Microsoft casts wide net for quality

By VIKKI BLAND

Job candidates applying for IT positions with Microsoft New Zealand will need plenty of stamina - and that's just to get through the interview process.

Ross Peat, managing director, describes Microsoft's recruitment practices as rigorous.

"We call it 'quality gating.' We narrow down a list [sourced internally and from recruitment agencies] to two or three potential candidates. These people might then go through eight or nine interviews."

While that might sound excessive, with an average full-time recruitment rate of fewer than 15 IT positions a year, Microsoft New Zealand can afford to be fussy.

Peat says Microsoft employs 55,000 people worldwide, and careers that begin in New Zealand can, and often do, lead to career advancement and opportunities around the world. "Our employees are a self-selecting audience; IT people want to work with Microsoft."

About 60 per cent of the IT jobs at Microsoft New Zealand are in sales and marketing, with IT development, services and technical roles comprising the remaining 40 per cent.

Peat says some positions offer commission and bonuses above the flat salary rate, and instant rewards including vouchers, wine and written endorsements are regularly awarded to employees for a job well done.

So what does Microsoft look for in an IT job candidate?

Peat says the company prefers a tertiary degree (ironic, given that Microsoft founder Bill Gates famously dumped a university course to start Microsoft in 1975) but the key credential is a track record.

While this means permanent positions tend to be snapped up by candidates with IT experience, Microsoft does not overlook the dilemma faced by new graduates with little or no job experience.

The company runs an intern programme and annually hires up to five new tertiary graduates who are then employed for 12 months. Predictably, Microsoft receives more applications than it has places for, but for those who make the cut, the chances of career advancement are good. Microsoft New Zealand retains more than half of its interns, placing them in either local or overseas positions.

"When we evaluate intern applications for permanent employment we look at three criteria. The first is the performance over the 12 months, the second is whether a job opportunity exists, and the third is whether there is a culture fit with Microsoft's core values."

So what are these core values? Peat says they include having a passion for customers and technology, and the ability to communicate with customers and colleagues openly and respectfully. The skills of self-analysis and self-criticism are also valued.

"We look for people with intellectual capacity who can work hard and get things done. People must also be able to change and adapt to new roles. Personal agility is very important."

While Microsoft New Zealand is considerably smaller than its international parent, Peat says people who work for the smaller offices of large international parents are often better at multi-tasking, a skill sought by IT employers across the globe. "Microsoft New Zealand is able to help IT employees gain specialist depth. Careers evolve here."

He says Microsoft has moved from being a global company staffed by twentysomethings to a company of mainly thirtysomethings - referring to a shift in the average age of Microsoft employees over the past 10 years.

"In New Zealand and internationally, we've now got lots of employees with families and children, so work/life balance has come into focus."

As part of this focus, Microsoft New Zealand allows employees to work flexible hours to meet family commitments and will support employees working from home.

"People working from home get an allowance to run a fast Internet service and any mobile tools they need. We also have maternity and paternity leave; there's no clock- watching at Microsoft," says Peat.

Carol Leishman, communications manager for Microsoft New Zealand, says the pay- off includes Microsoft's attrition rate, which is about half the average for the IT sector.

"Microsoft New Zealand's attrition rate is 8 per cent; [US-based] Microsoft Corporation's attrition rate is eight per cent.

"hat's significantly lower than the average attrition rate of 19.5 per cent for the New Zealand IT industry based on the available data," says Leishman.

It seems those who succeed in squeezing through Microsoft's decidedly narrow "quality gates" see staying on the right side of them as an open and shut case.