senior director microsoft level senior director microsoft level

Last August (different group), I received a dreaded "Limited II", in spite of my manager telling me that he didn't actually think I was in the "bottom 10" at Microsoft, but that the devil made him do it (so to speak) and that it was a "no-brainer" for him. as many others posters said: if you are worry too much about promotion chances are you will keep worrying. Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer. Similarly, the best predictor of your success at the next level is your success at the current level! Obviously, this is advice that you may not apply during the current hiring freeze, but keep it on your mind for the future.- At times the focus on the level may not be the most important strategy in the long term. But that will only be one more indicator that you are not ready to "face" your obstacles. Ultimately, I decided to leave the company. If it is, awesome -- go do it, drive it to completion. If you're going into that comfort zone of complaining about politics and butt-kissing and favorites, do me this favor: hold your right palm up, nice and flat like you're about to be sworn in to testify in a trial, and now extend your right arm out nice and wide, and then quickly swing your right arm around the front of you in a nice arc that ends with the flat of your right hand quickly connecting to the left side of your face for a hard, resounding slap. Great topic. for people, who might claim that they do all this and still cant progress.. dude, either you are in wrong group or you have not introspected / taken feedback well or you are missing the whole thing by a mile. I like such themes and everything that is connected to them. Because, IMO, that is the jist of jcr's post. I think folks like that are the one-offs who slipped by and most likely (given the scrutiny I see more and more) certainly wouldn't slip by today. Successful people looooove to expound upon the secret to their success. .css-1odorsr{display:-webkit-inline-box;display:-webkit-inline-flex;display:-ms-inline-flexbox;display:inline-flex;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;font-weight:700;}.css-1ln5qhx{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;display:-webkit-inline-box;display:-webkit-inline-flex;display:-ms-inline-flexbox;display:inline-flex;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;font-weight:700;}.css-1dmvvgc{margin:0;color:#0060b9;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;display:-webkit-inline-box;display:-webkit-inline-flex;display:-ms-inline-flexbox;display:inline-flex;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;font-weight:700;}Get your salary negotiated .css-1npej63{-webkit-user-select:none;-moz-user-select:none;-ms-user-select:none;user-select:none;width:1em;height:1em;display:inline-block;fill:currentColor;-webkit-flex-shrink:0;-ms-flex-negative:0;flex-shrink:0;-webkit-transition:fill 200ms cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0ms;transition:fill 200ms cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0ms;font-size:1.25rem;margin-left:-4px;}or your resume reviewed by the real experts - recruiters who do it daily. In my co-workers case, they overloaded him with work and then documented anything that fell through the cracks until they had enough to get rid of him.I'm sure HR throttles managers when this is going on. While a manager can help coach you, and you can follow the advice in this post and comments (most of which are great, by the way), you have no way of knowing if there are 0 or 10 people also on the team doing the same things, ahead of you for the limited number of promotions available. A broad perspective matters.3) This is all about stack rank. However L64 takes some time and L65 is very difficult. Leverage your professional network, and get hired. Will there be room on your team? Only one can emerge, and not everyone can be a senior simultaneously. Amazon However, I think this is the first point where we see a non-trivial number of folks plateau. They are 100% star material. In general, people are not leveled, jobs are. Think Locally: remember three years back when we talked about the book Corporate Confidential? If you have an itching to talk about something else, please go here: But Mini, I Want To Talk About Posted by But the clarity I have through the rear view mirror is staggering -- I was defining myself by what a bunch of poorly skilled managers thought, in a company that hadn't moved it's stock price in seven years. Learn everything I can about the technology (I'm a PM and don't have a CS background so I work extra hard at this and ask lots of questions.)2. I have also always looked for those problems (opportunities). But if you start when you think you are ready and work with your manager toward the goal, you'll get there. This is hard for your manager -- he probably doesn't have a clear idea of what it will take to make the case. I give you the example from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/awaits "A busy day awaits" as evidence.So one legitimate missing punctuation mark, one matter of verbal interpretation, one popular idiom, and one completely correct phrase. Of course not. Next, advertise your new branching strategy in your peer groups. I breezed to L63 and shortly after to L64 within a year. Might as well fire those guys. You havent seen nothing yet. I have some colleagues now stuck with a career that they dont really want because they move up too much. Seriously, your GM or VP owns the decision to do transparent titling. The general consensus is why get rid of someone who is happy doing their job and can do it better than anyone else. Senior-level employees have the most decision-making power at a company and are meant to provide leadership and guidance to employees with less seniority. Would they give you the level if you were not already a Microsoft employee? How long do people usually sit at L62 in MCS? That is, its hard to define, but I know it when I see it. New shiny brain up and working now. It's a struggle even to get a solid Level 59 promoted to 60 because of budget and under-levelling of devs in 60-61 range. You can each help each other.I've gone from 59 to 65 so far, but maybe what worked for me won't work for you. Will <> reach Level 63 during their career? How accurate is this most likely Total Pay range (base + additional) of $396K-$652K/yr? Even with all good intentions, they can even be ineffective mentors (although I still highly recommend the mentoring program, as long as you change your mentor every year). 1. But it should definitely keep me up in the top of the class, and getting a nice review score + kudos + a job well done with results is a reward in itself (that I crave for more than the actual promotion).I have given this suggestion to Lisa, but I have not seen any action so far. The point here is that I have more than once seen folks that were very talented and super stars get bumped for someone less talented but more vocal. Of course, it goes without saying that if you dont have any substance you will likely hurt yourself badly and get ignored with vengeance next time. Salesmanship is extremely important. At L63 you should be directing v-teams, serving as a lead or possibly even having direct reports. For others, the picture will not be so clear and they may place more weight on perceptions or a set of isolated incidents. Yet, I know that a friend just got one. The PM team loved having my technical expertise freely available, and I actually really like designing features too.Anyway, two simple things, but I think what Mini said about not doing this IN ORDER to get promoted is key. I dont know why this is the case. Browse all Microsoft salaries . So he is looking to become partner this year on the team's work. I've seen L65's who can't own a cardboard box, let alone a room. I only wish the internal MyMicrosoft blog had posts that were this valuable and insightful. You want to be more efficient, smarter than him. I work in MSN and we still have no way to know the levels of our peers. 6 years ago I developed what I have been supporting since. Levels.fyi gives different levels for Microsoft v amazon depending on pm or dev. I used to work in the OneCare team. All the money making groups cut 10% of the work force. I'm hiring 6 good MSFT developer/consultants. B.Sc in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Electronics, M.Sc in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Electronics, PhD in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Electronics, Designing and implementing Software and Hardware Systems, Benchmarking and validating Software and Hardware Systems, Developing innovative solutions and publish papers and patents, Managing teams and keep track of progress, Predicting market trends, identifying market risks, Identifying future opportunities, preparing company roadmap. Pass me by and I will be leaving in the next few months). This is a problem, at least up to level 65. L63 takes a bit longer but is also fast. Apple's about to ship Snow Leopard with no new features. As per Microsoft's job posting, the specific position requires over 8 years of experience so it pays high as well. You have to enjoy it, or else it'll come across as insincere, and you'll do a half assed job. Good luck with that. L8=Partner/GM. The last thing I would ever think about is what my boss thinks of me; I just don't care. ask around for a good mentor or go to our internal mentor site to be matched with a mentor http://mentor/Mentor/user/mymentoring.asp. I am soliciting ideas to reduce cost in this blog. Then you're on the path to higher levels. And I appreciate you screening out the non-productive whining posts. Learn how this feature works. Someone that 20 years ago made something as complex as Notepad may today be a VP, whereas if you make Notepad today you may not even get a pat on the back. And if you have a manager who thinks that way, then your manager is a doofus who will never help anyone succeed. ?I work in MSN and we still have no way to know the levels of our peers. But if you think you should be promoted and your manager doesn't, you shouldn't sit and seethe -- you must understand what it will take. similar to maybe how EY says senior manager is Director (pwc, kpmg) equivalent. So I guess I know what it takes go get to level 63. I've been at 59 for going on four years now, and was told by my manager over 2 years ago that I was totally ready and qualified for promotion to L60, but that "there wasn't enough budget" (yeah right), and this was in *Office* (a group which is clearly strapped for cash, I guess). Nowadays, having been there and moved up, I would highly prefer someone that already succeeded as a Lead at Microsoft than a star individual contributor. This way I can be in a better position to show that I am a "absolutely!" If you don't have a manager like that or the manager cannot/will not set clear commits/accountabilities - when the freeze lifts, time for you to look at new areas where you can bring something to the table. I'm interested in reading your perspective and what advice you'd give to someone new to the company looking at a career path similar to your own. Turn (it) Around, Bright Eyes: every now and then I get a little bit thrilled when someone joins the team straight out of school (or with a little industry experience) and after a few months it's obvious that Microsoft is the best company for them. I joined Microsoft at L63 in Office and found it to be a freakshow of people NOT working together but understanding that no team work was better for getting a promotion FAR better than I did having come from the Valley. The important thing though is, can you hold things in a room full of other Senior team members. Most Directors are 63 and the occasional 64. Your Recently Promoted L63 Peers: let's say you have at least one peer that in the past year or so has been promoted to L63. Here's how to find it. I say this because I have seen really smart people shunned because of 'house-on-fire' attitudes even when they were dead right. I guess they are fallible humans too. Know Your Worth. No one is born an experienced mgr and even the most experienced mgrs are not perfect. I have had 3 positions in the past 8 years and best advise i can give is NETWORKING. But, if you have the possibility of finding a position that you will really enjoy, where your goals and those of Microsoft are fairly close, then your long-term potential will be higher. Happy hunting. At the beginning of each FY, I always asked, "I want to get Exceeded this year. The true professional with loads of potential is left to Sulk. He said this year he could only make strategic promotions, which sounded like promotions of people above 65. Ready? How do you ensure there is no conflict of interest. New Senior Director Human Resources jobs added daily. What do you do when your manager is an absolute b***h, a disgrace in meetings with other teams and an embarrassment on her good days? Understand that promos aren't an exact formula. Obviously a key word in my advice was explicitly. Learning Curves and Disillusioned Learners: psychologists have known for years that skill acquisition tends to follow a typical learning curve. So here's my 2 cents:Read this now and have a game plan for your 1:1s to tee up a deeper discussion at MYCD. You can bet that if I went back today I would be a _very_ different person.The only thing I would add is that at any level, you need to not only know that your manager believes you should be promoted and will fight for you, you need to believe that your manager _can make it happen_. L7 equals L64 or L65. Are you ok with what you hear? If you send a brownbag invitation to your VP level group then you know your VP is getting it. Nothing you do is good, all you get is criticism. "Well please don't just tease us and leave it there. I am a HR manager. I've changed jobs but came back to the group that's been the most supportive. It doesn't matter what you want - you aren't the one deciding when you get promoted. So yes, Mini's list should get you to 63 anywhere. Thats what I call implicit :). It is true you can always do that, go to Google, go to ABC, or whatever. IMHO. I think getting promoted elsewhere is not as tough as getting promoted in CTS-GTSC. I /like/ OneCare. Its usually comes down to do it and be unhappy or leave. I was an asshole, but I was better than my peers at getting shit done -- I was a PM in DevDiv at the time. right? Right now I am 56. It's usually too late at that point. Great post Mini. The estimated additional pay is $257,304 per year. If you're not there yet and your boss was asked that question by your skip-level-boss, what is your boss's answer? Ultimately humans make decisions either by heart or brain. See next bullet. Chairman of the Board, Microsoft Corporation. Your boss should already have about a year-long plan about who on the team is getting promoted when - it's essential for team promotion budget planning. You should be able to show the path to a goal, especially to collections of people who do not report to you. By contrast high performers have a fairly accurate self assessment, but are slightly self critical of themselves as well as others. I am a troll. With wide-eyed wonder he asked WHAT? I said whatever the @#$% your manager most needs you to do!6. Oldest and (still) best advice I've gotten is move around a lot; no two teams' cultures or needs are the same, so you have something to offer wherever you look. If it is "Absolutely!" They don't survive long while others who do little move up. I'm surprised it lasted as long as it did in some ways. I spent 5 years on level 61. Let's compare answers answer is: your boss. Its a bit like the famous phrase about the definition of obscenity. And don't beleive your boss if they say otherwise. Up to that point the "what" you accomplish can get you pretty far and you get some wiggly room on the how. The "how" now has broader impact. > Where did you hear this? Its UI is fundamentally incoherent, showing probably the worst case of design-by-committee since the control room at Three Mile Island. All of us have been asked to move to India by our parent company. It would be the pinnacle of dumbness. The biggest lesson I learned here was how to work *with* other teams, even when I thought they weren't very good and even when our purposes didn't align. "Your Recently Promoted L63 Peers"? Director can be applied to L65 or L66. If you are within striking distance of level 63 in the next few years, then consider yourself VERY fortunate. Eventually, their team will remove itself from his control through internal transfers to teams with better managers, and the asshole ends up getting canned in a re-org if he doesn't see the writing on the wall and use his Apple resume entry to jump to some other company.The fact that you praise someone for "junk yard dog mode" shows me that Microsoft has a fundamentally broken corporate culture, and that you are part of the problem.-jcr, Think of the guy in the other companyI don't like where this is goingThat is the guy to beat.No, No, NO!Think of the customer, not the competition! Microsoft Software Engineering Manager salary levels ranges from 63 (SDE Lead) upto 80 (Corporate VP), with 80 (Corporate VP) level earning average salary of $4851k along with $3675k worth of stock options. i asked him if he knew the absolute most important thing for him to do to get promoted. Do a search for people in those groups in NYC area and check their status to see who is hiring. You're in competition with everyone else in your org in your CSP. At this point, the financial crisis and everything, wouldnt it be more interesting to try and predict what KT and Steve will do once they recieve the rest of year forecast mid december? The Job titles for this position are: Following is the complete list of Job levels at Microsoft: The highest job title in technical track in Microsoft is "Technical Fellow". This employer has claimed their Employer Profile and is engaged in the Glassdoor community. All you have to do is look at the level distribution, there is a large dropoff in positions at 65. If a spot is available. Make them successful at their job. Alternately, you can increase the scope of your own job and justify an increased level.So the only real question is, what do you need to do differently at the higher level? Think about it. I drove my 59-62 agenda with an iron fist and it didn't matter so much that I didn't play well with others or work to help other teams who were struggling.I became a manager during that time and had a year of major hiccups while trying to break through to 63 -- all of a sudden the fact that I was a unilateral force was working *against* me and not for me. ;) I have one thing to add that might help some. When someone gives you the hard advice to succeed, it's quite the gift. How you perform in interview is going to matter on whether you get proper mapping or not. . Your commitments should already provide you with milestones to set as your goals. Write it down in a team-culture career section you keep in OneNote (start that section now if you don't have it). take the time to find a mentor that is a great fit for you and the issue you're working on. Is there much motivation to really fix Vista's perception problems?Machiavelli might note that intentionally leaving Vista's reputation in the toilet will make Windows 7 look all that much better when it comes out - allowing some of our VP's pride, ego's and bank balances to swell to truly epic proportions.