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By: Priya Priyadarshini Long time no activity on the blog. People might be thinking that I left, but that’s not it. Just coping with the onset of Seattle winter weather – have you read the news about the crazy rain and flooding we’ve had? – and working on some exciting stuff that’s keeping me very busy. Apart from the weather, things have been great and we’ve recently had very successful trips to Brazil, Russia and Sydney. And now we’re looking forward to two upcoming trips; Dubai and Egypt, both in December. The last month or so has been busy with most of our new hires starting. And the start date for H1b hires was October 2nd, so we started seeing a lot of international hires arriving just then. It’s so nice to finally meet them all, and of course to welcome them to Seattle and Microsoft. Now, I know modesty is a good thing, but I have to admit that I was impressed at myself (and so were my new hire buddies) at how well I remembered all of their names and what they look like. Remember,Office Ultimate 2007 Product Key, I’d only met them for a day in an interview location in Prague, Turkey,Cheapest Thomas Sabo Charms, Egypt or Dubai! From what I hear, everyone’s adjusting gradually to the time zones, the weather change, the culture and the food. For most of them this is their first time traveling internationally, and for others it’s their first time to the States. Every one of them has a great story to share. Some noticed the insane number of coffee shops that are in Seattle (just how many are there, anyway?), others just couldn’t believe the range of free drinks we have on campus (including new Starbucks coffee machines that brew a fresh cup while you wait – no more hours-old pots of burned coffee!). One guy confessed to me that he loves the little Toyota Prius shuttle and loves to go to different buildings just so that he can sit in one! I talked to another rather depressed new hire who does not like the “bland” food in the States. I had to show him the various dining menus of Microsoft campus cafes and also recommend some restaurants that would cater to his spice-loving taste buds. Although they are busy settling in both at work and in their new homes, some of our new hires have happily volunteered to share some of their stories with you. My first guest on the blog to talk about his “Journey to Microsoft” is Mian Fahim. Fahim recently joined Microsoft’s Exchange team. He is originally from Pakistan and was hired during one of our international recruiting trips to Dubai. Fahim also has his own blog if you want to check out some more of what he has to say. Read on about his personal “Journey to Microsoft”. 1. Fahim, why did you apply to Microsoft?
I wanted to be at a place where new technology is created. It’s exciting to work on products when you know that people all around the world are going to use them. I applied as soon as I came to know that Microsoft is hiring from Pakistan. If someone has passion for software, he or she should apply at Microsoft. 2. What was the interview experience like?
Both went fine (Obviously that is why I am at Microsoft,Windows 7 Home Basic X64!) 3. Tell me both rounds of your interview.
Personally I think that telephonic interview is a more risky business. You have to convince the recruiter in 15-20 minutes. She cannot see you (and vice versa). So the questions or answers/responses could be misinterpreted. When I was called by the recruiter,office professional key,, I stood up and kept on walking while talking. It gave me an impression that I am in a presentation and it worked. In-person interviews are tougher on technical side. Writing code on paper or whiteboard isn’t very attractive (and the code that you produce is even more unattractive). A good tip is to practice writing on paper or whiteboard before coming to interviews. I had 5 interviews. Some interviewers were funny, some were not but all of them were friendly. In my first interview, I rolled up my sleeves unconsciously and then unrolled them (upon realizing that it might look unprofessional) but my interviewer noticed it and asked me to roll them up again. So the idea is to roll up your sleeves, make yourself comfortable and start writing code. I even drank coffee during one interview. 4. Key to success in a Microsoft Interview?
Do your preparation. It’s better to over-prepare than to under-prepare. Understand the SDE and SDET roles. Ask a lot of questions (No don’t ask the solution to the problem that he gave you! Ask clarifying questions). Communicate with your interviewer even when you are solving the problem (but remember that you have to solve the problem in the end). He wants to know what you are thinking. One of my interviewers took my pen and pad from me because he wanted to discuss some problem verbally. Be honest. I answered “I don’t know” to several things and it never hurts. Know your resume. Know about the product if you can but it’s not necessary. 5. How was the relocation?
Microsoft’s relocation is really good. Microsoft has a great dedicated relocation team. They provide you support in everything – from housing to bank account to driver’s license to social security number. By the way, 24 hour plane ride from Pakistan to US was not exciting. 6. Since you had to wait for quite a while before you actually got a visa to come and work here, did you feel that you were left out, or was there any contact with MS?
Well yes and no. Sometimes the legal team is late to respond but that is because they don’t have anything new. Other than that, you keep getting emails from one person or another. So you don’t feel left out as such. Some of my friends heard very late from legal department. In my case, they used to reply in a reasonable time. 7. What do you like most about Seattle?
This area is very beautiful. You have so many places to go e.g. lakes, trails etc. However, traffic is not good in busy hours. 8. What about the people?
People are friendly and helpful. They are hard working. In the beginning,Buy Office Standard 2010, I was not good in driving as US has left hand drive (In Pakistan, we have right hand drive). So I thought of going to Microsoft (as it has less chances of finding a cop) early in the morning . I went there at about 6:30 AM and saw that people have already started coming to offices. (Don’t get the impression that Microsoft forces you to work for 18 hours a day. Some people want to avoid traffic. They come early and leave early). 9. What do you like most about Microsoft?
Should I say free drinks? Working hours are really flexible. You can work from home. Dress casually. Microsoft gives you every opportunity to enjoy your work. They’ll pay your tuition if you want to go for further education. Isn’t is great to work the way you like on something of your own choice and still get paid for it? 10. Was there anything that surprises you about the Microsoft culture?
Its openness. People are talking to each other while sitting on tables (yeah just like the college cafeteria). They are friendly. Play foosball and XBOX during working hours. They know their competitors. Google/Mac/IPod is not a prohibited word in Microsoft. People here take the liberty to compare Microsoft’s products against others, identify flaws in Microsoft’s products and try to make them better. I have heard that Bill Gates sits in my building and uses the same elevators to go to his office. I have never seen him as yet but the myth (it’s true) says that there can be a day when you and Bill Gates are on the same elevator. 11. Anything fun that you would like to share?
Someone on my floor had his birthday couple of weeks ago. So people filled his room with balloons (All day people were busy with pumps or with their mouths). There were so many balloons that he couldn’t enter into his office. You can still find balloons in the corridors and some in each office. He had to push the balloons to corridor to enter into the office and then people kicked some into every office (so everyone got his share). There are still 3 left under my table. Nowadays, whenever we hear a blast, we know that another birthday balloon made its last cry.