- Microsoft has approximately 228,000 employees worldwide.
- Microsoft is one of the most sought-after workplaces in the tech industry, so jobs are competitive.
- Here’s what to know about the various jobs at Microsoft, skills you’ll need, and the best salaries.
Since its 1975 founding, Microsoft has grown into one of the largest companies in the world, and its software has changed the way the world uses computers and other devices.
Currently, Microsoft employs roughly 228,000 people, globally.
A publicly traded company since early 1986, the multinational business has long been a darling of investors, and it has been a much sought-after workplace by people in the tech world.
Getting a job at Microsoft is much easier said than done, though.
Is Microsoft hard to get into?
Anyone hoping for employment at Microsoft should expect to compete against a flood of other highly qualified applicants at any given time. There are usually multiple rounds of interviews — as many as five in some cases, depending on the position — and different positions require different types of experience.
For technical roles, Microsoft’s hiring process includes things like testing you on problem-solving skills and coding.
All jobs at Microsoft require at the minimum a college degree, usually in an applicable field, such as data science or mathematics, or demonstrable experience in a directly related position elsewhere. Some positions require several years of relevant experience, and others require more advanced degrees.
Experience at other large tech companies can be a huge bonus. One former Microsoft product manager who shared his resume with Business Insider said he believed his experience at Facebook, plus his entrepreneurial experience, gave him a competitive edge.
It is, in short, hard to get a job at Microsoft, but a rejection upon your first application is no reason not to try again. Many people are hired by the software giant only after applying multiple times, with their persistence and commitment seen as a positive sign by the company.
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What types of jobs can you get at Microsoft?
Microsoft is a massive organization, being a software maker, and has a number of divisions that often have job postings, like the cloud-computing software Azure, the productivity suite Microsoft 365, or the legacy operating system Windows. The list of jobs one could potentially get at Microsoft is long and varied.
But Microsoft also owns a number of companies, and it may be worth expanding your job search to workplaces like GitHub, Skype, or LinkedIn.
At Microsoft or its companies, you could work in everything from data analytics to hardware engineering to digital sales to legal and corporate affairs. There are software designers, marketers, supply chain specialists, and so many more different roles needed to keep the company working.
On the software side, specifically, Microsoft often has openings for developers, software engineers, product managers, and more.
How to get a job in Microsoft?
If you have the requisite education and experience, and have done your research on the role and perfected your resume, you can start by applying online at the Microsoft Careers page.
Microsoft offers internships for those early career job-seekers lacking in experience, and, of course, it’s always a good idea to network with anyone you know who works there before you apply. Note that Microsoft often implements hiring freezes, so don’t try to join up during one.
Like any massive company, sometimes Microsoft has to restructure itself, and Microsoft layoffs can be massive, with thousands of employees dismissed at the same time. The post-pandemic period has been particularly brutal at Microsoft, with multiple rounds of job cuts throughout 2023 and 2024 in divisions like Azure, Xbox, and Activision Blizzard.
Know as you are going in that even if you do an excellent job in your role with Microsoft, your job may be cut in the future. The tech industry is in a period of flux, so it’s always wise to have a Plan B.
What is the highest paying job at Microsoft?
The CEO of Microsoft makes nearly $50 million in total each year when you count the cash, stocks, and other compensation, and that makes being the boss the highest paid job at Microsoft.
Other very well-compensated jobs — compared to regular salaries, not the CEO’s package — are Corporate Vice President, which has a salary around $650,000 plus stock compensation.
But even non-executive roles at Microsoft are widely known for their high salaries. For example, the role of Principal Software Engineer, typically pays about $215,000 plus stocks, and that of Senior Data Scientist, pays just under $200,000 annually.
Federal data from 2020 showed some of Microsoft’s highest-paying jobs, including up to $240,000 for a research role, $220,000 for a program manager, and $204,000 for a hardware engineering role.
