There's this sort of nebulous "first you have to perform at level current+1 for a year, then you'll get promoted. Microsoft Corp. engages in the development and support of software, services, devices, and solutions. The position entails teaching an introductory physics sequence, upper-level physics courses, and related labs. Feedback is not detailed or actionable. It's a knife fight to 63. While I lost a few people who drove great results in that level, overall it was good for their career and also MS over time. Get a free, personalized salary estimate based on today's job market. Let's slim down Microsoft into a lean, mean, efficient customer pleasing profit making machine! Expect my salary to go up after the cleanup. I have had 3 positions in the past 8 years and best advise i can give is NETWORKING. He is a very, very smart guy.For many people, what made them successful as a level 62 IC will kill them as a level 62 manager. Its a natural consequence of the learning curve. While I was pleased with the attention, I was also rather upset. great post. Browse all Microsoft salaries . How do you make sure you do a good job but not too good of a job.Also higher levels will tend to require you to do things you may not like. Up to that point the "what" you accomplish can get you pretty far and you get some wiggly room on the how. What to do?The remaining is either a) absorb into other org (say A)b) if A doesn't need testers, then VP will instruct them to find another position in 6 weeks. Let's Hear it for the Girl! . The higher you go, the longer it takes. * Stability at Microsoft is a two-edged sword. That is why to get to L65 a VP level person must know your work and be able to recall your name without help. As for my own history, successful strategies have followed 3 major buckets:From 59 --> 62 (I started as a 10 in the old system) I simply kicked ass and took no prisoners. First, they are moving *to* something that they think fits them better -- and bringing an enthusiasm for the new position to go with the better fit. This is a good list. What I think may be worthwhile is understanding the circumstances of those anomalies and figuring out why they occur and how to "incent" management to ensure that they don't occur. Joined MCS at level 60 and was immediately told that L61 would be years away. Its a bit like the famous phrase about the definition of obscenity. I heard that promotion budgets are significantly reduced at below 65 level. To change Microsoft so that it is small and efficient, and therefore more in line with your thinking?Are you changing your stance because you're leaving the 'hoi polloi' behind? Alternate to your left hand appropriately when tired. L65 here, worked up from L59 (actually, 10 in the old system).The key is always to keep your eye on the goal. Doesn't matter 60 or 65, if you find the key to your boss, next level is in your pocket. . All of us have been asked to move to India by our parent company. Incompetent People Really Have No Clue: If youre one of the people complaing about how youre not getting promoted because your mgr is incompetent and youre just as good as all those others who got promoted you could be right. Thats what I call implicit :). Its performance is compromised by your pandering to the RIAA and MPAA. And do you anticipate what happened when I made the next move to Dev Manager position? also work is good only when it leads to results that typically means team's success. I work in MSN and we still have no way to know the levels of our peers. Now a VP at a small cap (and growing, yes in this economy) company. Even if you don't leave, make no mistake, I'll be building a backfill slate for your role just in case. Microsoft Compensation Software Engineer $ 80K $ 225K Average Compensation: $101,338 Senior Cloud Software Engineer $ 90K $ 175K Average Compensation: $128,000 Principal Software Engineer $ 90K. >> You forgot "never ask for a promotion".That's the absolute worst advice one can give to a Microsoft employee, IMO. Obviously a key word in my advice was explicitly. Thanks for keeping this focused. I know devs who got in at the wrong level and paying the price because they didnt negotiate their level correctly when they joined. Would they give you the level if you were not already a Microsoft employee? I've changed jobs but came back to the group that's been the most supportive. This is the multiplier effect, or scope of influence that is often mentioned. Babatunde Hamzat Ashogbon - Founder/Owner/Director/Senior Project Think about it. Microsoft, Go to company page Make them successful at their job. I'm not talking about "managing up" (though that helps a little if done properly) but it's all about understanding your manager and skip manager's priorities and proactively succeeding in those areas. They don't care who gets the credit, and they fight for good reviews for their people. And what is happening now trying to move up after becoming a Dev Manager? I'm now off the meds, not seeing the psychiatrist, and living happily.Working at MS was both the best time in my life and the worst time. As per Microsoft's job posting, the specific position requires over 8 years of experience so it pays high as well. Otherwise, you start getting limited reviews and your compensation goes down.Obviously there was no advice in this post, but I thought it was an interesting observation, and perhaps the company can learn something from this viewpoint. So either keep slapping yourself or choose to wake up. People who get stuck at the plateau are often referred to as disillusioned learners. Secondly, finding a suitable mentor to help them overcome that weakness. This slighlty contradicts some of the other posts. This makes it very easy to feel underleveled, because the 6 people that started 3 weeks before you might take up the 2 promotion spots available per year for 3 years (numbers all made up).You also, at least in my experience, aren't really given feedback on when you're performing at a level that *could* be promoted. Then they start pinging the manager on why and putting pressure on them to do something, move them up or out. May 2008: Gold Star. Same here. Our entire unit was let go but we were moved to different groups in the org. I am not worried. Isabelle La Fornara - Koutny - Senior Director - LinkedIn This way you have a more clear understanding of the seniority of that particular position and if you search for a group manager you will see the seniority distribution. L8=Partner/GM. Unless you know for sure that your boss's answer is an immediate "Absolutely!" Director can be just principal in sales or marketing. similar to maybe how EY says senior manager is Director (pwc, kpmg) equivalent. So far, I haven't been successful. In this scenario, the senior director might have more responsibilities and be in charge of a larger part of the organization than a typical director. I am going through some finanical hardships and is getting the level changed is the only way for a salary increase? They can be wrong about exactly what these flaws are, but they aren't wrong that you are flawed. Heck, we would be lucky if many can do even that well. 3. Thanks M$Underpay. But above L62 the talent is intense and that is good. Maybe you are ready, but you and your manager can plan what would be the assignment that would show that you're ready. If your boss isn't banging his fist on the table for you, it won't happen. 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. (Senior Project Manager), with 63 (Senior Project Manager) level earning average salary of $247k along with $38k worth of stock options. I am a troll. I guess they are fallible humans too. Could be principal engineer, principal engineering manager, could even be director depending on the org. Job levels at Microsoft - OpenGenus IQ: Computing Expertise & Legacy The "how" now has broader impact. Great Post! The average entry-level engineer or program manager will have a total compensation of $125,665. In the case of the latter, make sure you have the goods, because your manager now must show his/her hand on whether s/he values you. The second was threat (I have a serious offer outside the company that I am taking). Leadership: pro-active leadership that convinces team members of the future direction and even helps to . you want to complete A and A requires 10 devs. It can be a really discouraging time in your career, but if you can get past it youre headed for another amazing growth curve like the one that got you to level 62! Specifically, what did they accomplish, and what contributions do you see them doing to justify their promotion? For technical and management track, the job level start from 57 and continues till 80. Eng, Go to company page If you're not there yet and your boss was asked that question by your skip-level-boss, what is your boss's answer? How senior is a 'director' at Microsoft? - Quora What is up with the gold star awards? This topic didn't elicit nearly as many comments as I would have expected. Microsoft Senior Director Software Engineering Manager Compensation A past co-worker of mine had the same thing done to him and now there are two devs doing what he did by himself.I guess Microsoft has its reasons. I am not saying the manager is trying to sabotage, but when push comes to shove will you get the impactful project. If only your manager knows you then it is unlikely (at least on paper) that you will move beyond L62. The important thing though is, can you hold things in a room full of other Senior team members. How about a thread on the current hiring/moving freeze, or on surviving the New Ice Age? then you're really off in the weeds.Think of the guy in the other company, the guy who is building something that competes with you, with your team. See next bullet. There certainly doesn't seem to be any shortage of people wanting in. Unless you plan to stay in the same org the rest of the time at MS. Your lead. The hardest work item on his place was an expression parser that the team's architect wrote for him. How? You forgot "never ask for a promotion".The one other thing that helped me go from L59 through >L64 was an absolute dedication to the strongest leaders, one level at a time. Thank you for reviewing my profile. Senior Director, Head of Data Sciences VMware Aug 2014 - Jul 20217 years Bengaluru Area, India Global Leader and Head of Data Sciences Lead Data scientist teams across Bangalore, Bulgaria, Palo. Now it's up to me to do whatever it takes to make *them* great, even if it doesn't benefit my product directly. Harder for L64. So one big part is do good work, but another is don't do bad work.I think it's a very good idea to ask for a promotion. Microsoft Senior Director Software Engineering Manager Salary | $426K Microsoft is so unique (and not in a good way) that you need to have blogs like this and focus on managing your career inside the hobbesian nightmare, rather than making good and cool software. Directors are usually senior principals (level 66, 67) or at Partner level. At a basic level, in a company the size of Microsoft, the higher you go, the less you contribute individually and the more you contribute by your impact on an organization - hiring the right people, setting clear and correct goals, driving alignment and execution. I was let go from Microsoft recently. This employer has claimed their Employer Profile and is engaged in the Glassdoor community. I breezed to L63 and shortly after to L64 within a year. Julien Belin - Senior Director Global Supply Chain - LinkedIn ALWAYS ask for a promotion. Help make it more accurate by adding yours. FY08 review: "limited". Most Directors are 63 and the occasional 64. You can switch jobs internally and get leveled up (typically 6-12 months after) - but make sure you have the conversation with the manager as to what is the expected level and what is the cap. Your level is essentially recognition of your circle of influence or radius of your contribution. 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_. Anyone moved from Office to some other part of company? The news is in. I am offered a job at L65 and job offer has a title Director on it! "This is the lament of every person in every big company everywhere it's usually a combination of truth (most of us are capable of more than the roles we're currently filling) and hubris (if I had a nickel for ever junior person who over-estimated what they were capable of I'd be retired). Rather nice site you've got here. Taking the easy escape out like that, you are more likely to get into the same situation at other companies. This helps us sort answers on the page. If you push too hard or threaten to leave, you will be written off immediately. 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. Thanks to Mini for the great information. But they don't have the same visibility that your manager has in your specific org. There are not a lot of options at that point. Stop fighting which is where mapped. In short there are lot many ways to influence others and infect the best ones are not being a manager :). Apple's about to ship Snow Leopard with no new features. Leverage your professional network, and get hired. This means there are 24 distinct job levels at Microsoft. You try that in subs (who actually generate the revenue, HQ typically dont) - but the question is - do they dare push such a thing in the US? And on one total-eclipse-rare occasion, I've been able to be answer the follow-up question: will they reach L65 and say with confidence: Absolutely. First let's set the expectations right for this quarter and possibly the next: The budgets for promos are shrunk almost everywhere. I'm at 62, have been for lo, these many years. Yet, when you have 2 or 3 offers at the end of very hard interview loops, which one are you going to choose: the team that listens to HR or the team that listens to the market? That's not going to change in six months (which I learned). I'm interested in hearing your stories of success, mentorship, and turning a career that was off-path back on-track. You dont have the same experience or abilities to perform in a core STB senior level role. Think Locally: remember three years back when we talked about the book Corporate Confidential? 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? One, we bill customers higher for higher levels and we call everyone 'highly experienced' or even an 'architect'. Senior Director Levels at Microsoft 63 (Senior Manager) 64 Principal EM (Principal Director of Engineering) 66 Senior Director (67) GM, Partner (SDE Group Manager) 69 VP (70) Corporate VP (80) Executive VP (81) View 7 More Levels United States No region found, search all locations Greater Seattle Area San Francisco Bay Area View All Data Also, never ascribe to malfeasance what may simply be due to incompetence. Repeat. An accomplished and proven Director / Tech & Business Principal / Programme Manager / Business Partner / Service Delivery Manager with a wide-ranging skillset, experienced in leading teams to success. right?). Often this is where a perceived negative attitude or lack of soft skills will hurt you the most.Your immediate boss can often look beyond that to the benefit you bring to the organization - mostly because it also directly benefits him or her. For those impatient folks who want to move up every 18 months, watch out. Say that you will understand if your manager thinks you aren't ready. Microsoft's '08 Mistakes: The Software Giant's Three Errors http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/121908-microsofts-08-mistakes-the-software.html?hpg1=bnJust three? Reading all this makes me so happy I don't work at MS anymore. That is, an S-shaped curve that is relatively flat at the bottom (slow start), then becomes very steep (steep acceleration), then becomes relatively flat again (plateau). Also, the way you achieve your commitments does affect the perception and recognition of your efforts. You have to enjoy it, or else it'll come across as insincere, and you'll do a half assed job. It appears on 6.3% of resumes. Of course I ensure my manager and skip-level are aware of my contribution as a mentor, but I figure that as long as I'm in front of the wave, the best way for me to advance is to move the wave forward. Facebook, Go to company page It's an excellent product. I know devs who got there without doing anything substantial but their manager was nice and there was no competition.In short, Level 63 to me is not important and I really dont respect 63s unless they I've interacted with them.Level 65+ is another story and are devs who have the stuff almost always.- Someone at Level 62. It's a knife fight to 63. In this testing times what will motivate the mgr to put you ahead of him/hers? The average salary for a Senior Director is $170,707 per year in United States, which is 65% lower than the average Microsoft salary of $500,742 per year for this job. Worked my ass off and finally get recognized as Snr contributor. keep in mind mentors are not one size fit's all.