Microsoft Reviews in Seattle, WA Area

Pros

Gain experience, especially at lower levels.

Cons

Promotions can be difficult, you need to move up or move out.

Pros

Work with lots of really smart people who are passionate about shipping products.
Great benefits including health plan, 401k, giving campaign (to pay it forward to the community.)

Cons

It is the Microsoft way or the highway, outside technologies need not apply. I worked there for a number of years and the language that dare not speak its name (JAVA) was not used nor considered for a project of any considerable size.

A word of warning: Don't get comfortable doing what you enjoy, because that leads to being considered "stagnated" as opposed to being effective. Make sure your peers and boss see you dogfooding the next big thing in your copious spare time.

Advice to Senior Management

Create a journeyman developer track, where people are encouraged to branch out to another project and increase their skillsets instead of having to grind away on something in their spare time.

Pros

Good medical benefits for whole family. I knew there are people trying to join Microsoft only because of this.

Cons

You are competing with cheap labors get hired from all over the world. And you most likely will work on products that will never be used by anyone. So you feel no positive contribution to the society.

Advice to Senior Management

Get rid of SteveB. He stifled the company.

Pros

They treat you well and with respect no matter what

Cons

Growth and Promotion are a factor of where you are in the organization and not of your accomplishments or hardwork

Pros

Some good opportunities to work on really impactful project.
Good work life balance.
Great benefits (even after the recent changes).
Smart co-workers.

Cons

Most of the interesting work is in the hands of a few people driving Windows and Office.
Microsoft still doesn't get the Web. Everything is still about Windows & Office.
Great projects get cancelled because of power struggles.
The Peter Principle thrives at Microsoft.
Politics, Politics, Politics.
The review model - ensures intense politics.
   I've seen excellent new hires given bad reviews - 'just to break them in'
   I've seen good people pushed out - to give the job to a manager's friend.
   I've seen employees given gold stars for excellent performances - end up with poor review.
   I've seen the classic suck-ups given top reviews for kissing up the chain.
   Reviews are at best 50% performance; and 50% who likes whom.
   The review model ensures that teams compete against each other.
The fastest way to get a promotion is to quit - work outside for a while and re-apply.
  (did this myself) - is this really how the company wants its employees to develop their careers?

Advice to Senior Management

Spend some money on innovation - get some new, crazy, interesting projects into the market.
(Kinect is a great example).
Windows & Office are important - but do more than just protect these old products.
Kill the review model - stop trying to 'figure out who is a bad performer' and force them out.
Rather - really work on managing the careers and career development of employees.
Remember - Microsoft's only real asset is its talent - because they will be building the future products. Make Microsoft a place that great people want to work.
Get some executives that believe strongly in innovation - rather than sales.

Pros

Benefits are quite good and generally well perceived when compared with other mai competitros in the area. Also, there are many smart and bright people who are striving to drive interesting projects across several areas of the company.

Cons

Heavy, too many silos, and quite beaurocratic. Generally very slow to move and tackle new opportunities. Complex matrix makes it very difficult to get opportunities to manage or lead end to end projets across businesses.

Pros

Microsoft is on the cutting edge of technology, they build amazing software. It is very competitive as many other companies you either do it or you die trying.

Cons

Because of the hardcore culture of the team sometimes really good talent gets lost. It is very hard to move up the chains as the review process keep the targets moving year by year.

Advice to Senior Management

Keep it simple and take care of your people. Cutting benefits is not the right way to keep great talent in your payrol.
It does help make the numbers as opex goes down but the overall profitability of the company will come down when you can't cost cut your way out.

Pros

work, life balance is great.
Benefits are very competitive
People are all smart
Location is great near great places to live.
Commute they provide transportation ot work

Cons

Ability to get thing done slow moving

Pros

1. Great place to learn software development
 2. Choice to work on a variety of technologies and products
 3. Really great benefits.

Cons

A lack of collaborative environment, while team work is given lip service the focus is on individual performance and results. A lack of vision on the part of senior leadership.

Advice to Senior Management

Seriously consider working at Microsoft if you are graduating from college or early in your career. There is a lot to learn and expertise to gain.

Pros

Large company with lots of opportunities to work in different areas. People tend to move around the company quite frequently. Total compensation package is one of the tops in the tech industry.

Cons

Highly political environment. It used to be acceptable to challenge management, that is rarely the case any more. The company has gone from a culture where employees striven to do what was best for the company to a culture now that focuses on self-entitlement. We BillG's departure, the company lost its visionary - this is one of the biggest gaps now.

Advice to Senior Management

Understand that talent is an asset, not a commodity. The tech industry is rebounding quickly and the company is poised to lose a lot of key talent if things don't change.