My name is Angela McLaughlin and I'm a Staffing Consultant (fancy name for Technical Recruiter) for the Managed Solutions Division (MSD) of Server and Tools (STB) at Microsoft. 

For the last 9+ years, I have worked as a technical recruiter in various companies and capacities -- all in the Seattle/Redmond area. In 2006, I began my Microsoft journey as a contractor in the Live.com group. I was very lucky to have two great managers who helped me navigate the Microsoft landscape. All of a sudden, I discovered that I loved my job and loved working at Microsoft.

Outside of work, I adore spending time with my teenage kids (when they can find time for their mom). I play piano when no one is listening, crochet baby blankets for other people, play with my dog (Lola: The Sweetest Pitbull in the World) and I am a huge Pittsburgh Steelers fan (and that isn’t easy in Seattle)!

I recently participated in a job group panel and was asked for my interview tips. As I answered the question, I realized that I've come up with a whole bunch of additional suggestions since I last wrote about interviews for JobsBlog.

The first thing isn't a tip, so much as a philosophy of interviews: when faced with an interview, it is important to recognize that the process serves a dual purpose.

1) Interviews gives us a chance to find out whether or not you can contribute to the company, add value to your team and do the duties that are listed in the job description. This is the obvious purpose of an interview.

2) An interview is also a chance for YOU to interview the team to find out if it is a place where you want to work, a role that you want to take and a manager and team with whom you will "fit in."

It is imperative that you remember this second purpose. Interviewers will almost always open the floor to the interviewee at the end of the session to ask THEM questions. So be prepared!

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Microsoft´s Technical Recognition Awards (an internal awards program) winners were just announced. Bharat Shah, head of the Business Productivity On-line Suite Group and the General Manager for whom I recruit, was honored among the 2010 Outstanding Technical Achievement Award winners.

CONGRATS, BHARAT.

The annual Technical Recognition Awards program is an opportunity to recognize and acknowledge work that has impacted not only Microsoft, but the software industry and the entire world. Awards are determined by nomination and votes of the Microsoft senior technical community.

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As most of you know by now, there are thousands of job postings on the Microsoft Careers site. It can be more than overwhelming to look through all of them and find just the right one.

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As you know from a previous blog post, we are currently revamping our careers site, and we asked what you would change about the site. Those suggestions will be an integral part of the improvements we make, and we’ve since come up with another topic we’d like your opinion on: Job titles on careers site postings!

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It’s the night before your interview and being the conscientious candidate that you are, you’re reviewing your check list to be sure you’re prepared for the big day:

• Interview day schedule – check!
• Confidence – check!
• Classy yet casual outfit – question mark?

When you pair a laid-back dress code with the high expectations of a competitive tech company, knowing how to dress to impress can be tough. But now, Softwear might just be your ticket.

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Dear JobsBlog : I recently found a position I'm interested in at microsoft.com/careers . I could rewrite my resume pretty much word-for-word as listed in the "main responsibilities" section. Would doing so be helpful, or would it seem like I'm trying too hard? Answer: I don't think rewriting your resume...

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Hello Everyone! This is something I hear about occasionally that came up again just last week. It appears as though some of our Microsoft candidates are relying on outside sources, even recruiters from other companies, for Microsoft related information because they're worried about asking their Microsoft...

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One of the first things you will do as a new Microsoft Employee is attend NEO (and learn that yes, we have an acronym for everything!). NEO (New Employee Orientation) is where you will spend your first day and a half as an new Microsoft Employee. NEO provides the new Microsoft employee a great overview...

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My best resume tip comes from the eternal candidate question: how long should my resume be? In my opinion, it doesn't hurt to push your resume past 1 or 2 pages, especially in the electronic age. I'm not talking about padding your resume or including every detail of every past work experience. But if...

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Dear JobsBlog: I am interested in programmer writer positions at microsoft. Does one need to have extensive writing experience to apply for these positions? Or is it okay to have been a programmer for 5+ years and have a passion and talent for writing? Answer: The answer could vary from position to position...

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"Why do YOU want to work at Microsoft?" It is my favorite interview question! I learn so much about the people I interview from this one simple question. Who they really are as a person - not just that they are someone who codes or designs or tests. I hear their dreams, their goals, their passions, their...

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My best interview tip ? Don’t be afraid to let the interviewer know that you may not have the answer to the question. I see people making mistakes in this area, trying to bluff their way through an answer, while all along knowing that the interviewer asking the question KNOWS the answer! It is best to...

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Dear JobsBlog: I am trying to find out a way to submit my cover letter while applying for a job on Microsoft's career website . When I log on, it gives me an option to fill out my name and general information and paste my resume in text format. There is no text box to paste my cover letter. Does this...

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Recently, my face showed up on a poster tacked up all around Microsoft’s Redmond campus for Breast Cancer Month. My coworkers expressed surprise that real employees are being used for marketing and promotional materials. The same day the poster started popping up, I was introduced to another very real...

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October is almost here and we will have many new visa employees joining the Microsoft ranks. Such an exciting time of year! New employees who have had a Microsoft dream for years and it is about to come true! Sometimes, I feel like the Jobs Fairy sprinkling my MS Jobs Pixy Dust wherever I go! So much...

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I am back! I took a nice long vacation and have finally cleared my inbox. Now, I am back and ready to talk about UX again! I want to introduce you to a couple of new UX people I am working with at Microsoft. The following article comes from the New York Times and references some of the managers I am...

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I wanted to share this article that Frank found and passed along to me. I was stunned by these statistics! How does it make me feel to work for a company that is truly THIS successful? It was a reality check for me and put things into a perspective that I didn't have before. How would you feel if you...

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Many of you have asked about what attributes are important to showcase on a User Experience (UX) resume and are curious about what classes are out there to prepare for this compelling career path. Interestingly enough, many schools are adding these programs if they didn't already exist in their curriculum...

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By Angela McLaughlin Now that I have arrived on JobsBlog, I’m going to dig right in and start showcasing some of the interesting positions that I’ve come across at the company. It’s fun for me to get and share the inside scoop about jobs you may have never known about or thought about, so I’m going to...

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By Angela McLaughlin Hi! I am Angela McLaughlin, Staffing Consultant (fancy name for Technical Recruiter) for the Managed Solutions Division (MSD) of Server and Tools (STB). My Microsoft history goes something like this. I NEVER, EVER, EVER (did I say EVER?) anticipated or dreamed of working for Microsoft...

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