Hi, I'm Gretchen Ledgard, founder and editor of Microsoft's JobsBlog. But my big, big project? http://microsoft.com/careers.
My job is to use the web (both traditional methods and social media in all its glory) to build tighter connections between Microsoft, our employees, and the people we'd love to hire ... maybe you? :)
JobsBlog Rewind: this is one of our most populars posts and was originally written in 2005.
First of all, I hate this term …. “HR Interview.” I hate it when candidates say it. I hate it when Hiring Managers say it. I hate it when Scoble says it. I hate it.
Why, you may ask, do I hate that term so much? Well, besides the fact I despise being called anything HR (I know, I know – I work in HR, so I should get over it), I resent the connotation that comes long with it. And I resent the way people say it … as if it is beneath them or just a silly, meaningless hoop they must jump through. (“Oooh, it was just the HR Interview. I thought you were talking about a real interview!”)
I HATE it! And now I digress … The HR Interview (which I will henceforth refer to as the Core Competency Interview) is the Achilles heel of many a potential job seeker. You’ve submitted a great resume and received a call from a recruiter. Now you must face the next challenge.
Not long after JobsBlog started in 2004, Gretchen answered a reader who wanted to know what he should say when an interviewer asked him to describe his strengths and weaknesses.
Six years later, that post is still one of the most popular articles on this site. Gretchen’s advice remains relevant, of course, and we encourage you to read it – but we thought we’d give you an update from varying viewpoints. Check out what Kenji, Lisa and Matt have to say about this infamous interview question!
Happy new year to everyone! Hope you are all having a great 2010 so far.
I wanted to share a few changes we've got brewing here at JobsBlog for the new year:
Microspotting and JobsBlog merge: Yes, that's right. Two of your favorite Microsoft blogs are now one. :) Back in the fall (before Ariel, Microspotting's founder, left Microsoft), we decided to bring both blogs together onto one site. Actually, it was Ariel's idea, and I think it's a great one. We know the audiences of Microspotting and the traditional JobsBlog can be a bit different so you'll have the option to read the sections together--or separate.
If you want to read both blogs together, continue visiting our main blog site or main blog feed.
If you just want Microspotting, you can pass go and skip directly to the Microspotting page or Microspotting feed.
Happy birthday to our Silicon Valley campus who turned 10 last week. Our largest U.S. campus outside of Redmond, Microsoft Silicon Valley (MSV) is now home to 1300 employees (with 2000 total in the Bay Area) working on products like Mediaroom, Windows Live, Bing, Xbox, Microsoft for Mac, PowerPoint and more. You can find out more about the culture and jobs (yes, we are hiring) at Microsoft Careers: Silicon Valley.
A couple years ago, Jenna wrote about her own experience with Microsoft’s Mobile Medicine benefit. Now, a recent Business Week article tells you a little more about the details—and economics—of our plan: The Return of the House Call.
A while back, the Channel 9 team revealed what it’s really like to work at Microsoft. Ok, well, maybe not really—but we sure did enjoy it. Now Tina and the gang are back again with new insight:
Today at PDC (Microsoft's Professional Developers Conference in LA), our Live Labs team unveiled Pivot, an experimental application that makes it easier (and fun) for people to interact with a massive amount of data in new ways. Right now, Pivot is in a limited technical preview for PDC attendees but check out the video to see this technology in action.
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!
You may have heard about our plans to open Microsoft retail stores in cities around the world. Well, I know a lot of you have heard because the JobsBloggers have been getting peppered with questions. :)
We’ve recently announced our first two stores in Scottsdale, AZ and Mission Viejo, CA. And we’re now hiring!
CareerBuilder and CNN recently published the 43 weirdest things said in job interviews. If you've interviewed many people yourself, what are some funny responses you've heard?
We've sure heard our fair share of odd comments around here, too. The JobsBloggers will chime in with our war stories, too. And a few of our favorites from CareerBuilder and CNN's list after the jump.
Dear JobsBlog: What can you tell me about working in technical support at Microsoft? I see a lot of info on what it’s like to work on an engineering team but not a lot about support. Help!
-Support Guru
Dear Support Guru: I asked Heather from the Microsoft Customer Service & Support Careers Blog to stop by and share how to learn more about careers in Customer Service & Support (CSS). Others have been asking for more info on CSS, too, so look for more technical support and services careers info here on JobsBlog soon!
Gretchen
Dear JobsBlog: After working for 9+ years as a technical lead, I am now considering a change in career path and am seriously considering the Program Manager role. I work at a start-up and wear multiple hats like meeting customers, working with development teams, managing schedules, resource planning and risk analysis. I read the Zen of PM article, and I think I do some of it.
I can see it is quite possible for someone from within Microsoft to change gears from SDE or SDET roles to a PM role. Do you see that happening to someone from outside? Do you have any specific advice for me in this regard -- like to get my resume noticed, given that I am coming from a dev background?
-Pondering PM
Dear Pondering PM: Program Management isn’t a consistent discipline across the technical industry, and as Steven Sinofsky blogged, “PM is unique to Microsoft and I think it is fair to say this is a role that is often copied but never duplicated.” The good news is, when hiring from outside Microsoft, we rarely interview people who have already been PMs because, well, there just aren’t many!
As you’ve probably seen in the headlines today, there are changes happening at Microsoft including some job eliminations.
In case you are wondering … Yes, Microsoft is still hiring with a focus on our most important business priorities and areas of opportunity and growth. We continually update our careers website to reflect the most current available jobs.
At nearly 5 years old, JobsBlog was feeling all growns up ... and we decided it was time to move to our very own home ... http://microsoftjobsblog.com. Our new site is live, and comments are back on. We invite you to head on over and check it out. If you've bookmarked our old url or subscribed to our old feed, you should redirect seamlessly.
Here at JobsBlog, we're packing our bags, but don't worry ... we're not going anywhere. Based on reader feedback, we're moving JobsBlog to our own website (yay!) where we can provide richer and deeper information on job searching, resume writing, interviewing, and working at Microsoft. Nothing about our blog will change, and everything should redirect seamlessly. But for those of you who just like to check in from time to time to get specific information, this new site should help tons.
Dear JobsBlog: I see the Microsoft Connector shuttles all over the Seattle area. How and where would I apply to be a driver for the Connector shuttle service? – Connector Curious Dear "Connector Curious": We get this question a lot. Many facilities-related roles at Microsoft are staffed and managed by...
Episode 2 of "Get Hired @ MSFT" is here ... and this time Microsoft Recruiter Theresa de la Osa and Program Manager (and new employee) Tharika Chandrasekhar give you the inside scoop and tips for what to expect when a recruiter contacts you about a job at Microsoft. In case you missed it, check out Episode...
It's Friday, and I'm headed out to the fair ... but until we're back next week, express your inner PC. :) http://imapc.lifewithoutwalls.com/ Oh, and we're PCs ... and we're hiring. ;-)...
Dear JobsBlog: I’m concerned about how to focus my resume. For instance, when listing my professional experience, should I only list past accomplishments that relate to the job I’m applying for? Or list all my big accomplishments? - Over-Accomplished Dear Accomplished: When it comes to accomplishments...
A couple weeks ago, Ariel and I had a meeting in Microsoft's South Lake Union location (in Seattle proper) so we decided to hang out in the Touchdown Space for the afternoon. We reserved our own desks, but we opted instead to chill on some rather comfy couches. Ariel was kind enough to snap some pictures...