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Why would you choose the Developer Solutions team?

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Why would you choose to work for the Developer Solutions?  See, we're currently hiring Devs, a Dev lead, and PMs and I'm sometimes put into situations where I have to sell our team to great canidates over other positions.

Here's a video that gives you a little clue about what we're doing.

Heres's a blog post I wrote about the two open PM positions.

Now I'm interested in what would make you want to work with our team.  What would you highlight, if you were me, as selling points for working on shared source tools and the developer community initiatives at Microsoft? 

To answer the question more broadly I've also created a poll over in the Jobsyntax Forums.

Comments

  • Anonymous
    April 26, 2006
    Now remember, this is all from my perspective, but for me, I would push how much of an impact what you are working on can have in the developer community.   Let's take money out of the picture for a second.  And let's assume that yes, everyone likes everyone else and all that.  At the end of the day, I want to feel appreciated.  Everyone does, its human nature.  Obviously, one source of that appreciation can come from your management, as well it should.  But when you get the same kind of respect and appreciation from the "development community cloud", its a whole different kind of rush.

    The fact is, at least from my perspective, you would have the chance to really influence the development community, and how Microsoft interacts with that community.  You get to take some of the existing ideas, such as the forums, and figure out how to make them even better.  You get to build the tools that would help you be more productive, and then share them with the rest of the community, with enough exposure where they are going to be used and appreciated.  You get to really help the community grow through your direct contributions.

    I would also point out how much support (I hope) exists for these development community initiatives.  I feel confident the support is there, but knowing that upper management is "backing your play" so to speak would really allow a team member to take some chances, or throw out some ideas he might otherwise keep to himself.

    Talk about some exciting work!

    Anyway, I don't know if that answered the question, or was just me going off on a tagent, but those are the points you could use to sell me on it, at any rate.
  • Anonymous
    April 27, 2006
    A while back, Josh asked for his blog readers' opinions on why somebody should want to join the Developer...
  • Anonymous
    May 09, 2006
    So you're looking for a few good PM's......

    As a PM candidate, details I look for in a new opportunity include  (not in any order of priority;)

    1- Team Type - is it a start up environment? Is it a well established team with a legacy/ history behind it? Is it mostly FTE's, vendors, contractors, etc?

    2- Why is the team hiring?  - Is it a new position?  Or did someone in the former position "move on" for some reason or another.

    3- What is the team trying to accomplish? - Goals, reason for existence, product lines, etc.

    4- What is new and exciting with the team/product?

    5- What is the future of the team? - ie: to double in size, increase customer loyalty, reorganize web identity, etc.

    6- What is a Day in the life of a team member like? (perks that go beyond free coke... do you all work in one big room of cubes? Do you all go to lunch together every tues? What makes your team experience unique?)

    7-What do you look for in an ideal candidate? - This helps set the tone of the team for the candidate. What attributes are most desired that may be lacking from current candidate pool. Is the team over estimating, dreaming or under qualifying, etc.  What background info would the right candidate need to highlight inorder to stand out as a potential "good fit?"  

    Just some ideas that have helped me find candidates and positions in the past. The interview process is as much of an interview of the team as it is the candidate. The more info the better to make an informed decision.

    www.jjswanson.net
  • Anonymous
    May 31, 2006
    Many times, in consulting my clients, I determine that a barrier to their finding, hiring, and retaining top-talent is not so much that the wrong people interview--it's that they (the company) doesn't do the things that would attract the top-talent...