Microsoft Customer Service & Support - What is CSS?

Highlighted Roles - December 17

cwatkins — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 00:56:00 GMT

Here you go! You're weekly batch of jobs in CSS that we're looking to fill!

Dynamics PFE - Non-Location Specific (706813)
Dynamics PFE - Non-Location Specific (708101)
Dynamics PFE - Austin TX (708095)
Supportability Program Manager - Redmond, WA (708812)
Tools Program Manager - Issaquah, WA (702494)

35 Under 35

cwatkins — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 01:22:00 GMT

Last summer I found out that CSS's own Jennifer Narum was a proud member of the inaugural class for the United Way's new "35 Under 35" program. We were able to connect recently and I asked her about her experience with the program as well as her experience at Microsoft.

While this year's nominations for the next round of the program are closed, they should open up next Fall or so if this year's window is any indication. So if after reading this you think to yourself "WOW! I want to be a part of that!" (and let's be honest - who's not going to think that after reading about this program), you might want to make a calendar note now to look into it next year. After the interview we've included some information about the program which was featured in Fargo's campus newsletter last summer and lead to this whole shebang!

1. What is your Microsoft Anniversary date?
July 9, 2001

2. What office do you work out of?
Microsoft Fargo Campus, Horizon Building

3. What is your current role and with which group?
Outlook Support Team Manager, Microsoft Office Systems Support

4. What are you working on?
I lead a team of Support Engineers supporting customers and partners that use the Microsoft Outlook Product.

5. What do you like most about your role?
My passion is coaching and developing others, helping others be successful in their roles and careers and be the best they can be. I also love that we work so closely with Microsoft customers and partners each and every day and help them to be successful in using our products. I could go on and on with this question, though these two are towards the top of my list of why I “love” my role and career within Support at Microsoft.

6. Is this what you wanted to be when you grew up?
In college I changed my major a few times and ultimately decided on majoring in Management Information Systems, with minors in Business Administration and Computer Science. So I knew I wanted to be in business of some sort and this industry, business, and company has been a wonderful fit for me.

7. How did you get to Microsoft/your current role?
I had an internship at Great Plains Software while I was going to college at NDSU and as I was graduating I was looking for full-time positions and at the same time Great Plains was acquired by Microsoft. Upon graduating in May 2001, I was fortunate to get a job on the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Support Team as a Support Engineer. After about 2 ½ years I became a Technical Lead on that team, and then a Team Manager on that team for 3 years. From there I had the amazing opportunity of helping start the Outlook Support team here in Fargo in July 2008 and have been in this role since.

8. How did you become one of the inaugural class members of the “35 Under 35” program?
I was introduced to this program by being invited to participate in a Focus group prior to the launch of this program, so that is how I initially found out about the program. Through that I learned about the program and became interested in it which lead me to apply, and I was accepted into the program.

9. Tell me about your experience with the “35 Under 35” program. Best highlights? Rewards from the program?
The “35 Under 35” program was absolutely amazing for me, an inspiring experience! Through this program I had the opportunity to:

- meet other women who aspire to similar goals in life and their careers

- made new friends across the community and within other Fargo/Moorhead businesses

- learned a wealth of information and tips & tricks that I have applied to my work, the type of leader I am, and in my personal life

- how I could further my reach and involvement in the community

- and learned a lot about myself!

More about "35 Under 35":

The 35 Under 35 program was created through a collaboration of United Way of Cass-Clay and influential women's groups in Fargo-Moorhead. It was started with a grant from the Dakota Medical Foundation to cultivate female leaders. "The goal of the program is not only about enhancing leadership skills, but also about creating a network of 35 strong and inspiring young women in our community, " said Sue Wiger, Campaign Director for the United Way. This is the first year for the program and Microsoft's own Jennifer Narum, Support Team Manager, Commercial Office System Support - Outlook, was part of the inaugural class of 35 women. "The 35 Under 35 Leadership Program was an amazing community networking experience for me. I would highly recommend it to any woman interested in enhancing her leadership skills." said Narum. If you would like more information regarding this program, contact United Way of Cass-Clay, 701-237-5050.

You can learn more about our Fargo campus in our interview with Fargo Staffing Consultant, Abigail Barber, and in this video from Fox's Business News featuring our Fargo campus.

A little advice from our friends at Bing!

cwatkins — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 01:03:00 GMT

So our friend Kay, over at the Bing Blog, recently made a great post about how you can improve your resume. An excerpt is below, but head on over to her post to read the full list of Overused Words that Make Your Resume Suck.

"I’ve used a few choice words in my life. You probably have too? However, when the wrong words appear on your resume, it sucks and could be damaging to your next career move. These suckie words are not of the four-letter variety. These words are very common. They are accepted. They cover the average resume with buzz worthy words badness. Hiring managers can identify sucky words in seconds, leaving your resume work worthless. So how do you write a wicked resume without the suck? How do you turn the wrong words into right? To help you land the job interview, here’s how to spin the 6 sucky resume words into skills that sizzle."

Informative and entertaining! So go get cracking and clean up that resume of yours. Then apply to any/all of those TEN jobs we just highlighted!

Highlighted Roles - December 11

cwatkins — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 00:40:00 GMT

Well it's been a couple of weeks, but between stuffing ourselves silly since the last time we updated and then catching up on work before heading out for the next round of holidays in the U.S., it's easy to get caught up in things! But never fear - here is a whole long list of roles we're looking to fill. Email cssjobs@microsoft.com for more info (be sure to include the job code number)!

Technical Lead - Redmond, WA (708041)
Product Manager - Issaquah, WA (707535)
Product Support Planner - Redmond, WA (708316)
Training Specialist - Issaquah, WA (708244)
Service Desk Manager - Redmond, WA (708378)
SCCM PFE - Washington, DC (707494)
SCCM PFE - Non-Location Specific/Boston (708145)
Dynamics PFE - Non-Location Specific (706813)
Dynamics PFE - Non-Location Specific (708101)
Dynamics PFE - Austin TX (708095)

And there you are! Ten piping fresh jobs just for you and yours!

Final Article about Microsoft Giving

cwatkins — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:24:00 GMT

Here's the final article in our series focusin on last month's Give campaign. This one also looks at LittleDrops, but in the greater scope of a larger event which took place on our campus. While it's been 23 days since the campaign ended, we figure it's perfect timing to remind folks about what kind of difference we can make in our communities. And at least in the U.S. this week, what we can be thankful for.

Community connections: Non-profit agency fair showcases volunteer spirit

By MARY STEVENS DECKER
Redmond Reporter Reporter
Oct 29 2009, 3:59 PM

http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/east_king/red/community/67323397.html

To some in Redmond, Microsoft Corp. may seem like a monolith. But there is no denying the company’s legendary philanthropy and the individual contributions of thousands of its generous employees.

On Microsoft’s Redmond campus this week, a non-profit agency fair, in conjunction with the company’s annual giving campaign, allowed workers to meet with representatives of more than 50 organizations addressing local, national and global needs. Each had some personal tie to a Microsoft employee, such as a life-changing event, a place where an employee actively volunteers or even some non-profits founded by Microsoft workers.

For example, Charles Duze, a software engineer at Microsoft, started the LittleDrops Orphange Fund (www.LittleDropsOrphangeFund.org) that supports 26 orphanages in six African countries and has touched the lives of 2,000 children.

The name LittleDrops, Duze explained, comes from the fact that “Little drops (of help) add up — you don’t have to start with a million dollars.” The organization helps impoverished children with immediate needs such as food and water, but also long-term needs.

“We let kids express who they want to be when they grow up,” said Duze. “Most wanted to be a doctor, a pilot or an engineer but most end up as a seamstress or apprentice. Where do their dreams go? I didn’t want it to be like the commercial with the Trix Rabbit — ‘Silly rabbit, dreams aren’t for orphans!’ We help them to say, ‘I’m gonna work hard, I’m not going to cheat, I’m going to do my homework.’ We help them go to college because they deserve to be there, or if not college, a trade school. We prepare them in high school with tutoring, so they can succeed.”

Federal Way-based World Vision brought its Experience: AIDS exhibit to Microsoft’s non-profit fair. The interactive, walk-through display features true stories of innocent children who were forced to become soldiers or brides and their struggles to survive amidst the devastation of HIV and AIDS.

Microsoft employees who visited the exhibit could buy caregiver kits for World Vision volunteers in Africa, Asia and Latin America — and include hand-written notes of support.

Akhtar Badshah, Microsoft’s senior director for global community affairs, said the non-profit fair was especially relevant this year because of the global recession and a skyrocketing need for human services right here in Redmond. Through organizations such as the United Way, Microsoft employees help people in need “in their own back yard,” as well as across the globe, he noted.

The company provides matching dollars for employee gifts to charities and also pays $17 an hour, for a minimum of 10 hours of volunteer service, for work done on behalf of “PTAs, youth sports clubs, helping elderly people with their tax forms, painting walls in a school or picking up garbage.”

Highlighted Roles - November 19

cwatkins — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:31:00 GMT

Here are the jobs we're looking to fill this week - send us some mail at cssjobs@microsoft.com if you're interested (or if you know someone who is!)

Senior Program Manager - Issaquah, WA (#706486)
Amalga PFE - Charlotte, NC (#703118)
Dynamics PFE - Anywhere (#706813)

Link: Insight into Microsoft technology & careers

cwatkins — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:18:00 GMT

As I think I've mentioned before on this blog, CSS is part of a larger Services organization. One of our colleagues in Services has also been busy blogging about Microsoft technology and careers. You can find her work over at Insight into Microsoft technology & careers. Charna culls information from around Technet and other sources, as well as her firsthand experience as a recruiter, to bring you updates on our products and technical careers. Here's a sample from one of her latest posts:

"The delegate was asking what was Microsofts recommendation around having more than one Network Card in a Domain Controller.

Well my response was and is that this is not a recommended configuration however we do realise alot of our customers do work in this configuration.

Please see below for the kbarticles and background information around this.

The reason for this is various issues which are well documented in the following articles.

http://msmvps.com/blogs/acefekay/archive/2009/08/17/multihomed-dcs-with-dns-rras-and-or-pppoe-adapters.aspx

http://forums.techarena.in/active-directory/954155.htm

Both these technical references point to kbarticles which highlight specific issues which can arise in this situation , but also highlight workarounds.

246804 - How to Enable-Disable Windows 2000 Dynamic DNS Registrations (per NIC too):

http://support.microsoft.com/?id=246804

296379 - How to Disable NetBIOS on an Incoming Remote Access Interface [Registry Entry]:
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=296379"

Head on over to read the rest of the updates!

Microsoft GIVE Campaign: LittleDrops Orphanage Fund

cwatkins — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 23:25:00 GMT

Over the past couple of weeks we’ve been able to showcase stories from last month’s GIVE campaign. Here’s another one which takes a look at the organization LittleDrops and one Microsoft employee who got it going…

LittleDrops raises funds for orphans, education

By LINDSAY LARIN
Bellevue Reporter Staff Writer
Nov 03 2009, 1:11 PM

http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/east_king/bel/community/68929382.html

Charles Duze is a dreamer.

The Microsoft software engineer grew up in Nigeria where he began to understand the importance of education. While attending high school, Duze remembers the impact of seeing children going through the garbage behind the school cafeteria in search of food. It was then that he decided to follow his dreams of becoming successful, eventually starting a nonprofit when he made his fortune.

The dream stayed with him as he grew, but the path he took led him in a new direction. Duze soon realized he did not need to be wealthy to help others.

In 2005, he started a nonprofit called LittleDrops Orphanage Fund. The name reminded him that little drops of water can make a mighty ocean. He stuck to his vision and began generating donations and volunteers to provide orphans with a variety of support in the form of food, clothing, shelter and education.

A number of employees from Microsoft stepped up to the task and donated time and energy to grow the nonprofit. Over the past four years, LittleDrops has gone from supporting 6 orphanage homes to 26 throughout Africa including locations in Nigeria, Kenya, Cameroon, Ghana, Uganda and Rwanda. The organization has helped more than 2,000 children.

"When I ask the younger children what they want to be when they grow up, they tell me they want to be pilots, or engineers, or doctors," he explained. "Somewhere along the way they lose sight of those dreams. I want to help them hold on to them and achieve those dreams through education and support."

Duze's next step is to create a program using todays technology to connect orphans with adult mentors who can act as an unwavering support system over the years. The mentor would become a virtual parent.

"Our goal is to support these children beyond the orphanage, so when they turn 18 we don't just leave them on their own," he said. "We want to create a structure that would give continued support with education."

Microsoft's Giving Campaign provides the majority of funding for LittleDrops.

"It's a great benefit having a company like Microsoft behind us," he said. "I'm lucky to work for a company that encourages employees to make a difference."

To learn more about LittleDrops Orphanage Fund or to donate, visit www.littledropsorphanagefund.org.

Bellevue Reporter Staff Writer Lindsay Larin can be reached at llarin@bellevuereporter.com or 425-453-4602.

Thank You to the Charlotte Business Journal!

cwatkins — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 23:15:00 GMT

Last week Microsoft's Charlotte campus was honored to be named the Best Place to Work for large companies in the Charlotte area, by the Charlotte Business Journal. A survey went out to Charlotte Microsoft employees last spring to gauge workplace environment. Employees responded enthusiastically enough to earn their hometown campus top honors.

A big congratulations to our CSS and Charlotte colleagues - and a big thank you to the Charlotte Business Journal! You can read more about the award, as well as who else was honored, here. And you can learn more about our Charlotte offices in our profile of Staffing Consultant, LeVay Penny.

Microsoft & the Health Care Debate

cwatkins — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:42:00 GMT

While the nation debates universal health care options, Business Week has taken a look at how companies can save money modeling their health care options after what Microsoft has been doing for years: sending doctors to employee's homes for non-emergencies. Take a look at the article to read more and find out about just another benefit for Microsoft employees.

"The Return of the House Call"
With health-care reform dominating Washington, policy analysts and benefits experts are looking at every possible cranny to unearth new, futuristic ways to slash costs. Yet one innovation that has captured their imaginations actually comes from the dusty, predigital past. The Obama Administration has been keeping a close eye on Microsoft (MSFT), which, in a bid to slash costs, improve employee health, and even contain potential pandemics such as swine flu, has brought back the old-fashioned doctor's house call for employees. House calls appear in the proposed health-care reform package pending before Congress, and President Barack Obama himself has hailed them as one of the private sector's "terrific innovations."

Microsoft is one of the only, and by far the biggest, employers that is offering such white-glove, concierge-like service to workers. "The program," says CEO Steve Ballmer, "is an example of the importance the company has always put on its people." The Microsoft template doesn't make sense for every company. But for those with big concentrations of employees in densely packed locales—think of the 40,000 Microserfs and their 58,000 dependents in the Puget Sound area alone—the long-term rewards and savings can be substantial.

Highlighted Roles - November 12

cwatkins — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:30:00 GMT

Here you go! These are the roles we're really looking to fill - pass them on to your friends and networks. Send any questions our way at cssjobs@microsoft.com

SDET - Charlotte, NC (#700568)
Supportability Program Manager - Redmond, WA (#705558)
Amalga PFE - Charlotte, NC (#703118)
Dynamics PFE - Non Location Specific (#706813)

A visit to Venezuela!

cwatkins — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:41:00 GMT

(guest post by LATAM Staffing Manager, Julie)

Named “little Venice” by explorer Amerigo Vespuccci for its towns built over water, Venezuela is now home to over 24 million South Americans living in this highly visible and vibrant country. Fully named “Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela”, this beautiful country possesses a full range of geography that encompasses Amazon rain forests, Andean ranges, gorgeous beaches and the tallest waterfall in the world, Angel Falls.

In addition to its status as the country possessing the most global beauty pageant winners, Venezuela contains some of the largest oil and natural gas reserves in the world. Its economy is dominated by the petroleum sector which accounts for nearly 1/3^rd of GDP and 80% of exports and more than half of government revenue. A founding member of OPEC, this valuable resource has allowed the country to thrive as the world’s oil consumption escalated in the last 3 decades.

The Venezuelan flag is yellow, blue and red with yellow representing land wealth, the blue representing courage, and the red for independence from Spain. The country is proud of its heritage and protective of its incredible biodiversity. Home to some very notable mammals such as the giant anteater and the capybara, the world's largest rodent (140 pounds) Venezuela is also known for the famed Orinoco Crocodile which has been reported to reach 22 feet in length.

The PFE team in Venezuela is 4 members strong with 2 dedicated engineers and 2 transactional engineers. As the team continues to grow, we are interested in talking with experienced engineers possessing senior level technical support skills in platforms, database, security, management, development and infrastructure. For more information on exciting Premier Field Engineering roles in Venezuela please visit our Careers site at www.microsoft.com/career or contact us via our blog site.

More on Microsoft Citizenship

cwatkins — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:36:00 GMT

Following up yesterday's first story about the Give campaign, here's a video about Microsoft's Global Citizenship Initiative:

"View how Microsoft’s Global Citizenship Initiative is focused on mobilizing our resources across the company and around the world, to create opportunities in the communities where we do business, and to fulfill our commitment to serving the public good through innovative technologies and partnerships."

Citizenship at Microsoft

Microsoft Give Campaign

cwatkins — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:30:00 GMT

You may not know this, but every October Microsoft holds a Giving campaign which turns into a huge event designed to encourage employees to donate time and/or money to their favorite non-profits. When all is said and done, Microsoft will match dollar for dollar (and dollars for time) the donations employees made. It's pretty remarkable. Millions of dollars are raised across the country through this event. And what's more is that Microsoft's matching program isn't limited to one month: we can have our donations matched any time of year. This is just one of the many reasons I am so proud to work for this company. (You can learn more about Microsoft's Corporate Citizenship - including the Give campaign - at their website.)

Over the next few weeks we'll be showcasing this spirit by retelling some stories from the Give campaign which just finished up. Today we bring you a story about how employees helped make a different to fight the AIDS epidemic:

Microsoft employees put a face to the AIDS epidemic

By LINDSAY LARIN

Bellevue Reporter Staff Writer

Nov 03 2009, 12:59 PM

http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/east_king/bel/community/68924092.html

Microsoft employees stepped away from their computers this past week and into the AIDS-affected communities of Africa through the Interactive AIDS Exhibit created by World Vision.

Employees had the opportunity to walk in the footsteps of a child affected by the AIDS crisis by listening and experiencing the true stories of young children suffering from disease, malnutrition, violence, abandonment, and childhooded households.

World Vision created the Interactive AIDS Exhibit to help put a face to the 15 million children orphaned by AIDS.

Employees on the Redmond campus helped pack 200 Caregiver Kits for family members and local volunteers in Africa, Asia and Latin America who are caring for those living with AIDS. The kits supply the materials needed to safely and effectively prolong lives and relieve suffering. The Caregiver Kits also include a personalized note from the person who individually packed the kit to the Caregiver who will receive it half way across the globe.

To date, there are 77,000 World Vision Caregivers in the field. A single kit provides enough supplies for one caregiver to give medical aid for an entire year.

For International Facilitator, Princess Kasune Zulu, who attended the Microsoft Giving Campaign through World Vision, the Caregiver Kits mean the difference between life and death. When her mother was dying of AIDS in their in Zimbabwe, Zulu traveled five hours one way to find a fungal cream that is provided in the Caregiver Kits. By the time she returned with the cream, her mother had passed.

Zulu lost both her parents to AIDS in 1997 and became the head of her household, caring for her siblings who later passed away due to the AIDS virus. After finding out she tested positive for AIDS, she decided to break the silence and pursue social justice issues surrounding AIDS and HIV.

"I have dedicated my life to speaking at different venues because statistics can be overwhelming," she explained. "There is a face and a life behind every one of those 15 million. I am humbled by the opportunity to visit Microsoft and share my story with the people who work here."

For nearly three decades, Microsoft has encouraged its employees to recognize the importance of community outreach and participation in nonprofit organizations, helping both local and world-wide causes. Each October, Microsoft launches a company-wide Giving Campaign, opening its Redmond campus to nonprofit organizations to help educate employees on the many different charitable opportunities available.

"Microsoft has always been committed to giving back as a company," explained Akhtar Badshah, the senior director of community affairs for Microsoft. "There is a tremendous amount of need in the community and it's our job to get employees excited about giving time and finances to make a difference."

Organizations such as United Way, Make-a-Wish, Friends of Orphans, and the LittleDrops Orphanage Fund were represented during the non-profit agency fair. Throughout the month of October, employees also participate in friendly competition, fundraising challenges and a silent auction- all to help raise awareness and support for national nonprofits.

For every hour of time spent volunteering, U.S.-based Microsoft employees are matched at $17 per hour through the Volunteer Time Matching program and donations made by employees to eligible nonprofits are matched dollar for dollar by the company, up to $12,000 each year.

Through its matching contributions program, Microsoft allows its employees to direct corporate contributions to thousands of nonprofit organizations working to improve lives in the United States and around the world.

"Employees here feel like they're making a difference and it motivates them," Zulu said. "The DNA of Microsoft sets the right example for other companies to imitate."

Highlighted Jobs - November 5

cwatkins — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:23:00 GMT

Hi all - here are the jobs this week that we're really focusing on. If you have any questions please let us know at cssjobs@microsoft.com. Thanks!

SDET - Issaquah, WA (#705848)
Operations Manager - Kent, WA (#704493)