Company: Microsoft
Date: 2016-07-21
Overall rating: 2/5
Employment status: current

Just as well they have Azure
Pros: Read the cons first. 

The brand does help. 

The office locations are relatively good.

Good Basic salary and package but not market competitive. 

It appears that once you have been assimilated into Microsoft you could survive for years and years in its Eco system but probably at the risk of forgetting what life is like outside of the business. 

Azure is very good - but here is a company where the vast majority of people are still used to selling windows and supporting products so cultural change is slow....like a snail slow. 

The company is king of acronyms you will be issued with an 80 page book on them when you join.
Cons: You need Stephen Hawkins to explain your commission structure to you. Having worked in IT for many years I have never been exposed to a more overly complicated and unclear compensation plan ever. It is truly useless. Trying to find someone to explain to you what it means will be your first major challenge. Good luck you have been warned. 

You are just a wing nut on the side of panel on the side of bigger panel on the side of another panel etc etc. You are basically so far removed from decision making and being able to influence it forget trying to make an impact. It remains dictatorship and everything is geared up to be on Microsofts terms and not yours. 

The hiring process is truly tiresome. You may well find out at the end of it that the job you have spent months interviewing for might not even be signed off internally and then you get told well done you have made it but we have no job for you. Ask if has been approved before you waste your time.

On boarding - mm what on boarding. Sort your own laptop phone etc...these can take days to arrive. 

There are some great brains internally but they seem grateful to be part of the cult that is Microsoft rather than changing the world. It is not a place for dynamic people who want to cut a deal and get on. I fear that too long in this world and you will be stuck. I am not ready to retire just yet.

Probably some of the worst communication I have experienced within a company and quite possibly down to the fact that the people you are asking questions of do not know themselves.

Many of the lifers at Microsoft refer to the good old days....good expense policies, fun, the good old days. Today to them and to me those days are long gone. The nice cars in the car park are driven by those Microsoft lifers with good share options rather than those smashing sales targets. It does feel like you have arrived after the party has finished.  

TVP reading is the dullest place I have ever worked. 

My advice is if you are looking to join here speak to a load of people you might know who have been here past and present before hand. I did and 80% gave negative feedback. I joined and then regretted it.