I had some recent questions about MBAs at Microsoft, so I thought I'd share my response (tweaked slightly for public consumption). [Do I need a disclaimer here? If it's not obvious, all comments are my own and do not reflect Microsoft policies.] :) Also, feel free to check out the official Microsoft MBA site.
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MS wants MBAs across the organization (many MBAs are already there
in fairly high levels) in many business functions including corporate,
finance, marketing, etc.
Marketing Roles
- Product Planner - 18-24 month timeframe planning around a version or
two out of what will be released within 12 months
- Product Management - marketing focused product activities across all
business groups
Finance Roles
- Finance - various roles within business groups
- Business Development - various activities within business groups
Corporate Roles
- Corporate Planning/Analysis - finance activities at a corporate level
- Corporate Strategy - (usually recruited separately than others) -
internal consulting group
- Corporate Development - (usually recruited separately than others) -
acquisition transaction execution
Product Development
- Not recruited for at MBA programs - this is where the *real* work gets done by CSs and engineers who make the products that make the company
3. Because MBAs are almost always in non development areas (except
Product Planning which is slightly more technical and reports up
through product development) there is no comparison to development (CS
roles). Clearly dev makes the products and BillG has a special place in his heart for development, however SteveB appears more slanted to business side since he was not a coder. Sales is very very important and has a clear respect in the org (SteveB lead the sale org at one point). Most Redmond people haven't sold anything in their lives and to move up in management a stint in the sale org (called "the field") is almost a requirement.
In addition to all this, the summer is an amazing time in Seattle and the internship has many resources allocated to it - lunch speakers are definitely a highlight! Definitely a great experience in its own right.
Posted by Jeremy Showalter at August 18, 2005 09:57 PMCrisp & insightful. Many thanks for sharing.
You emphasize the stint in sales as an important factor in moving up the ladder, does MS recruit MBA's for sales roles? What is the possibility to switch to sales after a couple of years in say, Product Management/BD?
Posted by: Mave at August 19, 2005 03:15 AMThanks Mave.
Yes, I should add Sales as it's own group since some MBAs would work in the BMO (Bus Mgmt Org?) which is related to 'the field.'
And absolutely, the culture of moving around the company after 2-3 years in any position was a pleasant surprise. I really didn't hear about those dynamics through the recruiting process, which personally is a advantageous characteristics - especially right after business school.
Posted by: Jeremy Showalter at August 19, 2005 09:00 AM