How does Microsoft make decisions around promotions?
17 Answers from Employees at Microsoft
- 3Helpful
Top Employee Response
It is a mixture of lobbying and personal relationships. During review cycle a manager will put forth recommendation, his peers and his manager will discuss. Since there is a defined pot for such it becomes a political situation. I've seen many time where this worked and many where it didn't (i.e., non-involved people were credited with others achievements due to relationships with other managers). Many time the end result is persons move out of group or Microsoft loses the talent to other companies: Google, Amazon, etc.
- 3Helpful
Usually its around your level and your impact. It's much easier to move from sub-level 59 to 60 and higher. It gets increasingly harder from 63 to 64 and really difficult moving from 64 to 65 (director level). Good connections and very visible, high-impact wins over a 2-3 year period can help in more senior level promotions.
- 2Helpful
They do not typically make sound decisions. It seems very political and not directly tied to your performance (in many cases). Diversity also plays a role in who gets promoted. Preference is given to those considered diverse.
- 2Helpful
Promotions are decided by your manager, his or her peer managers, and your skip level manager. Basically, your manager recommends you for promotion, and the other managers and skip manager decide if it will go though.
- 1Helpful
It is based on the impact you have on the others and your capacity to empower others to do more and succeed, it is a culture of giving and caring about other and not competition
- 2Helpful
it's a popularity contest. the same people keep moving up, mostly women and minorities. microsoft is so focused on EOE that they end up being very unfair
- 1Helpful
mostly quota driven to make diversity numbers. this is common knowledge and not hidden
- 0Helpful
It is all about your individual impact and and ability to make people work.
- 1Helpful
It's not what you know, or what you do, it's who you know.
- 1Helpful
Its political. Depends how much influence your manager has with other managers.
- 0Helpful
Equal I'll program rules the day. White men can't get promoted.
- 0Helpful
Very well with a week presented case for asking.
- 1Helpful
It seems politics are more important than results
- 1Helpful
Based on Connect/Review feedback and length in position
- 1Helpful
every position is posted and interviews are conducted
- 1Helpful
hard to say? very political
- 0Helpful
very carefully
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