Getting past Microsoft recruiters

Aug 14, 2020 4 Comments

I'm permanent vendor at Microsoft, I've tried applying to many positions I feel qualified for at the company, have gotten employee referrals and have yet to get an interview. This might normally just be one of those "What do you expect?" things, but I've heard and seen enough stories that I am wondering if their recruitment system isn't just busted if you don't know someone on the team.

Specifically, I've seen several occasions where a person was told to apply for an open position by the hiring manager who already knew them and wanted them to interview. They either had A. Apply more than once because the first application never got to the HM somehow or B. The HM had specifically go in and dig the application out because it wasn't getting past the recruiter.

Anecdotally, I've heard a lot of complaints about recruiters by MS managers as well to the point where they seem like more of hindrance than help to the whole process. It's kind of made me feel very low about my chances of getting an interview unless I specifically know the hiring manager who will go to bat and specifically pick my application to move forward. The recruiter level seems to have insanely high and/or inscrutable standards if you don't have that connection.

Am I off-base with this? Has anyone ever gotten to interview without knowing the HM, either through an employee referral or just a cold application? #microsoft #recruitment

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