Working for Microsoft (part 1)

Microsoft. Well, Microsoft was my school. At that time I was still studying at the University (just finished my 1^st session of exams) and I wanted to start an internship. I was sure I didn’t want to waste my time in a company without potential; I really wanted to get something out of my first REAL working experience. I remember I applied for IBM, HP, 3M, Microsoft, Symantec, in general some banks (but I was targeting mainly the Marketing as a department), Bosch, Roche, and some others I have removed from any Hard/Soft/Random Memory. Anyway, few of them replied, those ones were a step ahead, 3-4 years ago they already had in place a modern HCM system with pre-screening questions for candidates applying using the career webpage. They sent me an email saying “Thank you very much for your interest in our company, considering that you don’t have a University Degree, at least 2 years of experience working for competition, you are not bilingual Italian-English (or better English-German, but you are also fluent in Italian!), we are not proceeding with you application. But thanks for applying eh!”...Ok, maybe they were less rude and precise but still I noticed that every time I was ticking the box “First Experience”, I had 2 options: No Answer or “Thanks but No!”. Microsoft, if I remember correctly, was one of them. I should have kept that email!!!

But I didn’t give up. All the companies replied no, so I thought “If I had to try seriously with one, I would choose the most challenging one: Microsoft!”

I applied by: Linkedin (with a really poor content), MS career website, blog (msclips, is it still live?! Yesss), University career webportal, I wrote to MS HR directly, I went to open-days (I was actually camping in front of MS stand).....nothing was enough to make me get an interview. They were looking for high level candidates, double-degree, Erasmus, international experience, very good knowledge of English. Well, I didn't have even my first level University degree. When I was about to give up, I had the idea to make a secretary in my University call MS to know in general how was the recruitment process for internship in MS. She was told there were group-interviews and at the moment they were overbooked. She proposed my junior profile to them and the answer was still the same: No. Then she leverage the motivation, the fact I was trying so hard to get that interview, the fact I honestly wanted that job so much! At the end they say “Yes”, yes to the group-interview. They are normally done with groups of 8-9 candidates, that time was 15.

I am not going to describe the feeling when she told me that they had said “Yes”. Simply I couldn’t believe it. Happy days!!!

And.....now? I got my interview scheduled. I had my only chance.

The night before I still remember I didn’t sleep (it was my first real interview! I can see your expression......).

The day arrived. In the morning I had the answer written in my mind: “I don’t care. I am myself, cannot change what I am now. I give it a try and whatever will be will be.” I took my jeans and went to the office of Microsoft Italy at that time in Segrate.

I arrived just in time. At the reception everybody was already there, the recruiter arrived few seconds after me and kick off with an informal presentation. She showed us the coffee machine and told the group what was the magic number in order to get free drinks (OMG, I just realized I forgot it! Goldfish memory......). In less than 10 minutes we were all sitting in a big conference room, each one with a branded block notes and pen. That was absolutely C-O-O-L! I still remember I had never seen something similar before. Everybody, except some, looked a bit nervous. They were all dressed up in a perfect business non-casual way. I was the only one in jeans. Ehm..... I read the company culture the night before! I was sure I was not wrong!!

Finally the first presenter arrived: E.B.

(tbc)