Advisor, i found i truly enjoyed the details of my job and being able to troubleshoot different issues and hardware, however the check in process and resources used to complete services was all third party software and a very amateur process. Charging customers $149 for an Assure bundle that truly did not give them any true assurance that we can indeed provide a service that they cannot just do themselves. The environment of constantly being measured against others by sales numbers rather than effectiveness as a technician created somewhat
Evolving to the future with lots of cool opportunities, engineering culture still a work in progress
If you want to impact people using technology in their lives and work, literally everywhere in the world, Microsoft is the best place to be. If you are entrepreneurial, this is a spirit that jives with the future direction of the company but current engineering culture is still figuring out how to embrace this spirit given the need to maintain and bring forward legacy products and processes. Microsoft is a work in progress, yet again.
A day in the life depends on what your role is, and many of us wear many hats. Expect to exchange opinions and take feedback, sometimes harshly delivered, on a regular basis. When you work on something important, which is most everything, there are always others who care deeply about getting it right and getting it out on time.
If you are lucky enough to interact with customers on a regular basis, expect to spend time trying to get their voices heard. This is more and more a value in the company and everyone will spend time on forums like UserVoice, Reddit, and other forums for direct customer and partner contact.
Some degree of politics and many layers of management in this huge company still make it hard to move and respond quickly even though there is a strong push towards One Microsoft. Top leadership at the company has the right ideas, some of the engineering leaders are better at technology, others better at product vision, some care a lot about people, some don't do as well in any of the above categories.
The benefits are amaz
ProsSmart people, great benefits package, free drinks, career/subject matter versatility
ConsUnpredictable rewards system, cronyism, inconsistent quality of senior leadership
Excellent company; challenging work, fast paced, great resoureces to do your work, very good compensation and excellent benefits.
Excellent company. Work is very challenging, complex programs and projects, and the pace is very fast. Very diverse work environment. There is international contact even for positions that are domestic in nature. Provides opportunity to work with and learn from colleagues in other regions (Europe, Asia, Latin America, etc.). Almost all work is cross functional; matrix environment.
Great benefits (variety of free drinks and some snacks). Many jobs allow for flexibility to work remotely (e.g. from home, remote offices, etc.). Much is expected of the employees including long days and sometimes weekends. Co-workers (mostly) great to work with. They are driven yet easy to get along with. One tough situation is that performance is not only measured against objectives, but against your colleagues. At yearly review time, it creates a bit of a tense environment, but it's manageable.
Management: in a 100,000 employee and approximately 30-40,000 contractors, the talent varies. The process for establishing performance objectives is very well established so "self-management" is very important. In addition, there are constant re-organizations so that could be distracting. There is a constant effort to minimize bureaucracy given the size of the company.
Lots of virtual team work with regular progress reviews. Weekly for run operations and core teams, monthly and quarterly with management. A lot of interdependence with other groups so cross group collaboration is a must. Managing a la
ProsChallenging work, fast paced environment, very diverse, excellent benefits, flexible schedule, excellent resources to do your work.
ConsConstant reorganizations, Work-life balance does not exist adjust or look for other work, very competitive environment measured versus colleagues sometimes impact true teamwork.
● Dataload, management and upload of Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) data for the 7 Australian States.
● Expertise in architecture, configuration and deployment of ePASS version 2.14.x/2.16.x/4.1.x/4.2.x and finally 6.x.x
● Point of contact for initial diagnosis of problems, for a system or sub-system or apply known solutions, including documenting problems, progress checking, and escalation to ensure resolution discussion with Bravura vendor, Business Team and off-shore development team.
● Follow-up in relation to improvement with ePASS response times, performance resolution and troubleshooting aspects within tomcat web tier/JBOSS and Ant application tier/MS SQL Server database tier and/or integrated ComSAS IBM DB2/Capital Oracle projects.
● Key contributor for providing sampled scrambled data to Bravura for the ePASS versions (2.14.x/2.16.x/4.1.x/4.2.x and finally 6.x.x) upgrades and then architecting the infrastructure, deploying the military and civilian super funds onto the new hardware infrastructure.
● Managing activities like building new database environments for applications, installing SQL related software like ePASS, RazorSQL, Helpmaster Pro, MiAudio, Zeacom & SQL Server 2012
● Mentoring a team of 6-10 Junior DBAs in data modelling, design and cost-effective scripting so as to be propagated to Test, UAT and Production environment
● Creating databases for new applications; setting up recovery and DR processes and configuring Log shipping. Imp
Over the time i have worked at microsoft, it was an absolutely dream come true to be given the opportunity to work there. However, the dream came to an end as the shine wore off very quickly.
Good Stuff:-
Working with various teams is extremely fun. There is lots of great productivity and collaboration across the team and there is lots of learning that becomes available to you.
Microsoft offers lots of opportunity for graduates and learning. Politics does not really affect you.
Networking and relationship - there is really great work/life balance if you work hard. Building networks and relationships is really easy and everyone is made to feel welcome from the start regardless of job title and whether they are US, UK, Europe, Aus, NZ based. There are lots of people with talent and skills and that make it really interesting place to work.
Advocate in Charity - If your interests gage into charity work this is an excellent workplace for you to join. There have been times where i get to spend 2 days paid doing charity work for schools, charities and other companies in not for profit.
Bad Stuff:-
Within 3 months of starting, it felt like i was a number in a team and driven to help microsoft in sales more than evangelise in the technology. Their was a huge emphasis on license management more than product and when discussing product it was to help drive sales of office 365 and add ons. Even though sales was not my thing.
PiP (Personal Improvement Perfor
ProsSubsidised Lunches
ConsVery Long Hours, Back Stabbing, Unknown who to trust, Poor Management, Feeling like a number, Superficial PIP expectations
Questions And Answers about Microsoft
How often do you get a raise at Microsoft?
Asked May 20, 2021
Hardy ever.
Answered May 23, 2023
Yearly
Answered May 22, 2023
What is the vacation policy like at Microsoft? How many vacation days do you get per year?
Asked Jan 15, 2018
Unlimited
Answered May 24, 2023
Up to five weeks
Answered May 19, 2023
How should dress for an interview?
Asked Jul 22, 2016
A matching jacket and pants, dress shirt, tie, coordinating socks and dress shoes. I learned that from <a href="https://livenewsof.com/cnbc/">CNBC</a>
Answered Jun 3, 2020
With very elegant dress
Answered Mar 23, 2019
If you were in charge, what would you do to make Microsoft a better place to work?
Asked Apr 17, 2018
Northwell Chats meets Microsoft for corporate meetings and discussions Best of…
Microsoft leading the way
Northwell
Answered Apr 17, 2023
MICROSOFT #1 in business class
Northwell Executive Office executed in best of created OUTLOOK mail for corporate office communications. As a business of safeguarding- privacy - confidentiality Microsoft
#1 Safety and Security Office 365
Operational for over 80,000 employees including external communications contact
Vote from member of staff
Top sophisticated development
11766—-
Answered Mar 9, 2023
What benefits does Microsoft offer?
Asked Jul 15, 2016
401(k) matching
Dental insurance
Flexible spending account
Health insurance
Health savings account
Life insurance
Paid time off
Parental leave
Referral program
Vision insurance
Wellness program
