My name is Harish Jayanti – I am a development manager on the Bing Platforms team. I have been in Microsoft since 1997, building large-scale web services for Encarta.com, Virtual Earth/Bing Maps, and now Bing Platforms.   The Bing Platforms team’s mission is to “accelerate the Bing team” by building the platforms for relevance and feature work, taking care of performance, scalability, cost, and runtime constraints. The...
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Black History Month is in February and Microsoft Jobs Blog takes a moment to speak with our very own Tameiko Davis.  Tameiko is a Staffing Manager supporting Bing, and she reflects on the role diversity plays in the hiring process and how Microsoft’s company wide diversity efforts have affected her personally.  Take a moment to view the post here: http://jobsblog.com/blog/diversity-and-inspiration-at-microsoft/ .  
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What is up with candidates not self-identifying when applying for jobs? Do you think employers will not find out when they interview you? 😉 At some point they will find out before you are hired. As someone who is black, if I am applying to a company who is not seeking blacks (and, yes, they are out there) then I might as well save us both time by including this information on my application. Instead of “applying blind” why not target...
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Okay, I will admit it is a little typical for a “black girl” to blog about diversity though Microsoft recently hosted a Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Inclusion event, so the timing is right. From the ’60s to today, the human race is definitely in a place to celebrate just how far things have come, though there is still more work to do. I just watched the “I Have a Dream Speech” in the video section of Bing. (In order...
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Bing wins…the “Best New Startup or Product of 2009” category at the TechCrunch Crunchie Awards. This was the 3rd annual competition and awards ceremony and the purpose is to recognize/celebrate technology innovators and compelling startups across a number of categories. Awards are presented live at a ceremony where the attendee list is comprised of press, investors, bloggers, start-ups and influentials. In addition to Bing...
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10. Brett Farve un-retires (again!) – I must admit I am a Farve fan. I’m not a fan of multiple retirements though! 9. Kanye West’s awkward moments – When the President calls you a jacka**, there isn’t much more to add now is there… 8. David Letterman scandal – Yikes 7. Captain “Sully” – Saving the lives of all those people! He is a hero! 6. Balloon Boy – <sigh> 5...
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“Remember the Titans” is airing so much on TV lately that I feel compelled to blog about it. If you have not seen it, it is a flick that shows how people can triumph by working together and overcoming their fears and the unknown. It is the stereotypical “blacks vs whites” story. What was striking about this one though is that it was based on a true story starting from 1971. I found it hard to believe people were still...
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Not too long ago I read an article on the current/projected population of Hispanics in the United States and their buying power. The numbers are staggering. This article got me thinking about my various work environments and how few Hispanics I have seen in the workplace, so I Binged to find more information on the US Hispanic population. I found some good information such as increased socio-economic status but also found some challenges they will...
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I recently read a disturbing  New York Times article on diverse educated folks struggling to find good jobs.  While this article specifically addressed Blacks, I bet there are similar stories for other ethnically diverse people as well as women. Are we still in the early 1900’s? Who is still allowing these folks to have hiring authority and how come they have not yet retired???   I thought (or was hoping) we were further...
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Last week I told you about a senior level Black candidate who interviewed for a position with our product group and after his interview headed to a BBQ hosted by a long-term Microsoft Black employee. So — Was the event, or candidate experience to put it more accurately, a disaster or success??? …It was a HUGE success! The candidate emailed the recruiter to let her know meeting with this group of folks (keep in mind these are...
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