Perspective: Answers from a Microsoft University Hire 2 years later

The first time I met Clarissa was in an interview. Clarissa was one of the last people I spoke with after a full day of interviews. I was exhausted, but her energy immediately lit up the room though. In that room, I was blown away by her smarts, humility and honesty. I knew right there the value in hiring people who were smarter than you and thought differently than you. I knew Clarissa would make Microsoft better.

Clarissa Lenz is a University Hire in 2017 into the Customer Services and Support Organization. She's been an asset to this company ever since. I've asked Clarissa to share her perspective with you all in this interview about her experience. Our hope is that this opens a window not only into the type of work we do, but the unique perspective of someone hired out of university into Microsoft and the early in career journey.

There's no secret sauce to succeeding at Microsoft- everyone brings their own talents and gifts.

The Basics:

• Hometown: Vancouver, WA
• Alma Mater: University of Washington
• Team/role: CSS/Social Media Program Manager
• Fun question/fact: I have two pet lizards
• What's your favorite way to eat a potato? French fried

The Experience:

LL:  In a quick snapshot, tell the world what do you do!  

CL: I design, create, and manage the content that gets published on all our social media support accounts like Twitter and YouTube across the world.

LL: What does a typical day look like as a Social Media Program Manager?

CL: My day usually starts off with checking my email and seeing what meetings I have lined up for the day. I usually have around 3-4 hours’ worth of meetings to help figure out the strategy and direction of social media support. When I’m not in meetings you will find me writing tweets, creating step-by-step images, GIFs, or videos, publishing YouTube videos, pulling analytic reports, or replying back to customers. I work closely with about 5 people and sit on a team of 27 people. My manager helps shape the strategy for social support, makes sure I have the tools and support to be successful, and advocates for the work I am doing with the leadership team.

 LL: We hear all the time about how culture is important. Why did you choose Microsoft and how are using Microsoft as a platform to pursue your passions?

CL: People are my passion, and lucky for me they are Microsoft’s passion too. The primary thing in choosing Microsoft was how closely my personal brand aligned with Microsoft’s mission statement. And the great benefits package didn’t hurt either ;).

LL:   What are the three words you would use to describe your experience at Microsoft? 

CL: Humbling, motivating, and challenging

LL: What is your favorite building on campus and why? 

CL: I work in our Las Colinas, TX office. LC 2 – that’s where the café is. At main campus in Redmond, the Post Alley Café.

LL:    What's the most challenging part of your job? 

CL: No one has had my job before, which means there’s no rulebook that walks you through how to do things or how to tackle new problems because odds are no one has figured them out yet. This can be challenging but also kind of fun if you enjoy building things from scratch and paving the way. Also working remotely away from my team can be lonely sometimes. I try to set-up virtual coffee chat meetings with my teammates and visit main campus at least twice a year to reconnect with coworkers outside of work projects.

LL: Since you're in Las Colinas, tell me your favorite bar/restaurant in Las Colinas?

CL: The Ginger Man

University Perspective

LL: I get a lot of students asking about internships. Myth or Not: Do you have to be an intern to secure a full-time role? 

CL: Myth. (I wasn't an intern)

LL: I'm a college student. Interview Prep 101, what is the best resource you would recommend for me? 

CL: I used the STAR method and came up with a few specific examples for typical situational questions. And lots of practice interviews. It gets nerve-wracking during the real deal so practice answering questions out loud with friends and family.

LL: How have you built community after college?  

Lots of happy hours and going to the café on campus for lunch.

LL: You have been very succesful in your career so far. If you could, what's one piece of career/personal advice you'd give you your younger self? 

CL: Stay persistent. It’s easy to get discouraged after getting rejected multiple times or being unsure if you’re headed in the right direction. But keep with it, be okay if your direction changes, and you’ll end up where you need to be.

LL: Who are your mentors and how did you select/build a relationship with mentor?   

CL: You were actually my very first mentor at Microsoft. I remember you reached out to help me onboard after my interviews and we’ve stayed in touch ever since. My other mentors are people I found within Microsoft that have roles that align to my career interests. People are usually pretty quick to help coach someone who shows enthusiasm and interest in the field they work in.

Moving Forward

LL: Tell me me more about internal mobility at Microsoft? (i.e. how common is it to move teams, how did you do it? Does the power of networking really work?) 

It’s fairly common to transition roles after the 2-year mark, especially if you’re early in career. As far as how you do it… that’s a tricky question. I’ve seen people who started at Microsoft the same time as me, transition into brand new areas of the business within a matter of weeks of starting to look. I on the other hand, have been actively looking for quite a few months and have yet to make the transition. Networking and having people know your areas of interests have definitely helped me have some intro conversations. But the real challenge is finding a new role that aligns with my more experience level.

LL: What kinds of technologies do you hope to be contributing to in 3 years? 

CL: I think it would be really cool to sit within a product team tackling UX problems and improving the customer experience.

LL:  In regards to the cultural pillar of “One Microsoft”, how does your role build/contribute upon the work of others?

CL: Most of the tweets that get published are created from top visited support articles that are being written by my teammates. By taking these support articles and turning them into snackable tweets and videos, I am able to build off the work that is already being done to cross-pollinate content onto different platforms and help more customers resolve their issues.

LL: You're such an inspiration to me and those around you. Who is the person who has impacted you the most? 

CL: My dad

LL: What is something that you do outside of work to re-energize? 

CL: Teach spin classes and make educational YouTube videos about my chameleon.

LL: Thank you so much, Clarissa for sharing your perspective with me and with the Linkedin world. Microsoft is lucky to have you!