By Priya Priyadarshini
Yes, it is time for you to celebrate and I do not think we do it as often as we should. In the last couple of weeks and months I've received many emails in which I've seen our company recognized for some of the things we do great, so I wanted to share this with you all. Thought it would be a nice break from talking about interviews and tips and trips...
Fortune recently announced its "2007 100 Best Companies to Work For" list and Microsoft made the list for the 10th consecutive year. Of the technical companies, only Microsoft and Cisco have been on the list every year since its inception in 1998.
Also, last week Microsoft was recognized by CollegeGrad.com as one of the Top 50 Entry Level Employers. At Microsoft, we love and value the energy that new college grads bring to the campus and we want to continue to build and develop that pipeline to help generate future leaders. In the year 2007 alone,
Windows 7 Pro, we are targeting to hire more than 1000 college grads for entry level positions.
Now these awards are based on a lot of criteria, but I want to focus on one element of MS that deserves more attention....the benefits and perks. I can’t get over how great they are, so I just need to share!
I was recently having a conversation with a couple of my candidates who had a ton of questions around benefits and perks at Microsoft, and as I started answering their questions, I realized that I myself was getting more and more excited about them. I just love that I get to answer "Yes we do" to almost all questions asked about whether or not we offer specific benefits...it's a recruiter's dream come true.
Here's a sample conversation I had the other day when offering a job to a great candidate (who, of course, accepted!):
1) Do you provide health coverage?
Yes, we do – In fact we have multiple plans you can choose from. For example you will have 100% in-network coverage for you and your dependents, there are no deductibles and there's also 100% coverage for almost all prescription drugs.
2) We will soon start thinking about a family, what is Microsoft’s policy around leaves?
Oh, great question,
Office Home And Business 2010, yes we do, we provide eight weeks of paid maternity leave and another four weeks of paid leave for new Moms and Dads. Also you can take additional unpaid leave if need be.
3) Once I start working art Microsoft, can I get discount on software?
Yes, for sure, you can buy software and games at huge discounts for personal use and for family and friends.
4) I like to stay fit and workout, does Microsoft provide discounts of health club memberships?
Yes we do, we actually provide free health club memberships for employees at major health clubs like ProClub and discounted memberships for family members.
5) I will have to relocate,
Windows 7 Pro, does Microsoft assist with that?
Oh no problem, indeed we do. We will take good care of you, we do a great job at relocating people both nationally and internationally. For example, let me share my story with you.
I relocated here from Minnesota and the Microsoft relocation team had set up everything to ensure a smooth move for me. The movers showed up one morning and packed and shipped everything along with my car. Then Microsoft paid for my tickets to Seattle,
Office Professional 2007 Key, and upon arrival to SeaTac (Seattle Airport) I had a free rental car for 30 days and also keys to a nice, fully furnished temporary housing apartment for the first month when I moved to Seattle.
While my stuff was in a storage (which was also paid by Microsoft btw), and then later when I bought my house, the movers once again showed up and brought all my stuff from the storage space into my new house, and almost set up my entire house for me. Moving was NOT painful for a change, so there you have it!
Any more questions?
6) Uh...thanks Priya. No, all this sounds really great, but do you want to share anything else that will be help me make an informed decision as I am weighing my options?
Yes, I actually do as a matter of fact,
Office 2010 Download, but I will try to keep the list short... As a Microsoft employee it your right to drink as many free drinks as you possibly can - every floor in every Microsoft building has a kitchenette which is packed with free pop, freshly brewed Starbucks coffee, cocoa, juice, milk and more than a dozen types of tea. So suit yourself. I personally love the hot cocoa. We have a great tuition reimbursement program. We have a number of cafeterias on the Redmond campus and the menus can be found online. They have great-tasting food and tons of healthy choices ranging from organic to vegan. We also have some great restaurant chains on campus. Thanks to Lisa Brummel, our head of HR who rocks, now we have on-site laundry pick up. No time for shopping and groceries? No worries we have you covered, we have free grocery delivery. We have Valet parking services in many buildings. Every summer there is an annual company picnic at a local farm where there's loads of food and fun - it's awesome. Free therapy for autistic dependents (Proud to say that we are the first company in the nation to recognize this need and provide insurance coverage towards therapy). There are free towels on campus after you have taken a shower after a tiring day of work or biking, etc Oh and one last thing - You do have the opportunity to make impact on millions on people (literally)
And the list is not even complete here...there's much more, but I will let my readers guess (or ask about) some of the things I've missed!
It’s surprising to me as an insider here just how seldom we stop and feel thankful and proud of the wonderful benefits and perks we have. I, for one, am really thankful - and in case you haven't picked up on it yet - I'm also really proud.
Windows 7 Pro blog time-to-celebrate
Hybrid Mode
