Company: Microsoft
Date: 2009-02-06
Overall rating: 4/5
Employment status: former

some great technology, but big and bureaucratic
Pros: to be around some great and fun people, and have direct access into a lot of other customers you would otherwise never be able to be in contact with. some of the technology is actually pretty cool as well.
the range of technologies sold to enterprises is amazing, and they still have good perks such as regular trips to the US.
the pay is good, and work hours are very flexible, it is easy to work from home. 
it's a great calling card, since people actually want to listen to you when you come in with the MS badge, and it looks great on your CV, and up until recently, the job security was pretty good
Cons: the short-term quarter by quarter focus, and in some markets, particulalry switzerland, they are already an established, slow-moving conservative company. 
services have also been downsized, making them even more reliant on good partners in the enterprise space.
they will struggle more and more to remain relevant for customers and to explain their value, which means regional sales will be under huge pressure to justify not being replaced by partners.
the sales organisation is still sometimes disfunctional, and has struggled to follow the company's growth. especially in the subsidiaries, the sales role still sometimes feels like you are shifting boxes, which can become discouraging