Windows 7 Professional Key blog emily-talks-about-

Hello everybody, I am back again and fired up to share with you a fantastic story about 1 of our interns who has returned to intern at Microsoft for the 2nd 12 months in a row. Emily will inform you what’s it like to be an SDET and a PM, and will share her experiences as a returning intern on campus. We're all rather proud to have her back on campus!

Emily, please start by telling us a bit about yourself.
Well, I'm an incoming senior in Math/Computer Science at the University of California, Los Angeles. I love the outdoors (hiking, cycling, kayaking), music (violin, piano), computers,office 2010 standard x86, and shopping. I may not appear to be the typical “techie nerd,” but 1 of the wonderful things about Microsoft is how diverse it is. There are so many amazing people with such a variety of interests, that it’s easy to find someone who shares your passion.
Please tell us about your first contact with Microsoft.
My first contact with Microsoft recruiting was at the Engineering Career Fair at UCLA in the winter of 2006. The guys and girls at the booth seemed rather friendly,Windows 7 Professional Key, so I decided to talk to one of the employees (who was actually a recent UCLA graduate, as well being a Microsoft employee). I had done some background research about positions available for interns, and Software Design Engineer in Test (SDET) seemed up my alley.
Note to potential interviewees: do your background research! The guy I talked to seemed quite impressed that I had taken the time to learn about what the positions are, what Microsoft is looking for, etc. After a mini interview at the fair itself,Buy Windows 7 Home Basic, I had an on campus interview. A week or two after my on-campus, I got an email informing me that Microsoft wanted to fly me out to interview in Redmond!
Can you share some of your experiences about the dreaded Microsoft Interview?
The fly-back interview was quite intense, but was also exciting and interesting (the accommodations, food allowance, and rental car weren’t bad either). I went through about 6 hours worth of interviews, filled with everything from coding/technical questions to talking about previous leadership/management experience.
My best interview advice, as cliché as it may sound, is to become yourself. It’s easy to want to project the image that you think Microsoft expects, but in reality, there is such a diverse group of people here, that no predefined mold exists.
I had a great time in some of my interviews when I certainly got into conversations with my interviewers. Sharing my passions, and learning some of theirs, was not only useful in convincing them to give me a shot at an internship, but also for me to realize that this was the group I wanted to work in.
How was your journey from LA to Seattle?
A few months later, I was up in Redmond. A California native having a love for sunshine and warm weather, I was slightly concerned about what I’d heard about this rainy city up north. Luckily my first summer was filled with sun, and I realized that all of the rain was actually rather useful for keeping everything green. I’m again once more this summer for Internship Take 2, and even though the weather hasn’t been perfect, we’ve had our fair share of beautiful days.
Inform us about your first internship at Microsoft.
My first summer at Microsoft, I worked as an SDET for your AdCenter team, doing performance testing for an ad management platform. Performance testing is challenging but fun, because the job of the perf tester is to break things truly badly!
Even though I enjoyed testing, I decided to try out a new role for my second summer. Towards the end of my internship, I went through a round of interviews for a program management position in the same group. The interviews were less focused on technical aspects (since the team I’d been working with already knew my technical skills), and more on creativity, ingenuity, product design, and management skills.
What are you doing this summer at Microsoft?
This summer, I ended up working in the same group, but this time in the PM role. I’ve been working on integrating new advertising technologies and managing existing types of online advertising in an ad management platform. The PM role at Microsoft is terrific. It’s extremely challenging and diverse, and gives you a great focus on the customer and business perspective, in addition to technical issues. I’ve worked on everything from programming demo applications, writing performance and functional specifications, to integrating possible business collaborations.
How do you feel about the level of support and guidance you receive here as an intern? Have you leveraged the mentoring program?
The mentoring at Microsoft is phenomenal. My mentors both summers went out of their way to make sure that not only did I amass new technical skills and experiences, but also to definitely make me feel like part of a team. Throughout the summers I had their support, whether I was struggling in my test analysis or trying to come up with new ideas for my feature. My entire summer, I was never treated like just an intern.
This summer, my mentor even arranged for me to meet with one of her own mentors, another extremely high-powered woman at Microsoft who had some awesome advice on negotiation and leadership.
What's the highlight of the intern program for you?
One of the terrific things about the intern program here at Microsoft is how many other interns you get to interact with. Microsoft has some fantastic events for your interns. We did a sailing excursion out of Seattle, a hiking trip to Mt. Rainier, and even a tech talk with Jay Allard, where all of the interns were given a Zune!
And even beyond the “Microsoft planned” events, there are tons of ways to meet new people. I’d made some awesome friendships that have extended two summers now. We’ve done everything from road trips to Vancouver, hiking all over the Pacific Northwest, kayaking, to exploring Seattle tourist attractions and nightlife. They even threw me a surprise party for my 21st birthday this summer!
Any last words of wisdom to our readers out there?
All in all, I’ve had two amazing summers. My first piece of advice is for all potential Microsoft interns, do the internship! Seek out interviews, contact your recruiters, and accept your offers! You will have a great summer,Microsoft Office Home And Business, that I can promise you. Beyond that, once you’re here, strive to go beyond expectations,Office Professional 2007 Key, and don’t be afraid to fail!
Thanks, Emily!
- Priya