How to Land a Job at Microsoft
mashable.com
mashable.com
But - the "I'm to good to work at company X" attitude will not lead you far. Especially if you say that on Microsoft which still has some of the world greatest minds.
I did once apply to work for Microsoft about five years ago, but didn't get anywhere. Now I don't really care about Microsoft, rarely use any of their products and no longer think of them as a desirable company to work for.
And the Linux world in particular could do with someone like Raymond Chen (IMO).
no business skill Implies no intelligence is false
since
Intelligence => Business Skill is false. Business Skill is not necessary for intelligence.
People want to work for successful companies, Microsoft, despite residual income from previous successes, is no longer successful. Not successful at mobile, not succesful at search, not successful for web development. Occam's razor, people don't want to work for Microsoft.
That's what I thought.
In the past 10 years the company has tripled revenues and is now the 3rd most profitable company in the Fortune 500 behind just Exxon and Chevron.
I hope my startup should be so fortunate as to make that kind of money. I'd gladly put up with all the ridicule Microsoft gets in the tech community, as I laugh all the way to the bank.
That's not what I was implying. Any article titled "How to land a job at X" should probably go into a bit of detail about why X is a desirable place to work, learn, and grow as a developer. The article doesn't explain at all why Microsoft would be such a such a place, instead jumping straight to the conclusion about how to get a job there.
I certainly didn't see it as a criticism towards the article but towards Microsoft as a company to work for.
Unfortunately, their business practices have also left some developers with a bad taste in their mouth (whether through their previously predatory nature, or their current lack of a cohesive approach to the web). Given that Microsoft is a well-known entity in the developer world (and frankly the larger US-culture), I will assume that you fall into on of those categories, in which case Microsoft will need much more than perks and salary (of which they apparently have many - I am not affiliated nor have I ever been affiliated with them) to sway you.
On the other hand, there are plenty of folks out there who may not have the same negative experiences with MS and, based on everything I said above, would consider the company an excellent place to work.
His advice on how to answer questions, however, fell short. Just saying "I don't know" to questions is a sure-fire way to terminate the interview loop early. Interviewers at Microsoft aren't primarily looking for knowledge, but rather problem-solving skills and the ability to think about issues. If you don't know something, it's fine to explain that you don't know, but you had better follow up with a discussion on what you think and why you think it.