• adjust
• aggregate
• analyze
• approve
• associate
• assume
• attest
• build
• carry
• clarify
• close
• complete
• confirm
• connect
• consult
• contact
• cooperate
• create
• declare
• decline
• define
• describe
• determine
• dilute
• disable
• distill
• drive
• enable
• find
• follow
• gather
• highlight
• illuminate
• improve
• inquire
• inspire
• interact
• investigate
• isolate
• lead
• learn
• look
• manage
• match
• mix
• move
• offer
• open
• optimize
• partner
• post
• present
• prioritize
• prove
• purchase
• randomize
• read
• refer
• reject
• release
• remix
• replicate
• reply
• reproduce
• request
• require
• resolve
• review
• set
• share
• sign-up
• submit
• substitute
• succeed
• summarize
• swap
• sync
• transfer
• triage
• validate
• verify
• win

Last Friday I had the opportunity to present at the Microsoft Imagine Cup Innovation Accelerator Workshop, in Mountain View, CA. The presentation was related to insights and experiences, as a former Imagine Cup competitor and short-experienced entrepreneur, on what make profitable business and innovative people. The audience was the Imagine Cup 2008 winning teams, who are now changing their focus from the prototypes created during the competition to the establishment of real business aimed at the market.

The best moment of the day was at the final presentations the teams did to a board of real angel investors and venture capitalists. I was able to learn a lot from the investors and VCs, in the context of startups looking for capital to start their business. The major takeaways were:

• There are no reasons to hide your ideas from others. What you need the most when creating a startup is feedback. A win-win situation is much more likely to happen when two business are openly discussed. Don’t be afraid of people stealing your idea. Even if another team (or startup) understands your idea, you are still the only one owning the specifics on how to operationalize it, having many more insights and details that the other team doesn’t have. Finally, the final product and idea will change so much before released, that it makes no sense to hide something that is very likely to be out of date. Get the feedback instead. Join the Silicon Valley spirit, where people are open and eager to feedback!
• When presenting your idea to investors, ensure you show a case study that illustrates it. Get down to the specifics of who will use your product/service, and how. Ensure the target audience of your product/service is made clear.
• Investors are interested in knowing how THEY will make money, not how you will make money (although both things are connected). Ensure you properly tell them your approach and, most important, your numbers: how much do you need? What will be your return on investment?
• In business pitches and short-time presentations (e.g., 10 minutes), time management is crucial, but hard to achieve. The solution for that? Rehearsal!
• Get inspired by the "Steve Jobs" presentation style: almost no text, lots of graphics and a story to tell.
• Make a database of questions investors may ask you, and ensure you have answers for all of them.
• Tell your story and your passion. This will help the investor to understand the connection you have with the solution and problem you are trying to solve. For example, the team who created v-eye (vibrating wristbands for visually-impaired people) for Imagine Cup 2006 always started their presentations by telling that the grandfather of a team member, who was loosing his vision, inspired the whole thing.
• Show unity, how you are proposing the idea as a team. Investors are interested in understanding how strong the team is, whether there’s a balance and the team will be able to commit itself and stay together as it faces challenges. Sometimes introducing the team in the beginning might be a good thing to get empathy from the audience.
• Depending on your audience (e.g., American investors), it’s important to show passion and emotion during a presentation, in order to avoid a robotic delivery of the content. This may something hard for technical people. Other cultures (e.g., from Asia), on the other hand, do not valorize passion/emotion that much in business pitch presentations, being more focused on the technical and operational details. Summing up: know your audience!
• Finally, have a pile of business cards, ready to be exchanged. I wish technology made this simpler… what about shaking hands and, by means of a smart personal device such as a ring, the information is already exchanged?

BR,
-- AFurtado

The statements or testimonies I offer in this post represent my own personal views.
I am speaking for myself and not on behalf of my employer, Microsoft Corporation

A couple of weeks ago, the first Microsoft Student Partner (MSP) Summit took place here in Redmond, in which some of the most talented (and luckiest) student partners of the world had a chance to get in touch with Microsoft Corp and lots of new technical stuff coming in the next months. The requirement of having to sign an NDA with Microsoft shows how those students were privileged to be some of the first people to put their eyes in such new technologies.

As an ex-MSP, I was invited to do a presentation there about my work experience at Microsoft, share some career development tips and discuss about the skills I've acquired, as a MSP and Imagine Cup (IC) contestant, which are contributing the most to my job. You can find my slide deck here (the link might vanish at anytime).

At the end of the Summit, the students voted in the top presentations, and I was really glad to know that mine made the top-3. Being second or third to presenters like ScottGu is definitively not bad! :)

So which are the top skills that the MSP Program and IC bring you in order for you to boost your professional life in the future? My list follows below:

• Confidence: when you advance in a IC competition or is able to carry on lots of responsibilities as a MSP, you know that you are able to solve lots of problems of different nature: management, technical, communication, team work, etc. That will turn you into a much more confident professional in the future.
• Broad knowledge of Microsoft technologies: as a MSP and/or IC contestant, you have the unique opportunity to get in touch with many different technologies. Such kind of broad knowledge can open many doors in your professional life. Working at Microsoft, for example, I was able to use in my projects very different things: .NET, VSTO, VSTS, gadgets, DSL Tools, lots of APIs and many other techs I may had never known without being a MSP/IC contestant.
• Structured/analytical thinking: divide-merge-conquer is a typical skill you develop in IC projects. Besides that, MSP/IC requires you to logically structure presentations and demos under time and other constraints. Such skills are hugely needed in a professional environment.
• Communication skills: MSP/IC requires you to communicate and interact with people a lot. Every time I have to do a presentation today, I think back 3 years ago and say to myself: "If I was able to do a presentation in English to more than 2,000 people in an Imagine Cup world finals, I can do this now". Besides that, MSP teaches a lot about negotiation and handling conflicts. IC also helps you to know how to take questions from other people and successfully build an approach to answer them.
• Improved cultural wisdom/awareness: Brazil is huge, and the MSP Program created many opportunities for me to better know my own country, lots of different people and understand lots of variations in our culture. IC, on the other hand, made me much more aware about the world. Traveling to Japan, Korea and other places to know people from more than 40 countries in the globe is priceless. Some people may take a while to get used to the multi-cultural environment that Microsoft Corporation provides, but definitively that's not the case of an ex-IC competitor.
• Networking: more than time or money, people is the most valuable resource one can have. MSP/IC is all about that: building tons of networking. Because of Imagine Cup, I was able to go to places far away from home, such as Russia, and meet friends there who helped me out in many different situations. Still today, I keep in touch with many people from my past MSP/IC experience and that not only saves me lots of time and money, but also creates many exciting professional opportunities.
• English: that's quite obvious, but if English is not your native language, IC dramatically improves your ESL (English as Second Language) abilities. You have to do presentations in English, interact with people in English, understand and reply to judges' questions in English. All of this adds a lot to you speaking and listening skills!

Having listed all of that benefits, that by no means are a complete set, I believe every MSP and IC contestant should re-evaluate if they are aiming at building their professional skill sets, instead of only focusing on the program/competition prizes. Let's open our eyes: as Taoism preach, look inside yourself and you'll find all answers. :)

[]s
-- AFurtado

The statements or testimonies I offer in this post represent my own personal views.
I am speaking for myself and not on behalf of my employer, Microsoft Corporation

English - Portuguese

---

Algumas semanas atrás, o primeiro Microsoft Student Partner (MSP) Summit teve lugar aqui em Redmond, em que alguns dos MSPs mais talentosos (e sortudos) do mundo tiveram a oportunidade de entrar em contacto com a Microsoft Corp e muitas novas tecnologies que estão por vir nos próximos meses. A exigência de ter que assinar um NDA com a Microsoft mostra como o os estudantes foram privilegiados ao serem algumas das primeiras pessoas a por os olhos nessas novas tecnologias.

Como um ex-MSP, Fui convidado a fazer uma apresentação sobre minha experiência de trabalho na Microsoft, compartilhar algumas dicas de desenvolvimento de carreira e discutir sobre as competências que adquiri, como um MSP e participante da Imagine Cup (IC), que estão a contribuir mais para meu trabalho. Você pode encontrar minha apresentação aqui (o link pode desaparecer a qualquer momento).

No final do Summit, os estudantes elegeram as melhores apresentações. Fiquei realmente satisfeito por saber que a minha foi uma das top-3. Ser segundo ou terceiro a apresentadores como ScottGu definitivamente não é mau! :)

Então quais são as maiores habilidades que o programa MSP e a IC ajudam você a construir para sua vida profissional no futuro? Minha lista segue abaixo:

• Auto-confiança: quando você avança em uma competição da IC ou é capaz de acumular várias responsabilidades como um MSP, você sabe que é capaz de resolver muitos problemas de naturezas de diferentes: gerenciamento, técnicas, comunicação, trabalho em equipe, etc. Isso irá lhe transformar em um profissional muito mais confiante no futuro.
• Amplo conhecimento das tecnologias da Microsoft: como um participante MSP e / ou IC, você tem uma oportunidade única para entrar em contato com muitas tecnologias diferentes. Esse tipo de conhecimentos gerais pode abrir muitas portas em sua vida profissional. No meu trabalho na Microsoft, por exemplo, tive oportunidade de usar em meus projetos diferentes tecnologias como .NET, VSTO, VSTS, gadgets, DSL Tools, várias APIs e muitas outras tecnologias que talvez nunca tivesse conhecido sem ser um participante MSP/IC.
• Pensamento estruturado/analítico: dividir-juntar-conquistar é uma competência típica que você desenvolve em projectos de IC. Além disso, MSP/IC requer que estruturação lógica de apresentações e demonstrações, dentro de restrições de tempo e outras. Tais conhecimentos são extremamente necessários em um ambiente profissional.
• Habilidades de comunicação: MSP/IC requer que você se comunique e interaja muito com pessoas. Toda vez que preciso de fazer uma apresentação hoje, volto há 3 anos e digo-me: "Se pude fazer uma apresentação em inglês para mais de 2.000 pessoas em um final de Imagine Cup, posso fazer isso agora". Além disso, o Programa MSP ensina muito sobre negociação e o tratamento de conflitos. IC também ajuda a saber como responder às perguntas de outras pessoas e com êxito construir uma abordagem para respondê-las.
• Aprimoramento cultural: o Brasil é enorme, e o programa de MSP criou muitas oportunidades para eu conhecer melhor meu próprio país, muitas pessoas diferentes e compreender as variações na nossa cultura. A IC, por outro lado, me deu muito mais consciência sobre o mundo. Viajando para o Japão, Coreia e outros locais para conhecer pessoas de mais de 40 países do globo não tem preço. Algumas pessoas podem demorar um pouco para se habituar-se com o ambiente multicultural que a Microsoft Corporation fornece, mas definitivamente esse não é o caso de um ex-concorrente da IC.
• Networking: mais do que tempo ou dinheiro, pessoas é o mais valioso recurso alguém pode ter. MSP/IC tem tudo a ver que com isso: construção toneladas de networking. Devido à Imagine Cup, pude ir para lugares distantes da casa, como a Rússia, e encontrar amigos que ajudaram-me em muitas situações diferentes. Ainda hoje, mantenho contato com muitas pessoas da minha experiência passada de MSP/IC, o que não só me salva tempo e dinheiro, mas também cria muitas oportunidades profissionais interessantes.
• Inglês: Isso é óbvio, mas se inglês não for seu idioma nativo, a IC aumenta drasticamente suas capacidades de ESL (inglês como segundo idioma). Afinal, você tem que fazer apresentações em inglês, interagir com pessoas em língua inglesa, compreender e responder às perguntas dos juízes em inglês. Tudo isto adiciona muito a suas competências de falar e ouvir em inglês!

Tendo enumerados todos os benefícios acima, que não são um conjunto completo, penso que todos os participantes da IC e MSPs devem reavaliar se eles estão construindo seus conjuntos de qualificações profissionais nessas experiências, em vez de apenas se concentrar nos prêmios. Vamos abrir os olhos: como Taoísmo prega, procure dentro de si mesmo e você encontrará todas as respostas. :)

[]s
--AFurtado

Os relatos e opiniões deste post apresentam pontos de vista pessoais,
não refletindo necessariamente a opinião da Microsoft Corporation.

---

Today, a co-worker gracefully summarized 5 points he believes are essential to deliver a high-quality technical presentation. I believe he wouldn't mind if I share them with you:

• Set up the current situation;
• Describe the "problem" you are solving in a way that the audience will relate to it;
• Explain the solution and benefit to the audience;
• Demo all of the above;
• Tell the audience what action they need to do in order to get the solution and how they can access your solution.

I'd like to add the demos can be done in multiple pieces, as the problem/solution unfolds.

If you can remember only one thing when creating a presentation, let it be the flow above.

[]s
-- AFurtado

The statements or testimonies I offer in this post represent my own personal views.
I am speaking for myself and not on behalf of my employer, Microsoft Corporation

English - Portuguese

---

Hoje, uma colega de trabalho resumiu graciosamente 5 pontos que ele considera essenciais para entregar uma apresentação técnica de alta qualidade. Acho que ele não se importaria se eu os compartilhar com vocês:

• Esboce a situação actual;
• Descreva o "problema" você está resolvendo de uma forma que o público consiga associar;
• Explique a solução e seu benefício para o público;
• Faça a demo de tudo acima;
• Informe ao público que medidas precisam ser feitas para se obter a solução e como eles podem acessá-la.

Gostaria de acrescentar que demonstrações podem ser feitas em múltiplas partes, à medida que o problema/solução se desenrolem.

Se você só se lembrar de apenas uma coisa quando criar uma apresentação, que seja o fluxo acima.

[]
--AFurtado

Os relatos e opiniões deste post apresentam pontos de vista pessoais,
não refletindo necessariamente a opinião da Microsoft Corporation

---

While the cold (re)starts to strike Redmond/Seattle this fall, we had, last week, the annual Microsoft Company Meeting.

When I think about "meetings", the first things that come to my mind are meeting rooms and people around a table. But what if dozens of thousands of people are actually taking part in the meeting? Then the meeting table becomes a baseball stadium (more specifically the Safeco Field, in Seattle), where Microsoft employees were able to understand what's coming next in a more holistic viewpoint.

Very unique experience indeed! Unfortunately there's not much I can share since we need to keep lots of things undisclosed until the upcoming PDC. Below, Steve Ballmer speaks at the closing event keynote.

Now it's time to go back to our offices and regular meeting rooms.

[]s
-- AFurtado

The statements or testimonies I offer in this post represent my own personal views.
I am speaking for myself and not on behalf of my employer, Microsoft Corporation

English - Portuguese

---

Enquanto o frio (re)começa a atingir Redmond/Seattle este outono, tivemos, na semana passada, a reunião anual da empresa, da Microsoft.

Quando penso sobre "reuniões", as primeiras coisas que vêm à mente são salas de reunião e pessoas ao redor de uma mesa. Mas o que acontece se dezenas de milhares de pessoas participam da reunião? Então a mesa de reunião torna-se um estádio de beisebol (mais especificamente o Safeco Field, em Seattle), onde os funcionários da Microsoft tiveram uma visão do que está por vir de um ponto de vista mais holístico.

Sem dúvida, uma experiência única! Infelizmente há não muito que posso compartilhar, dado que é necessário manter a confidencialidade de várias coisas até o próximo PDC. Abaixo, Steve Ballmer fala na palestra de encerramento do evento.

Agora é hore de voltar aos nossos escritórios e salas de reuniões tradicionais.

[]
--AFurtado

Os relatos e opiniões deste post apresentam pontos de vista pessoais,
não refletindo necessariamente a opinião da Microsoft Corporation

---

In a previous blog post, I've embedded a video in which some of the Microsoft perks (fancy name for employee benefits) were presented.

Today, I've found another perk which is not very evident at first but is a very helpful thing: the MSLibrary. In short, through an internal link, any employee can access the digital version of the internal Microsoft Library and check out a book, which is delivered to his/her Office the next day. You can stay with the book as long as no one else is also interested on it, or stay 3 weeks with the copy otherwise.

Being an automation lover, right now I have in my hands a copy of the Practical Software Factories in .NET, which I intend to digest (and highlight/share some interesting topics with you) in the next weeks. It's not as dense as the Jack Greenfield's (et al.) bible on the Microsoft Software Factories vision, but I'm looking forward on acquiring interesting new knowledge from it.

Reading a technical book is by far the best way to get comprehensive knowledge about a subject. Yes, we have the whole web full of tutorials, code and articles for us to search, but when you want to master something for real, then taking your time to read a specialized book is a champion's approach. Reading the book Mastering Visual Studio .NET 2003 some years ago, for instance, set my path towards extensibility and automation.

Congrats (and thanks) to Microsoft for making a huge knowledge collection available to its employees.

[]s
-- AFurtado

The statements or testimonies I offer in this post represent my own personal views.
I am speaking for myself and not on behalf of my employer, Microsoft Corporation

English - Portuguese

---

Em um post anterior, eu mostrei um vídeo em que algunss dos perks da Microsoft (nome estiloso para benefícios de trabalho) foram apresentados.

Hoje, eu encontrei um outro perk que, embora não seja muito evidente de início, é algo muito útil: a MSLibrary. Em resumo, através de um link interno, qualquer funcionário pode alcançar a versão digital da biblioteca interna da Microsoft e alugar um livro, que é entregue a seu escritório no próximo dia. Você pode permanecer com o livro contanto que ninguém esteja querendo o mesmo, ou permanecer 3 semanas com a cópia de outra maneira.

Sendo um amante da automação, agora eu tenho em minhas mãos uma cópia do Fábricas práticas do software em .NET, que eu pretendo digerir (e destacar/compartilhar alguns tópicos interessantes com vocês) nas próximas semanas. Não é tão denso quanto A Bíblia do Jack Greenfield (et al.) sobre a visão das fábricas do software da Microsoft, mas eu espero adquirir conhecimento novo interessante dele.

Ler um livro técnico é uma maneira muito melhor de obter conhecimento detalhado sobre um assunto. Sim, nós temos a web inteira cheia de cursos, código e artigos para nós procurarmos, mas quando você quer dominar algo de verdade, tomar seu tempo para ler um livro especializado é uma abordagem de campeão. Lendo o livro Mastering Visual Studio .NET 2003 certos anos atrás, por exemplo, iniciei meu caminho para a extensibilidade e a automação.

Parabéns (e obrigado) a Microsoft para fazer uma coleção enorme do conhecimento disponível a seus empregados.

[] s
-- AFurtado

Os relatos e opiniões deste post apresentam pontos de vista pessoais,
não refletindo necessariamente a opinião da Microsoft Corporation.

---

Microsoft Corporation is looking for new hires in Brazil, for positions in Redmond/USA. It's your chance to join the team! The complete details follow below.

[]s
-- AFurtado

The statements or testimonies I offer in this post represent my own personal views.
I am speaking for myself and not on behalf of my employer, Microsoft Corporation

English - Portuguese

---

A Microsoft Corporation está voltando ao Brasil à procura de novas contratações para posições em Redmond/EUA. É sua chance de juntar-se à equipe! Os detalhes completos seguem abaixo.

[] s
-- AFurtado

Os relatos e opiniões deste post apresentam pontos de vista pessoais,
não refletindo necessariamente a opinião da Microsoft Corporation

---

Options are Good.

In life. And in your career.

What fuels your passion?

Core Technical

So, you’ve got your diploma—or you will soon enough. Now it’s time to take on the working world. We know deciding where to start your career can be as nerve-wracking as it is exciting. Maybe you don’t know exactly what you want to do. Maybe you don’t even have a technology background. The good thing is, at Microsoft, you have lots of options. Nowhere else will you have such a variety of products and technologies to get behind—or so many career paths to choose from. You’ll learn from people who have been in the industry for over 30 years. And most of all, you’ll have the resources to reach people all over the world with your work. It’s about taking your career as far as you want it to go—in any direction you choose.

“The variety of products that Microsoft develops greatly influenced my decision to work here. As my career develops I can follow my passion to apply myself to different technologies without having to leave the company.”
- David, Software Design Engineer in Test, Live Meeting

Take the Leap, It’s Cool Inside
As a Microsoft employee in a full-time technical position, you’ll dive head first into meaningful work. The kind that inspires you. This is the kind of place where your goals are limited only by your imagination and motivation. What’s more, you’ll be backed by a multi-billion dollar company at the top of its game. It’s in your blood to innovate, so join others who share your passion, your talent, and your limitless energy.

"You will find no other company with the sheer breadth of technologies, from Windows kernel, to Office applications, to servers, to Live Web services, to Xbox, to games, to business solutions, to hardware. The things you get to see and learn from other people are amazing."
- John, Software Development Lead, Windows Server Performance

Start Here
Not sure what full-time position at Microsoft fits you best? Have a look at the Product Development Process to get an idea where your contributions could make the most difference.

Software Development Engineer (SDE)
As a Software Development Engineer, you’ll make decisions about design and feature implementation. If you like to write code and design efficient data structures and algorithms to develop next-generation applications or operating systems, this is the position for you.

Software Development Engineer in Test (SDET)
As a Software Development Engineer in Test (SDET), you’ll ensure a product’s quality by making sure it performs as users expect it to. Part of the fun is how creative you can be devising ways to manipulate, crush, and sabotage software into submission—while creating innovative testing technologies along the way. Ultimately, as an SDET it’s your input that can make the difference between joy and frustration for the customers. A great SDET demonstrates interest in customer advocacy derived from a holistic understanding of the product from the code level to delivery. Using the tools you create, you’ll pour over source code for trouble spots, debugging and isolating problems, and executing creative tests to find new bugs while regression testing recent fixes.

Program Manager (PM)
As a Program Manager, you’ll drive the technical vision, design and implementation of next-generation software solutions. Managing feature sets throughout the product lifecycle, you’ll have the chance to see your design through to completion. Program Managers are advocates for end-users, so your passion for anticipating customer needs and creating outside-the-box solutions for them will really help you shine in this role. As a Program Manager you will have the ability to lead within a product’s life cycle using evangelism, empathy, and negotiation to define and deliver results. You will also be responsible for authoring technical specifications, including envisaged usage cases, customer scenarios, and prioritized requirements lists.

Overall Qualifications:

• Pursuing a BS/MS of PhD degree in Engineering, Computer Science or related field

• 1-2 years experience programming in C/C++/C#, Java and/or other computer programming languages preferred

• Functional level English language skills, written and spoken requirements

Whatever position you choose, you’ll make a real impact in the dynamic world of product development at Microsoft. Microsoft has an ongoing need for exceptional university students and recent graduates from around the world to help us build the next generation of software products. All positions are in the United States at our corporate headquarters in Redmond, Washington.

Send Us Your CV
Our recruiting team travels to your region regularly to meet bright and enthusiastic people like you, and we look forward to receiving your CV. And, by the way, we have many positions available, so if there is someone else you think we should know about, please share this information with them.

All positions are at our corporate headquarters in Redmond, Washington, in the United States. We do require functional level English language skills, written and spoken. If we invite you to an interview somewhere in your region, we will cover any travel expenses you may have.

C.V. Instructions

Submitting a C.V. in English is the only way to get to the next stage of consideration, the interview. Here are a few things to keep in mind when you are updating your C.V. to send to us:

• Include your military status if your country mandates it. This will help us know if you are allowed to leave your country to work in the United States

• Clearly state your graduation date, degree/major and the university you attended or are attending

• Specify your technical skills (including programming languages and other development tools you know well), project details (both within university and at any jobs or internships you have held), and technologies you have used on those projects

• Describe your role in the projects that you worked on, and what you personally achieved

• Provide an active e-mail address, physical address, and current phone number where we can reach you

Send it off to: sarec@microsoft.com

A recruiter will review it, and if interested will set up a phone interview as a first step!

For more information, please see http://www.microsoft.com/college/overseas.mspx

NOTE: All non-U.S. residents will require a U.S. work visa (H1B). If you receive an offer from Microsoft, we will cover all costs for visa processing and approval.

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer and supports workforce diversity.

Here you have a typical question that would be asked to you during a Microsoft job interview:

"People in a given building are complaining that an elevator (or lift, as you wish) is taking too long to move people from one floor to another. How would you solve this problem?"

Think about this question during the week; I'll come back next weekend to share a great answer from my friend, co-worker and previous Imagine Cup Japan 2005 partner, Igor Gatis. It would be cool if you share your thoughts in the comments as well...

[]s
-- AFurtado

The statements or testimonies I offer in this post represent my own personal views.
I am speaking for myself and not on behalf of my employer, Microsoft Corporation

English - Portuguese

---

Segue abaixo pergunta típica que lhe poderia ser feita durante uma entrevista de trabalho da Microsoft:

"As pessoas de um dado edifício estão queixando-se que um elevador  está tomando muito tempo para ir de um andar ao outro. Como você resolveria este problema?"

Pense sobre esta pergunta durante a semana; eu voltarei o próximo fim de semana para compartilhar uma grande resposta de meu amigo, colega de trabalho e parceiro da Imagine Cup Japão 2005, Igor Gatis. Seria legal se vocês compartilhassem seus pensamentos nos comentários também…

[] s
-- AFurtado

Os relatos e opiniões deste post apresentam pontos de vista pessoais,
não refletindo necessariamente a opinião da Microsoft Corporation.

---

• Many people think that Google, for Microsoft, is "the big enemy that must be beaten". But Microsoft actually works in 4 different fronts (entertainment, enterprise, desktop and online), so Google can be considered a competitor regarding only the last of them.
• It's not part of Microsoft policy to buy airplanes/jets to its employees.
• Vista had to face a critical trade-off: compatibility vs. security. The second topic received a major focus, and the OS had to catch up with compatibility later.
• Guy Kawasaki brought to attention a very interesting topic: if Microsoft has many "pieces" of social applications (Messenger, Live Spaces, Xbox, etc.), why don't bring this to the next level, making it possible for example to have developers creating MS-based social software through an API similar to Facebook's?
• For me, minute 26 is worth for the whole video. Ballmer greatly replies to a set of Guy Kawasaki provocations, specially related to Vista.
• Guy Kawasaki's child won a Halo tournament a few time ago.
• Ballmer shares one of the reasons for working with techonolgy everyday, which is very true for me: to be at the forefront in changing in the world.

• Microsoft has many initiatives (desktop, entertainment, online, enterprise).
• Get a subset of that, such as Windows operating systems.
• Get a subset of that, say, Vista.
• Get a subset of the tasks that are needed to support Vista's lifecycle, such as providing service packs (SPs) and hotfixes.
• Get a subset of that, such as SPs and hotfixes related to the operating system shell components.
• Get a subset of that such shell components, say, some (not all) Control Panel components.
• Get a subset of the responsibilities related to Control Panel components SPs/hotfixes, such as being responsible for the actual test process (designing/implementing test cases, thinking about new automation opportunities, etc.).
• Hey, now you finally spotted my role inside the Microsoft world!

  <=>

 <=>

• 13 Most Used Resume Phrases
• Ace That First Impression (in a job interview)
• In the Hot Seat: Seven Interview Tips
• Answers to the Seven Toughest Interview Questions
• 10 Questions to Dazzle Woud-Be Employers

Have a nice interview!

[]s
-- AFurtado

Diary of a Brazilian Microsoft newbie in Redmond

"Initial arrangements" - Friday, Jan 18, 2008
[This post is part of a series. Read the first one here.]

So why is one supposed to arrive in Redmond 4 days in advance from its actual work starting date? Part of the answer is to get used to the place, part is to previously start some operational actions once working for Microsoft.

That's why a relocation consultant met me in my temp house this morning (as previously scheduled by e-mail): he explained to me some details of the (many) things I need to do/know, such as housing, bank account, social security and obtaining a Washington State driver's license. Oh, it's been less then 24 hours that I'm here and I already have a 100-page book to study to my driver's license tests! Now I'm sure I have something (serious) to do in my spare time.

Then the consultant took me to open a bank account, helped to find where to buy stuff such as international phone cards and, finally, dropped me at Bellevue (city between Seattle and Redmond) to get my car. No, I didn't buy any, but Microsoft rents a car for you during the first 30 days of your stay. Sweet!

Temporary car. Thanks Bill, I like the color! 

And here comes the first pathetic bits of my relocation. After entering in the car, I found no gear box, no hand brake, but a strange lever raising from the right side of the steering wheel... an automatic car! But how can I set the reverse gear? I pushed the lever up and down, but it was simply making no effect at all.

After 15 minutes fighting with the stuck car, pressing every button in front of me, I was able to... turn the radio on! Then I gave up, went back to the rental desk and said something stupid such as "sorry, could you please help me to drive the car I've just rented you?". Then the woman told me that I should simply step on the brakes while moving the hand lever to change to R (reverse) and other gears. Today's lesson: don't be ashamed, the situation can always get worse.

And it got! When driving back to my temp house, I almost lost the entrance to it. When I realized I was about to miss the entrance, I instinctively tried to brake, but I mistakenly stepped my left foot into the brake as if it was the clutch (pt-BR "embreagem"). As a consequence, the car braked in a very hard way, almost spinning out from the road. If other cars were behind, probably an accident would happen. A few days later, I can say I'm finally getting used and driving safely... Lesson #2: patience is the mother of the virtues.

In the rest of the day I unpacked my things, received a maintenance guy who fixed the heaters of my living room (I was glad to know they were broken, because it meant that the cold I was feeling there was in fact not normal) and the brazilian guys took me to dinner in a Mexican restaurant. There, other XSQ (eXtremely Stupid Question) from me took place, and I discovered that the "D" gear in an automatic car stands for "Driving"...

That's the end of my second day in Redmond. Drive safely!

[]s
-- AFurtado

Diary of a Brazilian Microsoft newbie in Redmond

"The Arrival" - Thursday, Jan 17, 2008

Many thousands of kilometers later (or should I say miles?) here I am, in Redmond, WA, where it all started. In this and some of the following posts, I'm going to share my experience in relocating to work for Microsoft. I know the content of such posts may not be technical at all, but I believe it will help some interested people to better understand how it feels to move away from home to a foreign country to work in the IT industry at one of the hearts (if not the biggest one) of the business.

I emphasize that such posts are personal experiences NOT made on behalf of Microsoft.

The first thing I'd like to mention is the relocation support itself. Microsoft works with different companies and assign a lot of professionals to provide you the so called "seamless relocation experience". This includes paralegals to help you in bureaucratic processes such as obtaining a visa, movers to pack, load, store and unpack you household goods and personal belongings in the move, relocation consultants and specialists to help you to set up your new life once you arrive here, etc.

So the day after XNA Challenge Brazil my plane left São Paulo, towards New York, where I’d get other plane to finally reach Seattle. Unfortunately (of fortunately, as we’ll see later) the flight was delayed in more than 1 hour and I lost my NYC-SEA connection. Since the next flight to Seattle would take 8 hours to leave, I faced the situation in a positive angle and took a bus to downtown New York, to do some sightseeing. Since I’ve never been to NYC before, it was a great, yet short experience. I took a sightseeing bus ride that took 2,5 hours and was able to check some key city places such as the Empire State Building, the World Trade Center site and Times Square.

 
In front of NASDAQ, in Times Square.
Too cold for a Brazilian!

I wish I can go back to NYC in the future, since due to time constraints I was not able to properly digest the city and visit some other key places including Central Park and the Statue of Liberty. Anyway, I believe it was a quite good afternoon, thanks to flight delays!

So my plane left NYC at 5 pm. It took six hours (!) to fly from the east coast (NYC) to the west (SEA). That's more than half of the time from São Paulo to NYC! As you can imagine, I arrived in Seattle completely wasted. Fortunately, a friend from Recife, Angelo Ribeiro, was there to receive me. We went to a supermarket to by some food supplies, got the keys of my temporary house (which Microsoft rents on your behalf for 2 months) and finally arrived there.

 
Home sweet (new) home, at the top left window.
[Picture taken the other day]

Then, by a complete coincidence, we met other friend from Recife, Julio Lins, who was just walking back home and properly assigned to help us with carrying the luggage. I'd like to register here my gratitude to all of them (Angelo, his wife Hevila and Julio).

Receiving guests on my first day in Redmond
(actually, they've received me)

This ends my first day in Redmond.

[]s
-- AFurtado