Microsoft Comes Calling

I have been ignoring this blog...  I know...  I start to write something then I get busy and well...

Anyway, I get calls and emails from recruiters all of the time.  Most are for consulting jobs here and there, all require me to move somewhere, sometimes for a three month contract.  No thanks.  I get these contacts because I try to keep my resume and job information updated on the Internet sites.  It keeps the head-hunters informed on what I am doing, and the occasional call or email for the one off silly contract here and there is a price that I pay.

The reason I do such things is for the rare occasions that a good legitimate opportunity comes my way.  I found my last job this way, and now something very interesting has come my way....  A recruiter from Microsoft has given me a call.  I have to admit that I have always been in awe of the Redmond company.  Despite their shortcomings they have been one of the most innovative and influential companies in human history.  Getting a call from the recruiter was a big deal for me.

After the initial shock wore off, I reminded myself that Microsoft is just another company, and the opportunity, while lucrative, is just another opportunity.  I need to evaluate the company and the opportunity objectively and with an open mind.  I have to approach their interviews with the same confidence that I would any other position.

The big difference in approaching this interview process as opposed to most interviews that I do is that the interviewers will be as or more technically sound than I am with the SharePoint line of products.  Most interviews I do, the interviewer has a basic understanding of the product and thinks they know what it can do for them.  I come in and, during the interview, kind of give them a rundown of what SharePoint can actually do, and let them know if the product will work for them.
In this case, the people I will interview with will not only know the product, they will know where the company wants to take it, and will have had a hand in bringing the product to where it is today.

At any rate, I am simply in the phone screen stages of the interview process.  I have not been asked to Redmond, I have not talked with anyone other than the recruiter.  I will be speaking with the hiring manager soon, and from there, who knows?  It is an interesting opportunity, and I look forward to the process, IF the hiring manager likes me well enough to bring me in.  I have heard many horror stories about Microsoft interviews, so I hope that they will be gentle with me.  I will post my experiences...  that is if I get an interview...