Windows 7 Starter blog another-path-to-microsoft

Following a amazing weekend in Seattle – sunny and warm – I am back at work on Monday. And it is still sunny and warm! Anyway, we;ve spent some page space talking about our favorite tools, how we find you, different types of candidates etc. I thought I would add another layer to how people actually find their way to Microsoft - the "Employee Referral". Over the past couple of years this has been one of my most successful sources of hires. Why? Well because as Gretchen mentioned before, great people know other great people and there are plenty of great people at Microsoft :-) So what is an “Employee Referral”? Well this is usually a candidate, active or passive, that is brought to my attention through a current employee recommending them for an open position. Usually the employee knows this person fairly well. They may have gone to school with them, worked with them at a previous company or can vouch for the person;s work experience and skills. I get employee referrals/leads a couple of ways: Searching through our resume database for candidates submitted through our employee referral program Hiring managers that send me employee referrals from their team or from other employees that know they have an open position Referrals sent directly to me from people that I hired in the past I don;t passively sit by and wait for these people to come to me though. Oh no. I am always asking employees who they know, who might be interested in coming to Microsoft, who they went to school with, who they;ve been talking to at conferences, who they learn from outside of Microsoft etc. Calibration is an important part of the referral process. I spend a lot of time asking employees about the people they send me. Some of the things I want to know are: Is someone they would want to work for or with? How well do they know the person? As an employee of Microsoft and a potential shareholder, we have a vested interest in making sure that the best people get hired. We do have an automated system where employees can send in their referrals. As part of the web form employees can fill out a recommendation. Recruiters read this information so it is important to make a strong recommendation. Leaving this part blank or saying “I don;t really know this person that well” isn;t a strong reference. What really helps is if someone says “I used to work with this person and they are the smartest,Windows 7 Starter, hardest working person I know”. Consequently, it is not just a matter of whether or not someone refers you but also the recommendation they give. Once I get a referral, I will often send the person an email to make sure they are interested. I tell them who I am, what I do and how I got their information. From there, I usually have a conversation similar to how Gretchen approaches a passive candidate. One difference is that a lot of referrals often will be interested in my tech space because they have gone to a similar school or used to work with the referring employee. They may also already be interested in positions at Microsoft. So how do you get to be an “Employee Referral”? Well it is largely based on who you know at the company really. The hardest thing for me is actually getting referrals in the first place though. Imaging that! I think this is because sometimes candidates are nervous about asking their friends about openings at their company. Or some people don;t think to ask their friends if they would be interested in working at their company. I can totally understand. It;s like when a doctor goes to a party and everyone is asking her for medical advice. It can be uncomfortable. You don;t want to mix your down time with work talk. Etc., Etc. Here;s my thought: there is a time and place for everything and at some point you;ll get to talking about work. If you;re an employee of a company and you think someone would be a great addition you can ask if they ever are interested to let you know. This leaves the door open for them to approach you in the future. No ickyness there, suitable? As a candidate looking to join a company it can be a bit harder. I know it was hard for me to ask my friends to send in my resume! I felt like I was taking advantage or pestering them. Still I would encourage you to bite the bullet and talk with your friends at the companies you like. You may want to start off by asking them what they like about their company (and what they don;t like). Make sure it is something you really want to pursue. Then ask if they would be willing to send in your resume. Or even better yet they may ask; “why, are you interested in working here?” Bingo – this is the perfect time to say; “yeah, can you help me out?” I think most people would be more than willing to lend a hand. Companies often also provide incentives for these types of referrals. Plus, they would probably love to be able to work with their friends! Most recruiters would agree that people that are submitted through a referral system often get through the process faster. So don;t be shy, ask your friends about their job and see if they are willing to submit your resume. And for you employees out there – tell us who you know! zoë