Do you want to work for Microsoft?

March 14, 2001 —

Landing a job at Microsoft can be likened to climbing Mount Everest. Igor Leybovich knows this firsthand. When he was studying computer science at Kiev State University, he dreamed of working for Microsoft. His plan was to immigrate to the United States, get some work experience and, with some luck, secure an interview with his dream company -- Microsoft. The daunting statistics that Microsoft receives more than 12,000 résumés a month and hires one out of 1,000 applicants didn't stop Leybovich from shooting for a job.

After arriving in the United States in 1990, he worked at a string of jobs including stints as a technician in a computer store, a programmer at Exxon, and a consultant. Then he got a call from a headhunter asking if he was interested in interviewing for a consultant's position at Microsoft's office in Berkeley Heights, N.J.

The 35-year-old programmer was called to the plate to see if he could play ball with technology's dream team. Even though Leybovich had heard much about Microsoft being a tough place to land a job, he wasn't prepared for the rigorous ordeal ahead. If the entire interview process can be thought of as a three-act play, the first act is what Leybovich calls a "cursory phone screen," a 30-minute interview to "get a good idea of what you know."

Was it tough? "It was more broad than deep," says Leybovich. If you flunk the phone interview, the screening process grinds to a pathetic halt. Ace it and you get a chance to perform in acts two and three, which together amount to an all-day series of interviews that Leybovich describes as "intense and exhausting." You had to turn in a stunning performance during act two in the morning to earn a callback for the final act.

The interviews started at 8:30 a.m. sharp, after Leybovich was offered a continental breakfast (not that he could eat anything). First, an HR person asked the expected questions centering on work history, aspirations, goals, and reflections on prior jobs. Then he met with a consultant, followed by meetings with two managers. Each back-to-back interview ran about 45 minutes.

First and foremost, Microsoft checks to see if you've got the right technical stuff to join its global force of 3,000 consultants. Once the technical interviews began, he quickly concluded, "There was no way I could know everything." When asked about a specific area of programming in which he had never worked, Leybovich had to plead ignorance. He recovered by steering the conversation toward similar programming languages he knew well.

Quick thinking on Leybovich's part kept him in the game. At 12:30 p.m. he was invited to lunch, which was Microsoft's way of saying, "You're doing fine, now let's see how you fare in the final act."

The afternoon consisted of three more interviews, which went pretty well in his estimation. Unlike many companies that make you sweat for a couple of weeks before letting you know whether you've passed or failed, Microsoft tells you where you stand as soon as the interview ordeal is over. Before Leybovich left, an HR person told him he impressed everyone and that most likely an offer would be forthcoming. Two days later, an offer was made and this hardworking programmer felt as if he were on top of the world.

Leybovich joined Microsoft as a consultant. A year later he was promoted to senior consultant. He works closely with some of Microsoft's leading customers, most of which are Fortune 500 companies. Projects usually last four to six months and entail heading a team of four developers, two of whom are typically from Microsoft with the other two coming from the client company. "The goal is to deliver functionality," he says. That involves starting with high-level architecture, writing specifications, and designing all the intricate programming necessary to deliver applications clients can manage themselves.

In fact, the tables have now turned and part of Leybovich's current job is to interview potential employees. As a Microsoft interview veteran, no one is more qualified to offer priceless tips to candidates. Most importantly, your technical skills had better be nearly flawless. Don't try to snow a Microsoft consultant if you don't know something. Second, you also need good interpersonal and team skills.

Finally, Leybovich warns against spitting back answers too quickly. "The speed of your thinking is not as important as how you think," he says. Microsoft is more concerned with unearthing creative thinkers.

Jeff Heath, president of the Landstone Group, an executive search firm specializing in technology in New York City, says Microsoft's problems with the Justice Department and nose-diving stock hasn't made it any easier to get a job there. Although the company's image may be slightly tarnished, "the hiring process is still grueling and I don't think it will ever change," says Heath.

How grueling is the interview saga? The answer varies according to the person you ask. Needless to say, current employees will say working at Microsoft is as close to nirvana as you can get. The company has basketball hoops in the hallway for letting off steam as well as free soft drinks and cheap eats in the company cafeteria, to name only a few perks.

Yet sources close to Microsoft, who insist upon anonymity, say working conditions at the world's largest software company are far from perfect. A high-ranking technology consultant who is frequently contracted to work with Microsoft bigwigs on projects says the company pushes many of its techies to burnout levels. "I've gotten calls from project managers at 3 a.m.," he says. The consultant questions a recent article in the Wall Street Journal that said Microsoft is softening its image and hiring kinder, more empathic managers. "That's hard to believe," says the consultant. "I've heard from reliable sources that Microsoft is still all about hiring the best of the best and pares its workforce by 5 percent each year so it can bring in fresh blood." Despite what Microsoft spokespeople have said in the past, turnover is at least 20 percent and the average employee quits after four years, just after being vested (Microsoft vests quarterly).

But trying to get information about Microsoft's compensation structure can be likened to attempting to break into the White House. Its battalions of spokespeople will tell you it hasn't changed following the stock market drop. Myth has it that the software giant pays better than the industry average. Guess again. "The company has always paid about 20 to 30 percent beneath the industry average," says our Deep Throat. "The allure is the stock option plan, which employees insist will turn around. Many employees are also sticking around on the premise that Microsoft, like AT&T, will be divided into three or four companies. That means stockholders would be sitting pretty holding shares of several companies. The majority of employees still believe their stock options could make them millionaires. "It happened before so why can't it happen again," says one employee. The belief is that Microsoft, like dozens of other tech stocks, will rebound back to prior levels.

Despite Microsoft's troubles and an ever-active rumor mill, you'd be foolish not to try winning a job there. Microsoft is still a magic word in technology circles. It carries enormous clout on a résumé, like a degree from Harvard.

ITworld.com