Shayna was a recruiter who decided she wanted to try life on the geeky side of the tracks
The geek in question: Shayna Swanson
The job title: SDET, Distributed Application Server
I understand you used to be a recruiter?
Yep. I started as a recruiter at Microsoft in 2005. I interviewed mostly technical candidates, and years of hearing how excited they were about their technical roles got me really excited about it too. I have a degree in business management and HR management, so my background is definitely non-technical. But when I heard about Microsoft’s Test Apprenticeship Program, it seemed like the perfect opportunity so, I applied. I was accepted and after nine months of on-the-job training, now I’m a tester working on Dublin.
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John Mulhausen can kick your butt at Super Mario Bros, and then tour across the country with his band.
The geek in question: John Mulhausen
The job title: SDET, Microsoft Game Studios
How long have you been with the company?
I started as a contractor in 2004, and then got hired on in 2005. I’ve been in my dream job with XBOX since July 2008.
Tell me about how you got this dream job.
I heard about a job with this central group, Microsoft Game Studios Test Org, that works with xbox developers, supporting every studio that Microsoft publishes. I studied my butt off and I had a lot of anxiety going into the interview. The day before I went to bed at like 9pm. I was like “I’m going to get 15 hours of sleep!” Getting this job was an obsession. Nothing but xbox games, and a new one all the time!
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Despite the skates, Michael says he commutes via bike
It’s my final day of working from Microsoft’s South Lake Union office, and after drooling over the commute and familiarizing myself with the building and neighborhood, I figured it was time to ogle my coworkers who get to call 320 Westlake home base.
And so I give to you five mini-Microspotting profiles, with just a few hard-hitting investigative questions. If these tales of 5 minute walking commutes and lakeside lunches make you jealous, remember the South Lake Union office totally has open jobs!
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Shanthi will show you how it's done, Bollywood style
Geek in question: Prashanthi Chitre aka Shanthi
Job title: Program Manager, Desktop Management Services
How long have you worked for Microsoft?
I’ve been with the company for eight years, and just started in a new position two weeks ago! I’ve been in the products groups (UCG) the whole time, as an SDET for seven years, and now as a program manager.
I feel a lot of job security at Microsoft. You can move around and still keep your job. I’m on my third job in eight years, but I’ve stayed at Microsoft the whole time.
So, in my hunt for Microsoft’s biggest Bollywood fan, a ton of people mentioned you. Why might that be?
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Fiddler in the woods
The geek in question: Alex MacLeod
The job: Senior Test Manager,
Exchange
Do you feel like the Exchange team gets no love? Like people see it as less sexy than, say, Xbox?
Totally. When people apply at Microsoft, they get this boilerplate form where they check their interest in different groups. And the only two check boxes I’ve ever seen marked are Games or Mobile Devices. And occasionally someone who thinks they’re a hardcore computer candidate will check OS, but no one ever chooses the Enterprise applications like Exchange. No one knows what it means and it doesn’t sound cool.
But see, I work on a product that for millions of people and millions of businesses across the globe, isn’t a “nice to have” feature. It’s a complete “must have.” There’s not a company in the world that doesn’t view their ability to communicate effectively with each other through email as total mission critical. And when it doesn’t work whole economies suffer. Continue reading →
Software Design Engineer Jeffrey Kafer parlayed an interest in acting into a part-time career doing voice-overs. His fledgling efforts have already earned him honors.
By Fred Albert
Jeffrey Kafer says that voice-over work gives him a creative outlet without taking him away from his family or his job as an SDET. It’s even earned him an award.
April 14, 2008
Jeffrey Kafer spends a lot of his time in the closet. And if he has his way, he won’t be coming out any time soon.
The closet in question is in Kafer’s Monroe, Washington, home. A scant four feet square, it doubles as a recording studio, where the 35-year-old software design engineer in test pursues his dream of becoming a voice-over artist. Poised at a microphone surrounded by sound-deadening sweaters and blankets, he records lines from commercials, films, software, and books, hoping to become the next James Earl Jones or—at the very least—Don Pardo. “I’ve been known to be in my closet for two or three hours every night,” Kafer laughed.
Kafer’s interest in voice-over work was a natural outgrowth of his involvement in theater. He started acting in his teens and participated in community theater and college improv groups for the next 20 years. But as he got older, other responsibilities took precedence. “I got married and had two kids and just couldn’t devote three or four nights a week to rehearsals,” Kafer explained.
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It took a proposal from Steve Ballmer to entice a promising computer science student to consider a career at Microsoft. Now she’d like to see more women and minorities follow her lead.
By Fred Albert
March 3, 2008
Steve Ballmer asked Miya McClain to intern at Microsoft when the two appeared at a technology event five years ago.
Miya McClain was 18 years old when Steve Ballmer made her an offer she couldn’t refuse.The college freshman was at a Seattle hotel demonstrating an internship project for a gathering of high-tech executives when Ballmer stepped up to the dais. After delivering his keynote address, he stood before the crowd and offered McClain an internship at Microsoft.
“I wasn’t going to apply for the Microsoft college internship,” confided McClain, now 24 and a software design engineer in test for Office. “I was just going to intern at other, smaller companies like I had in high school.” But when the CEO of Microsoft offers you a position in front of a room full of industry hotshots, how can you say no? Representatives from other companies swooped in to counter Ballmer’s offer, but it was too late. The die was cast.
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Miguel
The geek in question: Miguel Susffalich
The job title: SDET, BizTalk/Oslo
(and Peruvian rock star)
What are you working on?
I’m an SDET working in the Distributed Application Server team of the Connected Systems Division, specifically working in features for BizTalk Server and Oslo.
How did you get your gig at Microsoft?
I did a five year software engineering degree in Peru at UPC, and one of my career goals was to work at Microsoft. Last year I tried every option available to get in touch — I submitted my resume through the careers portal, I got into the rockstar coding contest on Jobsblog, and I had a friend refer me. I’m not sure how I actually got to the recruiter, but I got a call in August saying that my visa had been approved and I was able to take the next steps! And here I am! Continue reading →
A Microsoft PM tracks her story from aspiring astronaut to apprentice to SDET to PM to UX student
Dana Badeen
The geek in question
Dana Badeen
The job title
Program Manager, Engineering Innovation (Windows Server)
So, Dana. What did you want to be when you grew up?
When I started college at the University of Michigan, I wanted to be an astronaut. After two years in the Aerospace program I realized that the chances of actually getting into the Astronaut program are worse than getting struck by lightning! And even if you get into the program, you only have a one-third chance of making it to space.
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A Microsoft tester spills his guts about testing tools for devs, chugging the kool-aid, and dancing zombies
The geek in question
Justin Wilcox
The job title
Test Lead, MSMQ
MSMQ, huh? Nice Microsoft acronym. Break it down for me.
MSMQ stands for Microsoft Message Queuing, which ships as part of Windows. We’re a messaging platform that developers use if you’ve got an application on Computer A that wants to send information to Computer B, you use us to guarantee that information gets there, even if there’s a failure (e.g. machines burst into flames, someone trips over the Ethernet cable, asteroids, etc.) after you sent the information.
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