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  • Applying To Microsoft - Qualifications?

Hey guys, does any of you know what is required to apply to Microsoft's development teams in Redmond?

- Is higher education required?
- Minimum years of experience?
- Other requirements?
I think most of what they look for in young applicants is talent in what they want to work in. Companies such as MS or Google favor brains over years of experience or skills. Education and high grades in the world's top universities such as MIT, Stanford, Princeton is usually a huge plus usually but not necessary.

In my opinion, the best way for someone from our part of the world to be more considered for such a job is to work and lead something great such as a project that would go viral (For example an open source ORM for .net that is even better than EF that would get huge popularity).

Putting your skills and talent to make a notable difference in the world will definitively open the eyes towards you and give a huge plus when applying.
BS in computer science is a must unless you can demonstrate your experience.
The important thing you should consider is the work visa, these h1 visas are limited.
The easiest way to land a job in redmond is to start your CS masters in washington university so you would get a student visa. You can then intern at msft and after you get your MS you are allowed to stay one year in the US so you can easily get hired there and msft would have enough time to work on your visa.
Ayman makes a very good point. It's very hard to get recognized in a country like Lebanon unless you bring something significantly good to the table, which eventually shows great value in you.
jsaade wroteBS in computer science is a must unless you can demonstrate your experience.
What about IT related majors? MIS or Software Engineering maybe?
There's also a subtle way of making it into the MS developer ranks.

Make your mark on MSDN forums, become an MVP, apply to Microsoft, get recruited. Of course becoming an MVP isn't something easy to do.
Microsoft's recruitement process is known to be amongst the most difficult in the industry. Here are a few tips:

- Ayman is right, don't think about degrees and/or experience. If (and I said if) you land an interview, they're not going to be impressed by an MIT degree. They're looking at your skills, not at how well you perform on standardized tests. This said, certain positions need a special level of studies, for instance if you want to join Microsoft research, they'd generally expect you to have a PhD.

- xterm is right, demonstrating strong interest in their technology can help you a lot. But this goes beyond: "I really love MS, and I think they're the best!". You need to become a household name in the MS world (a la Hansleman). Be active on their forum, so active you're one of the top members. Get some of their badges/achievement thingy. Blog about their techs, until you become a top influential blogger. If you manage to make yourself know worldly as a MS expert, your chances are increased exponentially.

- Microsoft recruiting process was famous for its use of riddles and brain teasers. I strongly suggest you'd read How would you move Mount Fuji?. The book is a little outdated, ever since the company is realizing the limitations of the whole "puzzle for recruiting" process. But it still gives you a very good insight of the company culture, and will give you an idea of the level of thinking and creativity expected from their new recruits.
rahmu wrote- xterm is right, demonstrating strong interest in their technology can help you a lot. But this goes beyond: "I really love MS, and I think they're the best!". You need to become a household name in the MS world (a la Hansleman). Be active on their forum, so active you're one of the top members. Get some of their badges/achievement thingy. Blog about their techs, until you become a top influential blogger. If you manage to make yourself know worldly as a MS expert, your chances are increased exponentially.
That's exactly how Bart De Smett got hired at Microsoft.
11 days later
My close friend, Salem Haykal, was actually hired by Microsoft. He started with Digipen (realtime interactive simulation program), and then was offered a job at MS while doing his masters with Digipen in the States.
paladin77 wroteMy close friend, Salem Haykal, was actually hired by Microsoft. He started with Digipen (realtime interactive simulation program), and then was offered a job at MS while doing his masters with Digipen in the States.
Hey Paladin, salem is one of my friends but he is an exception as first he was in the US.
Second he is a genius with an IQ way over other humans ;)