Company: Microsoft
Date: 2017-06-15
Overall rating: 4/5
Employment status: former
Experience level: Confirmed

Great company, but it can get very political
Pros: * Microsoft continues to be a leader, so you're always working with the latest technology & products.  
* Access to a wide range of technical content and self-learning offerings.
* You're working with lots of smart, passionate and enthusiastic people.
* Great benefits package - salary is just average market rate, but lots of extras add up and make it very good (stock purchase program, health insurance, mobile phone plan, incentive bonuses).
* Exposure to varied industries.
* Yearly trips to Seattle to participate in technical events gets you energized about the company's future direction and allows you to build relationships with product teams.
Cons: * Work/life balance (or more exactly lack of). Stress is a constant part of the job. Consulting roles are very time-demanding and can involve lots of travel. Sales roles have more time flexibility, but have very challenging quotas to meet.
* Internal politics.  You get more visibility via networking with the right people than your own work merits.  I don't know how bad this is in the Headquarters or other subsidiaries, but it is very pronounced in Australia. This is not a good place to work if you're a "quiet achiever" but if you're an extrovert who's very good at self-promotion you'll go far. 
* Lots of internal politics - "who you know" is very important. Managers (at least in Australia)  are simply swapped across divisions instead of promoting people within their own teams.