Microsoft Career Guide
Career ladders, promotion guides, and review season resources for Microsoft.
Career Ladders
Promotion Guides
Articles
How Promotion Panels Work at Big Tech Companies
Google uses a committee. Amazon uses a promo doc review. Meta calibrates by level. Microsoft has 'aunts and uncles.' Here's how each system actually works — and why borderline cases almost always lose.
Microsoft RSU Cliff: What Happens at Year 5 and How to Decide if You Should Stay
Your Microsoft on-hire RSU grant ends at year 4. Here's the math on the comp drop, how to negotiate a bigger refresh, and when leaving makes sense.
Microsoft PIP: What It Means and How to Respond
A Microsoft PIP now comes with a 5-day binary choice: take 16 weeks severance or attempt the plan. Here's how the process works and what to do first.
Microsoft Connects performance review for engineers
Microsoft Connects explained: semi-annual cycles, three impact dimensions, Perspectives 360 feedback, calibration, and how ratings affect comp and promotions.