Microsoft, a global technology powerhouse, stands at the forefront of innovation and digital transformation. With a rich history of pioneering breakthroughs in software, hardware, and cloud computing, Microsoft continues to shape the future of technology across industries. From productivity tools like Microsoft Office to cutting-edge solutions in artificial intelligence (AI) and mixed reality, Microsoft empowers individuals and organizations to achieve more.

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Securing a Software Development Engineer (SDE) role at Microsoft is highly sought after for Indian tech professionals. However, gaining entry into this position can be challenging. While the conventional approach involves applying directly through the Microsoft jobs portal, a more accessible and effective route is to obtain a referral from an existing employee.

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In this article, we'll delve into Microsoft’s work culture and explore how you can leverage a referral to enhance your chances of landing a rewarding career opportunity within this tech powerhouse.

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How to get a job at Microsoft?

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Coming to the main question first, how to get into Microsoft. There are several ways of doing that. First go over to the Microsoft careers page and scour through it and find the job you're looking for. You can check active jobs on their LinkedIn page as well. Apply to the job and wait for your resume to get shortlisted out of hundreds of resumes.

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But if you’re looking for a more effective and an expeditious way to land a job at Microsoft, you should consider following the referral process. This method entails asking current employees who can advocate for you within the company for a specific job role. The referral process is advantageous for three primary reasons: firstly, existing employees already possess credibility, so anyone they vouch for is likely to be viewed favorably. Secondly, if their referral doesn't meet expectations or leaves the company shortly after joining, it could affect their reputation within the company. Some companies have employee referral programs and employees get monetary incentives if their referral joins the company. Therefore, they have a vested interest in recommending candidates who are qualified and likely to succeed.

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How to Get a Job Referral

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Let’s talk about the process of how to get a referral at Microsoft. Here’s a step by step guide for it.

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Finding a Potential Referrer

• Open LinkedIn and dive deep into research mode. Read and research about the company, its culture (you can read about it in this article below), and its employees. 
• Try to find if anyone in your friend circle/ acquaintances/ college alumni are currently working at Microsoft and reach out to them.
• You can install our chrome extension to cut through the manual process and see which of your 1st degree LinkedIn connections are connected to Microsoft. You can even ask them to provide a referral through a 1 click easy process.
• Don’t sweat, if the above step doesn't work. You can check out job referral sites which have a curated list of people who have agreed to give referrals in their companies. We have made a list of Microsoft employees who have agreed to give referrals. You can check out a few of them below (install our extension to check the rest).

1. Aakash Sharma- Currently working as Software Engineer at Microsoft | Previously worked in Upraised, Incredible.Dev, Takenmind | College: SRM Institute Of Science And Technology, Chennai
2. Abhishek Gupta- Currently working as Software Engineer II at Microsoft | Previously worked in Interra Systems | College: IIT Delhi
3. Apurva Dabhade- Currently working as Design Researcher 2 at Microsoft | Previously worked in IBM, Trident Labs | College: Vishwakarma Institute Of Technology, Pune
4. Karthik Kashyap Thatipamula- Currently working as Principal Engineering Manager at Microsoft | Previously worked in AMD, ECI Telecom, Qtech, Catalytic Software Ltd. | College: Indian Institute Of Technology Delhi, MVSR Engineering College
5. Mathamsetty P.- Currently working as Senior Software Engineering Manager at Microsoft | Previously worked in VMWare, Paypal, Samsung | College: International Institute Of Information Technology
6. Misbah Sayyed- Currently working as Technical Program Manager at Microsoft | Previously worked in Western Union, Nuance Communications, FIS | College: Sinhgad Academy Of Engineering
7. Nikita Mehrotra- Currently working as Postdoctoral Researcher at Microsoft | Previously worked in Intuita, IIIT D | College: IIIT Delhi
8. Omkar Cherekar- Currently working as Consultant - SDET at Microsoft | Previously worked in Allscripts | College: JSPM'S Imperial College Of Engineering And Research
9. Prachi Agrawal- Currently working as Software Engineer II, Data and Applied Science at Microsoft | Previously worked in Ticketmaster, Practo | College: DTU, University Of Southern California
10. Pritesh Shrivastava- Currently working as Senior Data Scientist at Microsoft | Previously worked in Transunion, Avanti Learning Centres, EY | College: Indian Institute Of Technology Bombay
11. Srinivas Nag Veerla- Currently working as Data Engineer at Microsoft | Previously worked in DBS Bank, Tata Consultancy Services | College: Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amritapuri (2015)
12. Tarun Suneja- Currently working as Principal Software Engineering Manager at Microsoft | Previously worked in Enest Technologies, Infosys, Keyloop, Teckedge Info Pvt Ltd | College: Rayat College Of Engineering And Technology
13. Venkat Ramasamy Kannan- Currently working as Senior Product Manager at Microsoft | Previously worked in Oracle, Cisco, Flipkart | College: Birla Institute Of Engineering And Technology, Pilani (2018)
14. Vishay Gupta- Currently working as Principal Engineering Manager at Microsoft | Previously worked in Tech Mahindra, Semantify | College: Model Institute Of Engineering And Technology, Jammu (2006)
15. Vivek Dubey- Currently working as Designer at Microsoft | Previously worked in Infosys, Desics, Blobdesign | College: Symbiosis Institute Of Design

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• Try to find people with whom you share a common interest with such as your ex- colleagues, college/ school mates, people from your hometown or people with mutual connections. If you don’t find anyone like that, try to find a mutual interest which you can talk about eg, interest in startups, finance or even anime.

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You can also search potential referrers directly through LinkedIn

• Search for Microsoft employees in the search bar and then filter them using connection, location and college filter. You can also navigate to the "People" tab on Microsoft’s LinkedIn page and search through the employees.
• Remember to try to find people with maximum mutual interest and working in the same or similar role you want to apply for.

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Crafting Your Request

• Now that you've identified your potential referrers, it's time to prepare your approach. Remember, personalization is key here.
• Start by researching the referrer's background and interests. 
• Craft a LinkedIn message or email. 
• Start with a brief greeting followed with an opening line using the shared interest (same college/ school, mutual connection/interest). 
• Introducing yourself and explaining why you're reaching out. Be clear and concise about your intention, attach your resume and any relevant work sample.
• Highlight how your skills and experience align with the job requirements and the company's goals and make it clear why you're a perfect fit for the role. Emphasize on how it would benefit both the organization and yourself. 
• Don't forget to express your gratitude for their time and consideration.
• Be patient about it and wait for at least a couple of days before sending a following up.
• Be polite in case they refuse or don’t reply. Thank them for their time and make sure that you don’t burn the bridges. If they refuse, try to get their feedback and work on it.

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You can check out sample examples of personalized referral requests below in this article.

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Bonus Tip: Making it Easy for your Referrer

To make it easy for your referrer, consider providing a prefilled message that they can simply copy and send to the hiring manager. We have attached the template below.

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Sharing the template below:

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Hi [Hiring Manager],

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I hope this email finds you well.

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I'm writing to recommend [name] for the [role]. [name] and I worked at [company] together/ attended the same college and collaborated on various projects during our time there. He's demonstrated himself as a hard worker and a dedicated team player.

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Sharing his contact details below:

Email: xyz@gmail.com

Phone: +91 xxxxxxxxxx

Resume:

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Best regards,

[referrar]

Work culture at Microsoft India

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Microsoft boasts a work culture that is both dynamic and demanding. Understanding the nuances of Microsoft’s work culture can greatly aid in navigating the job process and acclimatizing to the company's environment.

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Pros:

• Brand- Microsoft is one of the best tech companies in the world and working there adds a jaw dropping value to your career and personal brand.
• Real World Impact- Since Microsoft has a global presence, employees get to work on projects with real world impact.
• Talented Workforce- Microsoft hires the best engineers who are insanely talented. Working with them would mean pushing you to grow in your career.
• Good Benefits and Perks- Microsoft has big and beautiful campuses with good amenities for employees like food, gyms, shuttle / cab services, etc.
• Diverse and Inclusive Culture: Microsoft emphasizes on inclusion and diversity where employees from diverse backgrounds and experiences can thrive. 
• Team Collaboration- Microsoft has a collaborative and supportive work environment where employees support each other.
• Work life balance- Microsoft promotes work life balance but still due to tight deadlines, sometimes work gets spilled into personal lives.

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Cons:

• Highly Competitive Environment- Since Microsoft hires from the best talent pool, the work environment gets competitive and there are high expectations from employees.
• Lack of Internal Mobility- It is tough to switch teams and move between projects in Microsoft.
• Lack of career guidance- Employees feel that their career stagnates after some time and there's lack of career guidance and growth plan from management. 
• Things take time to move- Being a big organization with multiple layers, decisions have to go through several layers of approvals leading to delays.
• Cross-border roles are hard to get- Due to high competition and high demand, getting selected for cross borders/ onsite roles is hard.

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In the end it’s about weighing pros and cons to reach a final decision when considering joining Microsoft as an SDE. 

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Different roles and hierarchy at Microsoft

• SDE 1- This is for fresh graduates or people with 0-2 years of experience. SDEs must have good coding and problem solving skills.
• SDE 2- Requires 3-5 years of exp. SDEs at this level show that they can get things done on their own without any supervision. SDEs must have solid engineering and coding skills.
• Sr. SDE- Requires 6-8 years of exp. This role is typically the next step up from SDE. Their responsibilities include leading development, contributing to technical design and providing mentorship to junior team members.
• Principal SDE- Requires 9-13 years of exp. SDEs at this level must possess deep technical expertise and leadership potential. They lead large-scale development efforts and drive innovation within the organization.
• Partner-  This is a senior leadership role which requires proven success in leading large-scale technical initiatives. They are responsible for driving technical strategy, building relationships with key stakeholders, and providing technical leadership and mentorship to other team members.
• Distinguished Engineer- This role is reserved for people who have made industry wide impact and is the highest technical role within Microsoft. They are responsible for impactful innovation and being a thought leader inside and outside Microsoft.

Microsoft salaries for different roles:

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Microsoft is known to pay good salaries to its engineers. On top of the base salary, SDEs are given additional stocks as well. Average salary for different roles are given below,

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• SDE - 34 LPA - 42 LPA
• Senior SDE - 51 LPA 
• Principal SDE - 65 LPA

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Samples for asking for Job Referral:

Email sample for job referral: Reaching out to a college senior

Hi Anuj,

Hope you’re doing well.

I don't know if you remember me or not but I worked as a volunteer in your team in our annual college cultural fest. We worked directly in the stage play event when the judge canceled at the last minute and led to the whole event getting delayed, quite a fiasco it was.

I'm actually reaching out to you because I needed a small favor. I recently saw that a Software Engineer position has opened up at Microsoft and I'm interested in applying for it. Would it be possible for you to refer me for the same? I have 1.5 years of experience as a Fullstack Engineer at Weekday (a YC backed startup) and I believe my skills and experience align well with the requirements of the Software Engineer role at Microsoft.

I've attached my resume for your reference. If you're able to provide a referral or offer any advice on the application process, I would be incredibly grateful.

Thank you for considering my request. I truly appreciate your time and assistance.

I know that you’ll be submitting a referral in your internal portal but in case you’re going to mail the hiring manager you can use something like this.

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Hi [Hiring Manager],

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I hope this email finds you well.

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I'm writing to recommend Amit Singh for the SDE role. Amit and I attended the same college and collaborated on various projects during our time there. He's demonstrated himself as a hard worker and a dedicated team player.

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Sharing his contact details below:

Email: xyz@gmail.com

Phone: +91 xxxxxxxxxx

Resume:

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Best regards,

Anuj

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Warm Regards

Amit

Phone: +91 xxxxxxxxxx

Sample of how to ask for referral on LinkedIn: Reaching out to a person with mutual connection

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Dear Anuj,

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Hope you’re doing well.

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I got your reference from Akhil. I believe you guys went to college together. He is an ex colleague of mine, we worked briefly together at Weekday before parting ways.

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I'm actually reaching out to you because I needed a small favor. I am actively looking for a new job and saw that an SDE-2 position has opened up at Microsoft. I wanted to see if it would be possible for you to refer me for it? I have 4 years of experience in a similar role at a YC backed startup. I believe I possess the technical skills and relevant experience required for this role.

Attaching my resume for your reference. If you're able to provide a referral or offer any advice on the application process, I would be incredibly grateful.

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Thank you for considering my request. I truly appreciate your time and assistance.

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Warm Regards

Amit

Phone: +91 xxxxxxxxxx

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