I recently sold my startup and am looking at joining a FAANG company or a large tech company in general in a strategy or biz dev role. Microsoft seems fantastic and my buddy who works there referred me to a few hiring managers in the strategy/business development departments. With that in mind, is there anything I can do (outside of applying online) to improve my shot at an interview? Thanks!
The official referral process is a black hole. Don't rely on it. Find job listings online and ask your friend to look them up on the internal careers portal and forward your resume directly to hiring managers if possible
This. Unless you know of a specific position and have a friend/colleague who pushes you, you might as well just crumple up your resume toss it in a garbage can on campus and hope someone fishes it out by accident. The “official” referral process is a joke. And I say this as someone who referred a fair number of people and got several in the door, only by actively looking for roles and then advocating hard for them.
So I should find the exact position, and have him send the resume to that specific hiring manager? Could he see that on the internal careers portal?
If you like being entrepreneurial, I might consider Amazon over Microsoft. It seems they have a lot more freedom to run with their ideas vs the very heavily bureaucratic Microsoft.
Have definitely looked into Amazon. Also seems like a fantastic company to work for/learn from (the complains about having to work hard do not bother me). My connections to Amazon are not as deep, but I am definitely going to try to network.
@Microsoft why do you think so?
Also, BD is a vague term at Microsoft. Sometimes it's actual BD (managing deal process, coordinating with legal on contracts, working with sales, product, negotiating with partners, etc.) sometimes it's a catch-all for more program management oriented work.
Hey OP, just curious here. What makes you think of working for FAANG after a startup? What are you looking for in these roles?
I feel like working at FANG would be a step down after being your own boss. Are you bored? Looking to learn?
Send my your cv?
Sent you a message