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August 2005 - Posts

Why social networks don't work ....

Posted Wednesday, August 31, 2005 1:40 PM by JobsBlog
Unless you are new to the internet - or are a novice to its mysteries, you are no doubt familiar with social networks. For the uninitiated, social networks are online communities where people meet and exchange business information with one another. In Read More...
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Want to interact with the JobsBloggers? Here's how ...

Posted Tuesday, August 30, 2005 12:28 PM by JobsBlog
It’s that time of year. Time for another JobsBlog “ setting boundaries ” post. I hate writing these, but I feel it’s important to set some guidelines and a service level agreement between us JobsBloggers and you loyal readers. We want everyone to have Read More...
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Work Sweet Work

Posted Friday, August 26, 2005 2:40 PM by JobsBlog
And now back to the “ Show us why you are the ideal Microsoft applicant ” promotion! I’m still accepting submissions until September 15. (Free software, free Microsoft Rubik's Cube, free publicity ... who can pass that up??) In the meantime, I wanted Read More...
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How to apply to Microsoft if you don't live in North America

Posted Friday, August 26, 2005 7:30 AM by JobsBlog
Currently living outside of North America and interested in joining Microsoft in the US? Here’s your chance! You’ve asked for these details, and I’ve got them! Read below for more info! (The very end tells you how to submit your resume, and remember, Read More...
76 Comments

The sell that goes both ways

Posted Thursday, August 25, 2005 7:58 AM by JobsBlog
Reader Dhana asks : If an interviewer ask me, "Why should we hire you?," how should I respond? With this question, your interviewer wants to understand the strengths you can bring to the team or company. An "ok" answer would be to say that you are smart, Read More...
7 Comments

Bite of Advice: Breaking the keyword code

Posted Wednesday, August 24, 2005 11:00 AM by JobsBlog
The Suggestion Kitty says .... Keywords, keywords, keywords. It’s all about keywords. Hiring Managers want to see them on resumes. Applicants want to include them in their resumes. Recruiters want to find them on resumes. Not sure which keywords are most Read More...
12 Comments

Are you seeing someone else?

Posted Tuesday, August 23, 2005 8:55 AM by JobsBlog
I am pretty sure that no one really knows the universally acceptable answer to the question,"Are you actively job hunting?" I ask this question of everyone I interview, and it seems I rarely get the truth. There are two basic lies: either you are interviewing Read More...
7 Comments

Microsoft Internz Music Video 2005

Posted Monday, August 22, 2005 3:38 PM by JobsBlog
"Five Microsoft interns decided to "celebrate" the end of their time at the software giant by making a wonderfully dorky music video ." Thanks for the tip, Brant! gretchen < Edit 5 minutes after posting: It must be Intern Day. The Channel9 team just Read More...
8 Comments

The Benefits Platinum Card

Posted Monday, August 22, 2005 10:45 AM by JobsBlog
One thing that amazes me about people is the need to impress other people. I don’t know if it’s a sense of insecurity or personal inadequacy, but some folks feel compelled to trumpet certain accessories. I feel that such can be very annoying, so forgive Read More...
10 Comments

Email, resumes, and DMB

Posted Friday, August 19, 2005 12:13 PM by JobsBlog
Several of you have emailed me over the last three or four days, and I want to let you know that, yes, I got your email (and I've probably already read it), but I'm a bit behind on my responding. Hang in there with me. You'll get a response early next Read More...
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JobCast: Jonathan Hayes, Xbox 360 design guru

Posted Thursday, August 18, 2005 8:05 PM by JobsBlog
I would like to introduce you to Jonathan Hayes. If you are into Xbox, you may have seen him on Mtv presents Xbox: the next generation revealed . To learn more about Jonathan’s background, please take a look at his bio . Jonathan joins me to tell you Read More...
4 Comments

Meet Julie!

Posted Thursday, August 18, 2005 7:41 PM by JobsBlog
Hi, my name is Julie Stringham. I work as the Sourcing Program Consultant for User Experience at Microsoft. In short, I help to find the candidates and then direct them out to the appropriate hiring groups within UX. You may remember me from my own JobCast Read More...
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Back from California

Posted Wednesday, August 17, 2005 11:33 AM by JobsBlog
I thought it was about time I reported on the MSN Search Party and other bay area happenings from my trip last week. For people in the world of Search Engines, the "Search Engine Strategies" conferences are always packed and this one was no exception. Read More...
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US H-1B visa capped reached

Posted Wednesday, August 17, 2005 8:00 AM by JobsBlog
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services issued a press release last week stating that it has received enough H-1B visa petitions (applications) to reach its cap for fiscal year 2006. What does this mean? According to the press release, the next time Read More...
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Anyone going to PDC?

Posted Tuesday, August 16, 2005 10:24 PM by JobsBlog
Wow, PDC is only a month away. I wanted to let you know that, yes, I will be there. My main reason for attending this year is, now that I'm officially in a marketing role, to use this time to "soak up" all the good marketing vibes and take notes on the Read More...
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We're looking for someone who ...

Posted Tuesday, August 16, 2005 2:45 PM by JobsBlog
Live in New Zealand? Think you’d make a great website manager ? Yeah, me neither . . . but I sure got a big chuckle out of this video (edit 7/11/06 - the video copyright has expired so it has been removed) , produced by some folks over in Microsoft New Read More...
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He's "Microsoft Luke"

Posted Monday, August 15, 2005 10:06 AM by JobsBlog
Last week I asked for your best creative submission that demonstrates “your skills, your passion for technology, your desire to work at Microsoft, what you hate and would love to change . . .” Well, “Microsoft Luke” sent me this great video his friends Read More...
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The Last Word on Negotiation

Posted Friday, August 12, 2005 3:10 PM by JobsBlog
My last two posts on negotiation prompted some great comments and questions. I was not surprised to hear how many of you were uneasy about disclosing your salary to recruiters, but I was shocked to hear the reason why. Many of you did not want to tell Read More...
16 Comments

Show us why you are the ideal Microsoft Applicant!

Posted Thursday, August 11, 2005 11:00 AM by JobsBlog
Want to work at Microsoft but having a hard time getting noticed? Here’s a chance to make your mark! Send me your best digital representation of yourself, your skills, your passion for technology, your desire to work at Microsoft, what you hate and would Read More...
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Wow the recruiter

Posted Thursday, August 11, 2005 9:00 AM by JobsBlog
Jim’s blog entry on ways to grab recruiters’ attention got me thinking about the other creative ideas I’ve seen or heard about. My top three personal favorites are (in no particular order): 1. Shannon’s recruiting game, Happy Applicant 2. Alexandre’s Read More...
2 Comments

The Big Cojones Award goes to ...

Posted Wednesday, August 10, 2005 6:07 PM by JobsBlog
My co-worker, Glenn Gutmacher (The Great One!), referred an interesting item to me the other day. Glenn, like so many other recruiters, is a member of several online recruiting forums. For the uninitiated, these forums are where recruiters go to bounce Read More...
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Hello?

Posted Wednesday, August 10, 2005 12:29 PM by JobsBlog
I cold call a lot. Every day. Cold-calling is a bit like going on repeated blind dates; I have a short window of time to make a good impression, and I really hope you will like me enough to continue. Most of the time people are receptive and polite, although Read More...
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Ain't Nuthin' But a She Thing

Posted Tuesday, August 09, 2005 8:24 AM by JobsBlog
Expanding on my post last week about The Art of Negotiation , I wanted to add a few more thoughts . . . While I don’t have any facts to prove it, my own hypothesis is that certain groups of people negotiate their offers more often than others. Some of Read More...
6 Comments

Has blogging "jumped the shark?"

Posted Monday, August 08, 2005 2:21 PM by JobsBlog
Many of you know that I'm a magazine junky (especially of the gossipy, celebrity variety), and last night while reading a recent edition of People ("Jude's Secret Life: New surprises: Bad behavior; other women" ... oh my!), I ran across an article entitled Read More...
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Welcome DigiGirlz!

Posted Monday, August 08, 2005 8:06 AM by JobsBlog
The DigiGirlz Camp begins today in Redmond. Microsoft hopes that by introducing girls to the opportunities and career choices available to them, more college-bound young women will consider computing science and computer engineering majors and pursue Read More...
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Putting relo benefits to the test

Posted Sunday, August 07, 2005 3:18 PM by JobsBlog
Rob, a recent Software Development Engineer (SDE) hire, wrote to me a few months ago as he planned his move out to the Seattle area. Knowing that I, too, am a big dog lover (I'm talking about the size of the dog, not the size of my heart ... although Read More...
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Jim's Jabs: Did you get my email?

Posted Friday, August 05, 2005 1:36 PM by JobsBlog
The most aggravating aspect of any job search is the ambiguity of waiting for an update on your status. Did they like me? Did I answer their questions correctly? (Or worse yet . . .) Did they receive the updated resume I emailed to them last week? No Read More...
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Meet Jim!!

Posted Friday, August 05, 2005 9:51 AM by JobsBlog
Hi! My name is Jim Stroud. Most folks call me Jim Stroud, so feel free to do the same. I have been known to find quality candidates like a chocolate–covered millionaire with a fist full of shoes finds women, but I suppose that is subjective. Online Research, Read More...
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Spot the Bug

Posted Thursday, August 04, 2005 5:29 PM by JobsBlog
Just saw Rick Samona's Spot the Bug blog, which appears to be a pilot for an upcoming feature on the MSDN Developer Security Center . Can you spot the bug? g Read More...
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The Art of Negotiation

Posted Thursday, August 04, 2005 12:53 PM by JobsBlog
There are no standard rules around negotiating a job offer, and I am sure that if another recruiter were writing this entry they would give you different advice. I will however share with you my insights. First however I should give you my personal disclaimer: Read More...
9 Comments

5 silly observations about Microsoft

Posted Thursday, August 04, 2005 11:01 AM by JobsBlog
As I mentioned earlier, Josh’s 5 tips for being successful at Microsoft got me thinking about my own tips . . . but I decided to take the lighter route and discuss my 5 silly observations about Microsoft. (Silly they might be, but true they are as well.) Read More...
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Branding icons for JobsBlog ... compliments of Bug Bash!

Posted Wednesday, August 03, 2005 11:14 AM by JobsBlog
A few weeks ago, I told you about some design changes for JobsBlog. I’m still working on most of them . . . but I have my first change to announce. Since Jenna has been posting (and we expect more Microsoft recruiters to join in soon), branding our posts Read More...
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Do it.

Posted Wednesday, August 03, 2005 12:05 AM by JobsBlog
In honor of his five year anniversary with Microsoft, Josh wrote a surprisingly coherent blog entry entitled 5 Tips for Being Successful at Microsoft (Hey, Josh is my husband. I can talk that way about him; you can’t.) :) The reason that resonated most Read More...
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I see that blogging is paying off . . .

Posted Tuesday, August 02, 2005 1:55 PM by JobsBlog
I had three candidates in for interviews this week, all who commented on my shoes after reading my previous posts. Since I hate to disappoint the regular readers, I am sure this means I need to acquire a few more pairs on my trip to California next week Read More...
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We are headed to Russia!

Posted Tuesday, August 02, 2005 7:51 AM by JobsBlog
In the last few months the MSN Search team has been busy recruiting from around the globe. We recently returned from Australia and then prior to that had a trip to India. Our next MSN trip is slated for Moscow on Sept 18 – 23rd! We are traveling with Read More...
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Gretchen's top three things to see, do, and taste while in Seattle

Posted Monday, August 01, 2005 4:00 PM by JobsBlog
Reader J is visiting Seattle in a few weeks, and since he’s thinking about applying to Microsoft in the next year or so (yay!), he wants to make sure he tours the area while he's here. I responded to him with my top three (outside of the city) choices, Read More...
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