Good evening, pretty people! I'm relaxing at my brother's beautiful home for the evening after an excellent weekend of theme park shenanigans with my bro and my sister wifey in sunny Orlando. Thank goodness for the Wright brothers. A couple hours on a plane swept me away from snow stormed Boston to beautiful, balmy Florida. Last week, I attended the ACM Richard TAPIA Celebration of Diversity in Computing in Boston. It's an opportunity for students to network with industry professionals, academic institutions, and each other. I manned Microsoft's career table for a couple hours each day. I love meeting excited computer science students and speaking with them about Microsoft. Not gonna lie though, I found myself repeating the same information over and over again. So, at the end of this post I've included some tips to help you get recruited in a big tech company like Microsoft. I hope aspiring software engineers find them useful!
I was able to fit in quality time with some of my favorite people in between career fair shenanigans. One of my favorite meals this trip was shared with Hector of Geek-Q, Dara of Love, Darbie and our blogless, but equally as loved friends Bre'Ana and Stephen! I was being incredibly lazy about venturing out into the snow unless absolutely necessary so I suggested ShabuMaru, a hotpot spot inside Westin Copley Square, where we were staying (lol so lazy). Honestly can't even remember what we talked about but I remember a lot of laughing and a lot of shenanning (so many food photos!). I loved spending time with these people and I can't wait until we are all in Seattle again!
A quick note about this restaraunt in case any Boston readers are curious- The decor is lovely and the service is very attentive. However, I can't put my Asian stamp of approval on the food. It just wasn't up to par for hot pot I've had elsewhere, especially for the price. If you're looking for a good hot pot meal, check Yelp or Urbanspoon. You'll most likely find the best within your local Chinatown or International neighborhoods.
I was able to fit in quality time with some of my favorite people in between career fair shenanigans. One of my favorite meals this trip was shared with Hector of Geek-Q, Dara of Love, Darbie and our blogless, but equally as loved friends Bre'Ana and Stephen! I was being incredibly lazy about venturing out into the snow unless absolutely necessary so I suggested ShabuMaru, a hotpot spot inside Westin Copley Square, where we were staying (lol so lazy). Honestly can't even remember what we talked about but I remember a lot of laughing and a lot of shenanning (so many food photos!). I loved spending time with these people and I can't wait until we are all in Seattle again!
A quick note about this restaraunt in case any Boston readers are curious- The decor is lovely and the service is very attentive. However, I can't put my Asian stamp of approval on the food. It just wasn't up to par for hot pot I've had elsewhere, especially for the price. If you're looking for a good hot pot meal, check Yelp or Urbanspoon. You'll most likely find the best within your local Chinatown or International neighborhoods.
After lunch, we braved the cold for 20 minutes to snap some fabulous outfit shots for Dara and Hector in Copley Square. I was scrubbed out, so I opted to play photographer! Dara's camera setup was AMAZING. I had so much fun taking her shots. You can see details of Dara's gorgeous outfit and more beautiful photos on her latest post. For now though, here are a couple fun snaps of the three of us! Thanks, Stephen :)
Kim's Top Tips for getting recruited at Microsoft
Please note that this list is not exhaustive and is completely based on my personal experiences. I have a double degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering from the University of Washington. I had a PM internship at Microsoft, dev internship at Google and a dev internship at Amazon before returning to PM full time at Microsoft. After 1.5 years of engineering, I joined the University Recruiting team and have been recruiting the best and brightest from Duke, Texas A&M, Penn State, and Rice for the last 9 months.
1. Be nice to your recruiter. Your recruiter holds the keys to the company. At Microsoft, there are two ways to get your foot in the door. One way is to have some serious connections to a hiring manager, who is willing to recommend you for a specific position on their team. Most of us don't have that type of connection so your best bet is to get a recruiter to notice you and believe in your potential.
2. Know who your recruiter is. Use this site to find out.
3. Inquire EARLY. This year, I was finished hiring for internship positions by November. At Microsoft, we open opportunities for the new year in August. Mark your calendars now and plan to reach out as soon as recruiting season opens. We hire full time year round but the biggest variety of opportunities are available earlier in the recruiting season.
4. The more I see your face, the more likely I will give you a first round interview. I'm all about the hustle and I appreciate persistence enough to occasionally offer first round interviews based on the mere fact that I remember you. The best way to secure an interview with us is to see us in person when we visit your campus, especially at career fairs. You can use this site to find out when we'll be on your campus. Attend as many events as possible and make sure to say hi and let us know you were there. Remember that there is a fine line between being assertive and being annoying so be aware of which side of the line you are on. While I'm at it, please be aware of the level of entitlement you are excuding. Honestly, nothing a recruiter hates more than entitlement. No joke.
5. Do you go to a smaller school where Microsoft does not visit? Research upcoming regional hackathons and find out if we are sponsoring. If we are, it's almost a guarantee that we will have representatives from our recruiting team attending, use that time to shine!
6. Use your time with me wisely. You should be doing most of the talking. Remember that section in Speech 101 on Elevator Pitches? You need to have one. You have 1 - 2 minute tops with me at a career fair and I expect you to use that time to convince me that you will be an asset to my company. My points of evaluation are simple and straightforward: intellectual horsepower (how well can you code?), passion for technology (are you genuinely excited about this field?), and communication (will you make an awesome team player?).
7. Understand what I am hiring for. Hands down the most annoying question of all time is, "What type of positions do you have available?". Let me be clear, I welcome clarifying questions or inquiries to gain additional insight on specific technologies. However, I strongly dislike it when potential candidates approach me and it is clear they have not done any research on what we're looking for. This information is easily accessible on our college recruiting site.
This list could go on and on, but I think we've made a good dent! Are there any other questions I can help you answer? Sound off in the comments or shoot me an email: hellokimwin@gmail.com
I'm always happy to help out the hardworking! See you guys tomorrow :)
Please note that this list is not exhaustive and is completely based on my personal experiences. I have a double degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering from the University of Washington. I had a PM internship at Microsoft, dev internship at Google and a dev internship at Amazon before returning to PM full time at Microsoft. After 1.5 years of engineering, I joined the University Recruiting team and have been recruiting the best and brightest from Duke, Texas A&M, Penn State, and Rice for the last 9 months.
1. Be nice to your recruiter. Your recruiter holds the keys to the company. At Microsoft, there are two ways to get your foot in the door. One way is to have some serious connections to a hiring manager, who is willing to recommend you for a specific position on their team. Most of us don't have that type of connection so your best bet is to get a recruiter to notice you and believe in your potential.
2. Know who your recruiter is. Use this site to find out.
3. Inquire EARLY. This year, I was finished hiring for internship positions by November. At Microsoft, we open opportunities for the new year in August. Mark your calendars now and plan to reach out as soon as recruiting season opens. We hire full time year round but the biggest variety of opportunities are available earlier in the recruiting season.
4. The more I see your face, the more likely I will give you a first round interview. I'm all about the hustle and I appreciate persistence enough to occasionally offer first round interviews based on the mere fact that I remember you. The best way to secure an interview with us is to see us in person when we visit your campus, especially at career fairs. You can use this site to find out when we'll be on your campus. Attend as many events as possible and make sure to say hi and let us know you were there. Remember that there is a fine line between being assertive and being annoying so be aware of which side of the line you are on. While I'm at it, please be aware of the level of entitlement you are excuding. Honestly, nothing a recruiter hates more than entitlement. No joke.
5. Do you go to a smaller school where Microsoft does not visit? Research upcoming regional hackathons and find out if we are sponsoring. If we are, it's almost a guarantee that we will have representatives from our recruiting team attending, use that time to shine!
6. Use your time with me wisely. You should be doing most of the talking. Remember that section in Speech 101 on Elevator Pitches? You need to have one. You have 1 - 2 minute tops with me at a career fair and I expect you to use that time to convince me that you will be an asset to my company. My points of evaluation are simple and straightforward: intellectual horsepower (how well can you code?), passion for technology (are you genuinely excited about this field?), and communication (will you make an awesome team player?).
7. Understand what I am hiring for. Hands down the most annoying question of all time is, "What type of positions do you have available?". Let me be clear, I welcome clarifying questions or inquiries to gain additional insight on specific technologies. However, I strongly dislike it when potential candidates approach me and it is clear they have not done any research on what we're looking for. This information is easily accessible on our college recruiting site.
This list could go on and on, but I think we've made a good dent! Are there any other questions I can help you answer? Sound off in the comments or shoot me an email: hellokimwin@gmail.com
I'm always happy to help out the hardworking! See you guys tomorrow :)
This trip was AMAZING!! Nothing less than I expected. I had the best of times with you and I'm so happy to have met Dara, Bre, and Stephen. Such a wonderful crew!! The meal was SO delicious!! And I'm so happy that we have so many pictures of the event lol (you couldn't expect less when you have 3 bloggers sitting at the same table). I agree with you, Dara's camera setup was lovely and her pictures are exceptional. Can't wait to get a hold of some of them and write a post for my blog as well :). Hope you're enjoying Florida my dear!<3
ReplyDeleteI am extra looking forward to your Wednesday post. The preview photos on Dara's camera were sublime. I am so jealous of your Canada goose parka, I am seriously considering one of my own!! Maybe if I get paired with east coast schools again next year!
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