HR Trax at Microsoft continues to bring in the best talent for Microsoft and give great career experiences for its participants. Email hrtrax@microsoft.com to learn more!
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In commemoration of Women’s History Month in March, members of the Microsoft HR Trax and the Finance Rotational Programs (FRP), partnered to volunteer at two of the Seattle area Eastside Domestic Violence Program’s confidential shelters. The 17 attendees: 9 from HR Trax and 8 from FRP worked in the gardens, painted walls, cleared up debris, renovated interiors and sweep areas surrounding the buildings.
The HR Trax Social & Community Service Committee provides oppoortunities like this for HR Trax members to give back their community. Other activities the committee has lead include kicking off the first “Trax Day of Caring” by volunteering at the beautiful Washington Arboretum in Seattle, providing resume and mock interview assistance to jobseekers at Worksource, and preparing a hot 3-course meal for over 40+ sick kids and their families at the Ronald McDonald House in Seattle. Cheers to all volunteers who helped make a difference in the Community.
A.J. Figliolini
HR Trax 1st Year- HR Business Partner, Microsoft Business Division
During March 2010 all of HR Trax attended the Microsoft HR Global Conference 2010: New Thinking, New World in Seattle. This year’s conference gave participants the opportunity to to engage with external experts and Microsoft leaders, both from HR and within the business and join in networking and targeted discussions that informed our work, broadened our thinking, and generated new ideas related to our HR roles. Over the course of the Conference we considered Human Resources from three perspectives: HR the Profession, HR & the Business, and HR the Organization. The members of the HR Trax program have played important roles in organizing the conference, from speaker selection to organizing a team-building public service activity for the 1000 participants.
Kari Stuart
HR Trax 2009 Intern- Venture Integration Human Resources
What’s it like to be an HR Trax Intern? Pretty amazing if you’re interested in meeting complex challenges head on, learning, networking, and having an amazing summer while you’re at it!
Like most people, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first came to Microsoft last May. I was aware of Microsoft’s reputation of being a rewarding yet challenging place to work, but didn’t fully understand how much I would be enabled to accomplish and learn. During my few short months at Microsoft, I have grown personally and professionally, and learned how I can contribute to one of the largest and most dynamic companies in the world.
Here are a few myths about Microsoft and my response to them:
· Perfection is the only option.
o I’ve learned to strive for excellence, not perfection. At Microsoft, we are constantly learning from our mistakes. The key is to look at a problem or mistake as an opportunity to make improvements and keep growing.
· Only results matter.
o In the end, results do matter, and achieving desired results is necessary for success. However, Microsoft is not only interested what results you achieve but in how you went about achieving those results. Results matter, but process matters also. In other words, what did you learn while achieving those results, and how did you impact others?
· It takes time to make an impact at a company as large as Microsoft.
o When I first arrived at Microsoft, I was overwhelmed with the amount of information to learn and integrate into my work. However, I quickly adapted and learned that I could contribute before “knowing everything.” While it takes time to adjust and learn in any new environment, your opinion will be valued from day one, so be ready to contribute and make an impact by offering new and fresh ideas!
Jenny Dees
HR Trax Alum- Compensation Specialist, International Compensation & Benefits
At a recent HR Trax networking event with our new interns I had an interesting conversation about work life balance that I want to continue here. I think it’s a work life choice more than a balance – I choose what boundaries I set for myself. There will always be exceptions, those mythical HR emergencies or huge projects that will keep you on email or at your desk later than perhaps you would like. Outside of those instances I have been able to set expectations for when I would be and would not be available. The work will still be there the following day.
I have coworkers who choose to be on email at 2am because that is when their house is quiet and their mind is most active. I have others who get into work before 7 AM and others still who might roll in around 10 AM. In my current team we incorporated a work life balance related goal into our annual goals (which we call commitments). Some people picked particular activities they wanted to make time for and I chose a particular time after which, barring an urgent need, I would not be in meetings.
To me, the most important part is finding what works for you and communicating it so it is your choice and your balance. If anyone has any of their own experiences to share please do so in the comments!
Daniel Burleigh
HR Trax 2nd Year- Staffing Consultant, Windows Client & Online Services Business
I just interviewed a woman by phone this morning and at the end of the call she asked me what brought me to Microsoft and I have to admit that I enjoyed reflecting on this topic once again. Sure, there are many aspects of the opportunity that made it a great one for me (highlighted in an earlier blog posting), especially in this economic environment, but there was one that really jumped out at me as I was talking through it today. Microsoft has a very egalitarian culture, in the sense that it doesn’t matter what title you have or what level you are, if you have an idea or a question or something to contribute you are expected and encouraged to “Jump in”. This really serves to level the playing field and allow for a diverse and open conversation and for more junior members to really impact work every day.
One aspect that I see as differentiating the Microsoft HR (and other functions) experience from other companies is the sandbox metaphor. With the range of Microsoft products, the size and complexity of the organization, the every changing nature of this dynamic industry, and the broad role HR plays at Microsoft, we have to be continually learning, adapting, and innovating in order to be ahead of the game. Drinking from the fire hose is a real art, one that I never really understood until I came here.
Because of the open culture, the dynamic environment, and the people we hire, my HR experience has been like “playing in the sandbox”. It’s not all fun and games, mind you, but there is an opportunity to experiment, to create, and to explore. My HR Trax cohorts and I have been involved in a number of projects where we’ve been able to work directly with senior leaders in “thinking big” about HR and other topics (e.g. as the Gen Y Subject Matter Experts) and dive in to understand what our employees, managers, and customers really need. I really can’t see having the same experience anywhere else and I’m glad I’ve been here.
Amruta Gadre
HR Trax 1st Year- Program Manager, HR Operations Excellence
I never realized how much of a difference the weather makes on people around here. Being in Seattle, we get rain by the barrels, and when it is not raining, it looks like it is about to rain. When people first come out to Seattle, they usually try to mentally prepare for the rainy weather. Some try to read up on activities that can be done indoors while others buy rain-boots, rain-jackets, and umbrellas. However, sometimes, even that is not enough. I’ve seen some people really struggle with the fact that sometimes we don’t see the sunshine for days on end.
Somehow, though, I’ve noticed that if you manage to make it through the first three months here, you sort of start accepting that this is the way of life around here. Soon after you accept it, you will start taking on an almost "macho" attitude about the rain. This is the part that is the funniest to see. Umbrellas are soon forgotten, and jackets no longer have to have hoods on them. The same people who complained that they couldn’t walk their dogs outside or go running or biking take on an almost cavalier attitude about the rain. I’ve heard friends joke about going for a jog outside "rain or rain" rather than "rain or shine". Rain becomes such a part of our lives, that we start focusing all the good stuff that comes with rain. For one thing, Seattle is probably one of the greenest cities you’ll ever visit. And by that I mean, everywhere you go, you’ll see enormous trees covered with green foliage. Redmond, despite being home to a massive corporation like Microsoft, has trails, and forests, and greenery everywhere. Even Microsoft has areas that look more like woody glens than a corporate campus. I’ve had some out-of-town friends remark that Redmond looks like it is a little village surrounded by a forest and they cannot believe that downtown Seattle is only miles away. One of my favorite things to do around here is to go to a coffee shop (after all, this is Seattle!) and get a hot, steamy cup of coffee and check emails on my laptop while looking outside at the rainy day every so often.
Summer in Seattle is quite a different story. After months and months of rain (starting during fall, all the way till spring), we finally start seeing some sunshine. At first, to be perfectly honest, people become sort of disconcerted at seeing the big yellow thing in the sky. We have some people, seasoned Seattlites who actually start grimacing when they are outside in the sun. They squint their eyes when they are confronted with sunlight and seem almost distracted. I find it quite humorous when people inform me that they can’t see where they’re driving because of the light!
Around Microsoft, you can see what a difference a little bit of sunlight makes. Meetings start with jokes and laughter and end with people walking to the tables outside cafeterias for a cups of coffee. At least a couple minutes of meetings are devoted to chatting what people did on the weekend, and what people were planning to do to celebrate the sunshine the next weekend! People look wistfully out the conference room windows at the sunshine that’s dancing on the leaves of the trees. Shorts and flip-flops come out of hiding and Microsoft feels like a college campus- very casual and very laid back, with people going about their work, but taking time to enjoy the fantastic weather. Walk around campus on such days, and you’ll see entire groups going out to the basketball, tennis, or volley ball courts and playing a very enthusiastic game with other groups. We have entire leagues that compete with each other on a regular basis. Of course, no one around here has to worry about returning to work all sweaty because of the locker rooms that are located throughout campus, complete with freshly laundered towels! 🙂 Summer in Seattle is one of the best times to celebrate and have fun.
As I sit here, under a lunch-table outside of the cafeteria, I watch people walk around on their way to their next meeting, or even better, to their families. Two people sitting behind me are talking about what they did on the weekend- bike rides, of course! It certainly doesn’t feel like a Monday while I sit here, sipping my iced mocha and feeling the sunshine and breeze!
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