Youth Recruitment for Entry-Level Positions at Microsoft

• In Event: Education and industry linkages and partnerships for youth success

Proposal

Howard University had a Co-Op Fair where they invited companies to stress to them and share the importance and benefits of cooperative education and internships. That evening, I had spoken about my co-operative experience at Intel. Microsoft was a sponsor of the event, and had recruiters and Microsoft Howard alumni in attendance. After my presentation, one of the of the alumni approached me and told me that what I did at Intel was close to what a software engineer does at Microsoft. He told me Microsoft had a booth at the career fair the next day and that I should come by.

The next day we discussed my co-op at Intel in detail, and he answered questions I had about Microsoft. It was great for me to see a Howard Alumni, incidentally, an Electrical Engineering major like I was, working at Microsoft. Through him, I could see myself working at Microsoft.
A few weeks letter I received a letter from Microsoft offering to fly me out to Redmond for interviews. I was able to go to Howard’s career center to get more information about Microsoft in preparation for my interviews.

My internship was amazing on so many fronts. I got to do real work, even though I was just an intern. I remember making a suggestion in an engineering meeting, and a seasoned engineer who had been there for years, actually took note of my idea. I made a difference. I also got to meet students from all over the USA, Canada and Mexico. It was an amazing networking experience. Many of the interns I met, I still talk to, to this day.

When my internship ended- Microsoft had started a student ambassador program on different university campuses, and I became that person for Howard. I gave presentations to students and professors, and helped Microsoft when they came on campus.

When I graduated and joined Microsoft full time, I travelled often to Howard University to help recruiting. On my first year back on campus, many people I knew came by the Microsoft booth because they recognized me. A number of them actually signed up to interview with Microsoft.
Fast forward to today, this play book hasn’t changed much since I was a student. And my story is the story of many Microsoft employees hired from University. Microsoft still engages with Universities, providing information to career offices to help students interested in Microsoft. Microsoft goes to university campuses for company presentations, and provides opportunities for alumni to share their stories and provide helpful tips to students. Microsoft employees also sit on some university boards where they not only learn from universities, but also act as a resource to keep universities abreast of industry trends.
For the interns that do get hired, Microsoft ensures challenging work, networking opportunities, and strong mentors.
In 2018- Microsoft had almost 3000 interns on campus. The number of people offered full time positions after internships continues to increase, and so to does the number of people accepting.

Author

• Godwell Khosa, Microsoft