Social tools show job applicants what it’s really like to work at Microsoft.
By Steve Birge

Anybody who’s looked for a new job knows that the job posting rarely gives a real sense of what it would be like to work at the new place. It’s particularly challenging if the position is new or rare.That’s exactly the problem staffing consultant Terry Jordan was having when he filled an escalation engineer position recently. Applications were few, and people he did hear from were confused about what an escalation engineer does. At a global staffing conference, he met colleagues who suggested adding a podcast of an escalation engineer talking about what the job entails.
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I first met Zune developer Hoop Somuah last summer, after a colleague on the Zune team suggested that he might make a good profile for the ViewMyWorld website. We covered all sorts of topics in his profile, including the ways that the small team felt like a start-up, and the ruffled feathered from a coding retreat that some regarded as a coup. More than six months (and a Zune release) later, I thought I’d catch up with Hoop again to see how things were going.

Hey, Hoop. So, what’s changed since we spoke last summer?
Last year was all about building the base for the Zune service. This year, we’re working on building cool stuff on top of that infrastructure. Last year we were much more hard pressed for schedule, trying to make the release date for Zune 2.0.

Summer and early fall of 2007 I worked harder than I have ever worked in my life — harder than college, even harder than when I had two jobs simultaneously.
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Perhaps you’re familiar with Mini-Microsoft, the anonymous Deep Throat Microsoft blogger who’s been lovingly griping online about the company online since 2004.

Mini is somewhat infamous (having been interviewed by Business Week and The Seattle Times) and has managed to maintain his anonymity despite all the attention.

I recently had the chance to pester Mini with some of my own questions, and took the opportunity to ask him about his sad experience with facebook, how he felt about Fake Steve Jobs, and his groupies.

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A Microspotting photo showed up in the Wall Street Journal online today!

If you look closely here, you can see a screenshot of the Workin it @ MSFT page on Facebook. I’m an admin for that group, and we used a photo from Justin Wilcox’s Microspotting profile the main image. Hence, even though Microspotting itself isn’t in the WSJ, you get to see a Microspotting picture.

If you missed the profile of Justin and his mohawk back in October, it’s worth a read. Oh, and speaking of Justin … He’s actually preparing to leave Teh ‘Soft™ to go start his own company! While I’m sad to see him go, I consider it a Microsoft success story when someone gets the training and support they need here to go start up their own thing. Plus, as Gretchen is proof of, smart alumi not infrequently find their way back.

The web’s all a-twitter about the MSFT/Facebook deal that was just announced. I’m mostly curious to see if this means more ‘Softies will start using Facebook. The Microsoft Network has 18,000 members, which isn’t that many, when you consider I have almost 80,000 coworkers…

So there’s this anonymous Microsoft blogger who goes by the name of Mini-Microsoft. He’s been around for ages, grumping about Microsoft and offering his cranky advice about how the company could be improved. Mini’s gained a lot of credibility as an MSFT watchdog, and was recently featured in Business Week.

I love Mini (every enormous global company should have an anonymous bitchy blogger — seriously!) and recently added him on Facebook.

It was over on Mini’s Facebook page that I found this awesome wall posting:

Hey Mini,
I wanted to let you know that I am a recently hired level 59. I am a top student from a top program (which of course means SHIT until I start seriously producing for the company).

One of the main reasons I chose Microsoft over my other extremely gratuitous offers was because of your blog. Yes, I understand one of your overall messages involves frowning upon my entrance because I’m initially another face in the crowd who initially may not add much to the bottom line. Yes, I understand your blog magnifies and makes public many operational problems at MSFT. Yes, I understand your blog has caused many potential hires to be scared. But when I read mini-microsoft, I get excited, because I realize the problems you write about are solvable and more important they are worth solving because of the potential this company has.

So I guess what I’m trying to say is…. Thank you….

I love this! I firmly believe that the best way for any company (MSFT included) to attract smart, awesome folks is to be honest and forthcoming about its shortcomings and weak points — after all, those are the areas of the company that theoretically need the brightest superstars and problem-solvers, right?

So Mini — I salute you! Thanks for being the crabby voice that no-one wants to hear, but everyone listens to.