The most common objection I have heard in past six months during my job search. Another two objections that I have heard are "too much experience" and "your past salary was too much, we don't want to offer less but can't afford to pay you what you deserve."
You're don't necessarily deserve $ n if the market can no longer bare it. There's nothing wrong with taking $(0.8 n ) if that's what the market has determined your skills are worth.
I feel bad for the guy, but Microsoft really does need to reinvent itself, and the deadweight of a huge Windows-focused testing-QA bureaucracy wasn't going to help that mission. After 15 years at MS, this guy is probably unemployable anywhere else unless he is open to learning new things and retraining. Big company people often just learn how to operate in a big company environment, and forget how to do real work.
After 15 years at MS, this guy is probably unemployable anywhere else unless he is open to learning new things and retraining. I've not seen the video so I don't know what he was really doing in Microsoft, but you know that there are other places where Microsoft software is used outside Microsoft, right? I don't get whz he should be unemployable anywhere else..
I don't know of too many places other than Microsoft where testing Microsoft software with Microsoft internal testing tools is an applicable skill.
We don't actually want to live like that. We just have such distrust in our government that we don't want them running the health care system. Witness, for example, the recent VA Hospital scandals. Our government is dysfunctional. And it's already incredibly intrusive, too, and some of us don't want the feds knowing all of our health problems (even though they probably already do). I would love government health care…
I agree with you that the german system sounds nice. But I couldn't let this slide > The free market doesn't work for health care. Where is there a free market for health care that would could test this idea? Certainly not the USA. I believe Singapore is the closest to free market healthcare and they seem pretty healthy. Though even that is not "free market" healthcare
The only realistic way of providing healthcare is by an insurance system, which can be private or public.
Necessary conditions are that insurance is compulsory and that insurers cannot refuse coverage.
Anecdotally it seems like a lot of the people let go were in SDET roles.
It's part of an effort to move towards something called "combined engineering" and was started as a pilot in Bing. The basic idea is less testers, more devs. Devs take on more responsibility for testing, while at the same time getting more details about usage from customers in the wild... My understanding is that it's like A/B testing features - something Bing does a lot with "micro-flighting".
I'm not against H1B visas or green cards for skilled immigrants and, in fact, have great friends who fit that profile. However, considering this massive layoff, what reason could Microsoft and Bill Gates have to lobby so aggressively for H1B high-skilled tech talent, besides wanting cheap labor?
Because most years they hire more people than they lay off.
Naturally, he is very disappointed but he should keep things in perspective. It's not that bad of situation to be in. You have 15 years of software development experience at Microsoft and there are going to be a lot of open doors. This could really be blessing in disguise.
I heard that Microsoft is almost a direct feed into Google. Perhaps he should try there?
At various times, I've used COBRA, I've had individual plans, and I've had group plans for which I've paid the full premium. I've never seen a difference of anywhere remotely close to 3-4x for COBRA versus an equivalent individual plan.
The times I was on COBRA in California, it's been around 3x what I would have paid if I'd been eligible for an individual plan. Is it possible you've had individual coverage in a state where such coverage is guaranteed-issue? That would account for a lack of distinction between group and individual rates.
I'm in Texas. I know that at until the start of this year, if you didn't have any access to a group plan (including via COBRA), and you applied for an individual plan and were refused, then there is significantly more expensive coverage that you can get through some program offered by the state and Blue Cross. Though that may not exist in the post-ACA world where no one is supposed to be denied coverage any more.
The most common objection I have heard in past six months during my job search. Another two objections that I have heard are "too much experience" and "your past salary was too much, we don't want to offer less but can't afford to pay you what you deserve."
You're don't necessarily deserve $ n if the market can no longer bare it. There's nothing wrong with taking $(0.8 n ) if that's what the market has determined your skills are worth.
The problem is that the company is afraid that you'll bolt the second you get an offer at the n level again. They'd rather not hire you at all than hire you, invest in you, and then lose you just as quickly afterward.
I was also sent off from Microsoft last Thursday. What a day. My observations: - This was the best kept secret ever at Microsoft. Many VPs and directors were not knowing until the day of. - It's clear the layoff decisions were not personal or based on talent or seniority, but just rather the high executives each doing a large pruning of their own branches. Whole branches of the company being lopped off because they h…
Layoffs not based on talent? As competitive as the market is, throwing away valuable people seems insane to me.
Agreed, but at the scale they're talking about, trying to rank competent people out of the tens of thousands being let go... you're gonna need a lot of Bobs ;)
I'd love to be laid off with a good severance. It's an extended paid vacation. It might be a slam to your ego, but every doer out there needs to know, you are seen by management as a cog in a machine, easily swapped out. Everyone is replaceable.
For most people, it's extremely risky to treat a severance package as a vacation. You should typically start looking for your next job immediately and with considerable haste and seriousness.
A gap of unemployment on your resume, for any reason, is going to hurt 90% of job seekers.