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Your experience and career growth depends on your lead

Software Development Engineer In Test (SDET)
Current Employee
Has worked at Microsoft for less than 1 year
January 18, 2012
Redmond, Washington
2.0
Doesn't Approve of CEO
Pros

There are some very smart, passionate people working there.

When you're on a good team, it doesn't seem like work. Employees feel excited and empowered.

The pay and benefits are good, and many people have their own office.

Cons

Your career growth and rewards are highly dependent on how well you get along with your manager, how much they'll fight for you, and how effective they are at working the system. Depending on your organization, there can be a lot of reorgs, and your experience and time at Microsoft account for zero if leadership doesn't know you. Lately, Microsoft has been making sweeping changes, such as "a person must be at X number level to have Y position," despite whether or not individuals have been working in and doing well at Y positions for years. Rather than promote the individual to the new level requirement, they are told they can no longer have that position.

Advice to Management

Changes in leadership have changed the company from a place where employees felt open to challenge each other and do amazing things to a company where employees just want to work the system for promotions and titles.

Employees in various orgs fear that challenging their management leads to destroyed career paths. Leadership should not just look at those who manage up well, but look down into the company and see how the culture is changing, and not in a good way.

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