A take on Interviewing at Microsoft and other thoughts

After reading this post on Michael Swanson's blog, I thought about all the job interviews that I have been on and all of the ways I have tried to get my foot in some door. This is truly original. Way to go Michael. Too bad your efforts didn't pay off. But I imagine you learned a lot from the experience.

Since I have been in the tech industry for almost 20 years, I would imagine that I am like most people when it comes to interviewing. It's a process that no one likes, most of all the interviewer. It's tough to make a decision based on a small segment of time. This person could play a key role in your company and you don't want to make a mistake.

That kinda reminds me of the scene in Metallica: Some Kind of Monster, where the band is auditioning potential Bass players. In the end, Robert Trujillo is the guy they like. And instead of just making him the "newest" member of the band, they wanted this guy to be part of the family. The first thing they did, give him a million bucks right on the spot. The next thing they did... give him a 25% stake in the band (the lawyers tried to give him 5% percent but James and Lars freaked out.) They wanted this guy to know the risk the band was taking on him and in return wanted everything he could give, plus a lot more.

I'm sure the stress is pretty high, but if all companies treated their new hires like this. Did something to make them feel part of the family right away instead of always feeling like their one day away from being let go. In the tech industry their are no loyalties, from the company or the employees. That's why I think being an independent contractor is the only way to make a really good living. Sure, you might give up the chance to make some money with the likes of Microsoft or Google, but those chances are few and far between, and you have to be in the right place at the right time.