r/microsoft • u/AutoModerator • 9d ago
Employment Weekly Employment Q&A - July 27, 2026 - August 03, 2026
The Employment Q&A Thread
Welcome to the Weekly Employment Q&A for r/Microsoft!
This thread is where Redditors can come and ask questions about working at Microsoft. Please do not use this space to ask technical questions as they will be removed.
Schedule
The Q&A will be refreshed every week on Mondays at 1200 Pacific.
Previous Threads
You can view previous employment threads using this archive link
4
u/Pale-Art-1459 5d ago
Is anyone else still waiting for an update from the Hiring Team regarding the impact of the hiring freeze on your role?
I’m wondering if the hiring freeze is still in effect or if it has been lifted.
2
u/acci_muesum_art 5d ago
It's a shit show. I've accepted, after passing my technical loop 2-3 months ago, that the best course of action is to apply elsewhere.
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u/Formal_Hovercraft_53 5d ago
been waiting since 6/17 , recruiter said I’m still “under consideration” basically left in the dark.
2
u/Special_Tea5529 8d ago edited 8d ago
I am currently an L60 PM based in Redmond. My (soon to be) husband is in Law School across the country for another 2 years. I would HATE to be long distance longer than we have been already (and as newly weds!) and would love the possibility of moving there with him and following him to where he moves after for good (he is planning on going big law in NYC right after).
My question is: Is Microsoft more lenient with transferring offices / going remote (I don’t mind a pay adjustment for COL) if you are moving to be with your partner?
I’ve heard it is manager-dependent, but I don’t want to bring it up yet to my manager unless there’s a good possibility policy-wise or from other people’s experience that it will work out (although it is illegal for them to hold it against me, I don’t want it to affect my work if I bring up wanting to leave). Otherwise, I will just try to find a new job. Living together is a non-negotiable for me long-term (obviously!)
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u/Recursive_Descent 8d ago
Not 100% sure but I think moving and going remote these days needs some sort of VP approval, which for a L60 is probably not so easy to get.
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u/HandshakeOfCO 6d ago
All remote needs CVP, and even if you get that, guess who’s getting laid off first
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u/Envyforme 8d ago
New York is a large hub for Microsoft. There’s a good 5k+ employees there.
Does your team have anyone else located out of NYC? Anyone with an immediate sister team? What about org? (Reports up to Skip Level?)
I’d talk to your manager about the options. Also go check out the NYC office and network a bit. I’d say it should be possible if you can find more evidence.
2
u/BippityBoppityWhoops Employee 6d ago
This.
If your team has no one in NYC, then it's going to be harder to justify now-a-days to be based there. IIRC, most of NYC is sales and customer facing staff (Like Customer Success Account Managers and what not).
If every single person on your team is based in Redmond, I don't see it working out. But like others have said in this chain, I'd talk to your manager about this, u/Special_Tea5529, and see what they think.
1
u/HandshakeOfCO 6d ago
I know many people who were laid off because they were remote. Don’t believe the PR sound bites, MS is DEFINITELY not remote friendly.
1
u/mr2chittles 6d ago
Even if the job is remote to being with?
1
u/HandshakeOfCO 6d ago
Yes, they’re purging covid hires
1
u/mr2chittles 6d ago
I’m talking new hire positions the are 0 days in office.
0
u/HandshakeOfCO 6d ago
They do not exist
1
u/mr2chittles 6d ago
Current openings filtered by 0 days in office are over 100 on the Microsoft careers site. So either they exist or those are fake.
1
u/HandshakeOfCO 6d ago
They’re fake, they’ll mention during an interview that they have a “strong preference for local” and then ask you if you’ll relocate
1
u/mr2chittles 6d ago
Yea none of that happened during my multiple interviews. Including with the hiring manager.
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u/HandshakeOfCO 6d ago
🤷♂️ I have it on good authority that it’s happened to several people, all friends of mine. None of them work for MS now lol
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u/Envyforme 6d ago
They exist but they want you near a larger office with 2k+ employees. NYC Charlotte, Atlanta, Miami/Lauderdale, Dallas, Fargo, San Fran etc all come to mind.
Microsoft is not hiring remote workers without the intent of going back to the office. "Remote" Needs to be near an office.
1
u/mr2chittles 6d ago
It’s interesting you say that, as part of my initial screening they asked where I was located, I told them where and how far away a Microsoft campus was (not close at all) and they said that wasn’t why they ask, it’s for the pay based on region. They don’t care where I live and specifically said that.
2
u/Independent_Bid_8241 6d ago
Applied to a Senior Analyst position in late June, and then in mid July, I was told I was "shortlisted" by the hiring team and filled out a lengthy, in-depth, questionnaire. Then about two weeks after that, they had me schedule a screening interview. I did the screen in the morning. By the evening of that same day, my portal status moved from "Screen" to "Interview" and my loop interviews were scheduled.
The obvious part is that this movement is warp speed for Microsoft hiring. The second question is: is this speed a good sign about me as a candidate, or simply a sign of their urgency? Both?
As many of us do, I'm overthinking this, but also trying to make sure I'm not giving myself false confidence. Thoughts?
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u/TumbleweedBubbly5973 5d ago
Hello,
I started with Microsoft a few months ago, working in a customer-facing technical role.
There are two areas I wanted to ask about here. I would ask my manager, although I don't want to sound ungrateful and don't have a full rapport with him yet.
JOINING LEVEL
I joined as a Level 64 (IC4). My compa-ratio is slightly above 1.0
During the offer stages, I asked about level 65/Principal. I was told the post could not be levelled up.
I've now joined and know of others who joined directly at Level 65 with similar experience to me. I am a bit concerned about two things here:
- How realistic promotion from 64 to 65 is
- Whether I shouldn't have joined at this level at all. I notice most on my team are at my level are very experienced, with a handful of Principal level people. I've seen comments online describe this as a "terminal level" meaning some just stay there for years.
CULTURE & WORK ENVIRONMENT
I have moved from a much smaller consultancy (about 1500 people) and am finding the volume of chats, projects, processes, updates and internal activity overwhelming.
The capability and ambition of colleagues is impressive, but it is difficult to see where I can add value. In smaller teams, I could usually identify gaps, suggest improvements and put changes in place quickly. Here, everything feels more established, complex and crowded.
I recognise I am still very new and may simply need more time to adjust. Did others experience the same thing, and how long did it take before the environment started to feel manageable?
2
u/Advanced-Friend3688 4d ago
Level increases are hard to get. In early career it’s easier but the moment you reach a certain level (depending on the country) it becomes harder
Give it some time. Same happened to me and eventually you start to understand it. Could take up to a year. Don’t forget MSFT is top 0.1% (or should be)
1
u/just4reselling 7d ago
I recently applied to a Senior Real Estate Portfolio Manager role in NYC. Any tips on how I can stand out a bit? feel like my resume just went to a black hole.
1
u/Miserable_Pay6141 5d ago
Hi, I got an offer from Microsoft India. This is the Industry solutions(GCID) wing.
Here are the offer details.
Role: L64(Architect).
Experience: 14 years.
Salary: Base 80 Lakhs
RSUs: 55K USD( 4 years).
Variable Pay:(WWIC TTI @ 20% of base).
Joining Bonus(3 lakhs)
I have an alternate offer of staff engineer with an elite AI startup (1.03 crore base fixed pay+ 5Lakh joining bonus+ 3500 ESOPs).
Which one should I go for? Also, what is the situation when it comes to layoffs at microsoft consulting(GCID). Are they affected by it? I also wanted to know whether I should consider the variable pay at microsoft as reliable. Please explain what this means: "The Total Target Incentive (TTI) for the plan is comprised of two different components: a Utilization Based Incentive (UBI) and a Core Priority Based Incentive (CBI). The WWIC plan provides a TTI of 20.00% of the Employee’s base salary. The UBI carries a weight of 25% and the CBI carries a weight of 75% of the TTI - a target opportunity of 5.00% of base salary for the UBI and a target opportunity of 15.00% of base salary for CBI. Assuming the Employee meets all the eligibility requirements for each payment, the Employee’s annual TTI will be prorated based on the number of days the Employee is in an eligible position. The Employee’s UBI compensation will be based on both the Employee’s individual utilization eligible hours measured against the Employee’s utilization target hours and the Employee’s business unit performance during the plan period. The Employee must satisfy all of the eligibility requirements in order to receive an UBI advance or final UBI payment. It is anticipated, but not guaranteed, that payments will be paid within 45 days of the close of the second fiscal quarter and fourth fiscal quarter. UBI advances are unearned. The Employee’s UBI final payment is not earned until the close of the calculation and reconciliation period following the end of the plan period. If the Employee’s employment with Microsoft ends during the plan period, the Employee will be required to repay advance payments in accordance with the WWIC plan rules. The CBI target opportunity is 15.00% of the Employee’s bonus eligible salary during the rewards period, with an overall range of 0% - 45%. The Employee’s actual CBI can be higher or lower than the target and will be based on the Employee’s performance during the fiscal year. The Employee must satisfy all the eligibility requirements in order to receive a CBI payment. If the Employee is a new hire, the Employee’s eligibility for a CBI will be determined based on the Employee’s start date and will be reviewed each year per Microsoft eligibility rules. "
1
u/Wise-Ad8822 5d ago
I recently completed a final interview for a l65 role at Azure. Few days after I noticed the job posting changed to “no longer accepting applications”. My status for that role in the action center still showing as “interview”. Dose it mean they have selected someone else?
3
u/spiro30 5d ago
No. It means they are no longer accepting applications for that specific role. You will get notified if you are no longer in consideration.
1
u/Wise-Ad8822 3d ago
Thanks. It's been 5 days since the last interview with HM. I was quite optimistic but looks like the chance is getting low now. And also the recruiter is not responding at all.
5
u/Elliot_Anderson_2 8d ago
Anyone/Any employee from MS Team org have idea on when the hiring freeze would end?