GROUP PROJECT - MGHA12
Topic: Recruitment
Company: Microsoft
GROUP 17
Group members (names as on Quercus):
Advika Biju Thottingal- - 1010641968
Connie Chen - 1009460101
Vincent Kwong - 1008207771
Akul Veauli - 1009712483
Hailey Vu - 1010576093
Xinru Eva Zhao-1007132407
OVERVIEW OF RECRUITMENT AT MICROSOFT
Microsoft is always a benchmark in the dynamic and innovative technology industry. In 1975,
Microsoft was a small software company founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen (Bellis, n.d.). Then, it
grew into one of the most influential companies in the world over generations. Nowadays, it offers a
variety of products and services, including laptops, operating systems, cloud computing, hardware,
and more. Meanwhile, Microsoft operates in over 190 countries worldwide (Bellis, n.d.).
Under the dynamic and innovative background, recruitment plays a crucial role in sustaining
Microsoft's position. The process of recruitment includes attracting, selecting, and assigning. In the
tech industry, the competition for top talent is fierce. For Microsoft, recruitment is not just about
filling vacancies; it's about identifying and bringing on board individuals who can contribute to and
thrive in Microsoft's culture of continuous learning and innovation.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF MICROSOFT’S RECRUITMENT POLICIES
Microsoft follows a seven-step recruitment process to hire employees. The first step would be
for the potential candidates to browse through various job options and select one that is the most
suited for them and for which they possess the required qualifications. The second is applying for the
job post of their choice online, which requires them to fill out the required details in an application
form, after which they may receive a confirmation mail stating that their application has been received
and will be processed. This step is followed by the application review, which determines who is
eligible to progress to the interview stage. When there is an influx of applications, the hiring team
may conduct a brief screen, which involves a faster evaluation of candidates, however, this limits their
ability to provide individual feedback to unsuccessful candidates. After this stage is completed, the
successful candidates are invited for a one-hour interview, which usually consists of two interviewers
and is held virtually or in person. Potential employees are asked questions that may pertain to their
resume and how their performance would enhance the productivity of the company, or demonstrate
the qualifications and skills required for the job. Successful candidates are later sent an offer after the
interviewers and hiring team finalize their decision, who are obligated to specify the terms of the work
agreement, any insurance provided (for example, health and wellness benefits), and the newly
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recruited employees are asked to solidify their acceptance of the job offer within a specified date. The
manager contacts those who have accepted the offer and provides them with information about any
tasks they might have to undertake before their first day. Microsoft is committed to providing
accommodation throughout the recruitment process after potential employees submit a support form
to provide tailored assistance. This could be through providing a Sign Language Interpreter, additional
time to complete an online technical screen, and providing content in an accessible format. A skilled
employee will be assigned to a new employee to aid them during the first few months on the job.
ASSESSMENT
Microsoft’s current plans are appropriate, however, they can be improved. A notable
competitor of Microsoft is Google. When Google recruits employees, their process includes a step
where applicants are expected to go through an assessment called Google Hiring Assessment. Google
uses its Hiring Assessment, virtual chats, and work projects before pushing a candidate into the
interview phase. Microsoft only has a step where they assess applications and move straight into the
interviews. Although Google’s method may be costly as well as time-consuming, it overall allows
them to recruit the best people suited for the job as well as be able to provide feedback to applicants.
In the future, Microsoft will most likely stick to the interview approach that they have kept for
the past few decades. As they have kept this format for so long, they will not change their hiring
process unless something unforeseen happens and forces them to adjust their approach. However, it is
substantial to mention that in the past, Microsoft has changed some of their interview processes to
match Amazon’s and Apple’s recruitment policies, as these companies focused on hiring based on
behavioral competencies. Instead of simply asking questions about qualifications, Microsoft started
focusing on inquiring candidates about how they would solve problems or execute strategies. Based
on this, Microsoft will most likely adjust its hiring process in response to the practices of its
competitors. Nowadays, many organizations, such as IBM and Amazon, utilize the wide range of
benefits that come with AI. This technology is very good at completing repetitive and time-consuming
tasks. In the future, Microsoft may fully utilize AI to help with screening when they have an influx of
applications as well as conduct AI interviews as the technology will be able to employ voice and
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facial expression analysis to assess a candidate's tone, mannerisms, and emotions. Additionally, AI
will not have biases when assessing candidates and will be more cost-efficient.
PEER-REVIEWED JOURNALS
Article #1: Microsoft should adopt AI into their HR hiring process due to the company’s traits
(High industry Uncertainty & High Asset Specificity)
Using AI to formulate a TOE (Technology, Organization, Environment) model that focuses on
absorptive capacity, which is the ability to learn and apply new knowledge from external
environments. The model can improve an organization’s internal resource database. Such information
gained can be used to internally evaluate employees, market pay rates, and continuously update job
postings to the latest information. This assists in reducing organizational adjustments and hiring
contract negotiations which are additions to cost reduction.
A study was conducted on various HR managers from diverse sectors to measure which
companies should implement AI into their HR recruiting process, and the results highlight that
companies with high asset specificity and high uncertainty are the ones that should adopt AI usage.
Assets refer to an applicant and the complexity of a job post, and high uncertainty refers to an
industry’s sector and organizational context. Microsoft has both qualities, due to being in a rapidly
changing industry (high uncertainty) and filling jobs that require immense background skills and
requirements needed to find a successful candidate (high asset specificity).
Article #2: Microsoft should promote content marketing to brand a positive company image to
develop a qualified cultured-catered application pool
Digital Marketing can be a crucial tool to create a company’s image to improve the
recruitment process. Based on a study conducted that interviewed job applicants of different
backgrounds, from master students, interns, and current employees regarding their opinions of what
types of online content influence their job search, many have noted that they were willing to apply to
companies that have a positive background image.
Digital marketing also allows companies to attract a certain demographic accurately which is
useful for recruiting well-qualified applicants that meet specific criteria. Job applicants can evaluate a
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company’s culture and judge whether they are a culture fit or not, improving the quality of the
application pool that’s catered to the company.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Integrate AI-powered tools: According to journals and assessments, integrating AI into the
hiring process enormously improves efficiency and transparency. For the initial application screening
round, AI-powered software or Natural Language Processing (NLP) algorithms can skim through a
large number of applications to find the most suitable applicants in a fast and unbiased manner.
AI-powered chatbots can also be included in the recruiting system to offer real-time support.
AI-powered tools and algorithms can also be utilized to analyze the candidates’ performance during
interviews and reduce unconscious bias since people’s judgments, either desirable or undesirable, will
have some sense of bias. Finally, AI algorithms can give recruiters and applicants feedback on areas
for improvement to ensure a better recruiting process in the future.
Provide personalized feedback: Throughout the recruiting process, from the initial resume
screening to interviews, Microsoft only informs successful candidates and does not notify
unsuccessful ones. Even though it is time-saving, it hinders the company’s ability to provide
personalized feedback to unsuccessful candidates. Implementing a feedback system can assist
unsuccessful candidates in identifying areas for development and raise the company's image, all of
which are good in the long run as it increases the chances the potential applicants reapply.
Expand interview formats: At the moment, Microsoft only conducts one round of
interviews with applicants regarding their resumes and qualifications, with two interviewers. Even
though this can save time, it reduces the ability to evaluate a candidate thoroughly. Instead, Microsoft
can diversify interview questions to include behavioral questions, as they are currently following in
the footsteps of Amazon and Apple. Moreover, having only two interviewers increases the likelihood
of unconscious bias; therefore, Microsoft should consider incorporating different forms of interviews,
such as panel or competency-based interviews for a fair and transparent hiring outcome.
Focus on digital marketing - boost online presence: As the world revolves around
technology and more people have access to digital content, Microsoft must keep up with this change.
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Creating a strong corporate image online will allow the company to reach a larger audience and
potential candidates. This can be achieved through targeted advertising - segmenting and targeting
demographics with relevant skills to job positions on digital channels such as LinkedIn and Facebook.
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
Microsoft is a prominent player in the technology industry, continually innovating and
expanding. Its recruitment process is crucial to maintaining its competitive edge by hiring the best
human capital. Analyzing Microsoft's current human resource policies, it can be seen that the
company prioritizes hiring the best candidates while keeping up with the ever-changing industry
standards and practices.
Microsoft follows a seven-step recruitment process in which prospects are critiqued based on
criteria related to their resume and analytical questions. This criteria has been helpful for Microsoft,
however, due to the intense competition, it should adjust its recruitment measures to remain
competitive, as human resources is a crucial part of its business.
The difference between Microsoft and its competitors is its lack of artificial intelligence for
recruitment. Although Microsoft has recently purchased OpenAI and utilized its benefits across
company offerings, they have yet to integrate AI into the recruitment processes. The key
recommendation for Microsoft is the complete integration of AI into their recruitment.
By heeding these suggestions, Microsoft can improve hiring, however, as discussed in the
assessment section, they may adhere to their current practice, as they do not change unless there is an
unforeseen event, such as the current AI situation. As for the rest of the recommendations, it is
difficult to predict if Microsoft will include them as they are not the leader in recruitment policies. If
Microsoft uses these recommendations, it will propel the quality of human capital to new heights in
their industry.
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REFERENCES/APA CITATIONS
Agouridis, A. (2023, December 1). AI in recruitment - everything you need to know. Jobylon.
https://www.jobylon.com/blog/how-ai-is-transforming-the-world-of-recruitment
Bellis, M. (2020, January 10). Who founded Microsoft and what made it so successful?. ThoughtCo.
https://www.thoughtco.com/microsoft-history-of-a-computing-giant-1991140
Google. (n.d.). Our hiring process. Google Careers.
https://www.google.com/about/careers/applications/how-we-hire/
Hasan, S. M., Ahmadi, H., Sekhon, H., Mortimer, G., Sadiq, M., Kharouf, H., & Abid, M. (2022, May
11). The role of green innovation and hope in employee retention.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/bse.3126
Microsoft Careers. Hiring tips | Microsoft Careers. (n.d.).
https://careers.microsoft.com/v2/global/en/hiring-tips
Pan, Y., Froese, F. J., Liu, N., Hu, Y., & Ye, M. (2021, February 21). The adoption of artificial
intelligence in employee recruitment: The influence of contextual factors. Yonsei University.
https://yonsei.elsevierpure.com/en/publications/the-adoption-of-artificial-intelligence-in-emplo
yee-recruitment-t
Rodrigues, D., & Martinez, L. F. (2019). The influence of digital marketing on recruitment
effectiveness.
https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/EJMS-09-2020-002/full/pdf
The evolution of Microsoft Hiring Processes. Carrus. (n.d.).
https://www.carrus.io/blog/the-evolution-of-microsofts-hiring-process-from-an-ex-microsofthiring-manager
Thammala, R. (2023, October 17). These 7 companies using AI for recruitment (+key takeaways).
WebPipl. https://webpipl.com/companies-using-ai-for-recruitment
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