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At an interesting crossroads

Cloud Solution Architect
Current Employee
Has worked at Microsoft for 9 years
May 9, 2023
3.0
Positive OutlookNo CEO Opinion
Pros

Lots of skilled and helpful colleagues.

Possibilities to work with new and exciting technology.

Flexible with regards to working remotely.

Cons

Policy > people. Massive internal savings mean that many support functions like HR and IT are working effectively with skeleton crews.

So if you have issues with your equipment, you can lose a lot of time discussing with vendors and their support, filling out purchase orders, and similar tasks that would normally be handled by an IT department. This doesn't count as productive time, but is something you are just expected to sort out.

Management is widely varying in quality. Be ready to move on quickly if you don't land with a good manager, or you'll be wasting your time and career.

Benefits are nothing special.

If you are looking outside of Redmond, be very attentive of the department you land in, especially if you hope to get a technical role. Sales have seen big recent reorganizations that haven't landed particularly well, and in that org, your technical skill is not important; it is all about selling.

Advice to Management

Skill up and clean out in the senior leadership team. Relax on policies and let your lower-level management be empowered to lead more by good judgment and less by policies than is the case today.

Additional Ratings

Work/Life Balance
4.0
Culture and Values
4.0
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
4.0
Career Opportunities
2.0
Compensation and Benefits
2.0
Senior Management
3.0

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