11 years and counting, one person's take... - Senior Software Engineer Microsoft Employee Review

4.0
Sep 22, 2017
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great benefits, competitive salary (at least at senior level and below), bonus and stock on top of salary, plus additional perks like commuting alternatives (bus pass or Microsoft's Connector service--coach-style bus service from prime locations throughout the area), Prime discounts, competitive parental leave for mothers or fathers. 401K match (or something retirement related) is a must-have in this post-pension world. The Switch from no out-of-pocket health care to a high deductible plan with an HSA was tough, but I personally understand that the former wasn't sustainable. Note that Microsoft feeds the account and for a healthy family with not much more than regular maintenance health services, you can spend less than the company's contribution. This means the savings will grow and be available in retirement years.

Cons

The usual baggage that comes from a long-established company, like overuse of internal tools instead of industry standard tools, as well as entrenched processes and bureaucracies that can hinder agility and efficiency. This, varies from team to team, but several data points I've collected make this feedback relevant. There's progress being made, but in a company this big and old, it takes time. Competing against others who don't maintain a balance between work and life can leave you on the outside, and that's not uncommon here. Working hard and long hours can get you rewarded with opportunities and promotions, and it's hard to argue against this (if you're doing the work, I guess you should get rewarded). It's just demoralizing when choosing not to de-prioritize family can work against your upward trajectory.

Explore other reviews about Microsoft

4.0
Jan 28, 2013
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

1. If you love tech, this is a great place. No doubt you'll talk tech (mostly the MSFT stack) from enterprise to consumer - from PCs to phones to Xboxes - from datacenter to desktop. 2. What were GREAT benefits are now VERY GOOD (took a small step down) but still probably better than you'll find at 99% of large corporations. If you've got family - the value of the benefits is even higher. 401k match is nice. 3. Even with it's struggles MSFT is still a cash printing machine. This means if you can keep your nose clean and do reasonable work, you can have a stable job, pay your bills, feed your family, and not worry (too much) about layoffs. The stock you own likely won't tank, but probably won't go up much either. You'll get a bonus each year and some stock. It's a decent life if you aren't looking to light the world on fire.

Cons

Brand on Your Resume: After many years of losing market share and struggling to be at the front end of innovation and the fact that there's 90,000 employees, don't think MSFT is necessarily going to be attractive on your resume to more agile and smaller companies. Managing Your Career: Make you say this out loud so it registers - 90,000 employees work there. Double that for vendors. It is VERY hard to "stand out" and move up in the company. Don't expect your manager to be much of an advocate or enabler to help you meet your career goals - they are basically trying to survive the stack rank every year too. Not familiar with the stack rank? Check out the 2012 Vanity Fair article called "Microsoft's Lost Decade".

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