| "I manage a centralized organization of 185 inside sales and technical professionals who
work with our enterprise customers. As an enterprise asset, the inside sales organization provides
account management and growth of the business through new business opportunities, and is an enabler
of customer satisfaction. Our success is based on our ability to work with customers and partners
to provide Microsoft solutions to help them achieve their business goals."
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| What makes Microsoft a good place for women to work?
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| "Microsoft has generous opportunities for women and all employees. The culture enables
those with drive and ambition to guide their careers and success. The entrepreneurial spirit at Microsoft
enables anyone who has a passion for driving change to have an impact on the business. What inspires me
is that the culture encourages and acknowledges thought leadership. For example, there have been
instances when a few of our solution offerings were missing key functionality important to my enterprise
customer base. The inclusion of the functionality was not planned to ever be a part of our solutions,
but my team and I were able to work with the product development teams to address customer requirements
and include the new functionality in the next product release for all enterprise customers to receive the
benefit. It was a win-win situation for Microsoft and our customers."
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| What has your career at Microsoft been like?
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| "My career has been invigorating and a true personal growth experience. In six years, I've
had four jobs that have all leveraged my skills and stretched me to grow professionally. I was recruited
by Microsoft and spent time learning the business as a field account manager. Then I moved into a
solution-sales manager role for a year, managing a specialist team focused on selling complex solutions.
I then became the global strategic-sales manager in the Pacific West for a year, managing a team of nine
employees focused on the largest Northwest customers. And most recently, about 18 months ago, I became
General Manager of inside sales, which has been the most challenging and rewarding job I have had in my career."
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| Why have you stayed at Microsoft?
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| "I am a person passionate about personal development, and Microsoft is a place where I can
learn and grow my skills every day. I am constantly challenged and feel that every day I work I not only
help the company, but I develop myself. I work for managers who encourage diversity of thought and leadership,
and they consider my opinions and insights valuable. I also have the ability to learn from others through my
peers, task forces, and special projects, as this company has hired amazing people to work with."
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| How does Microsoft support the careers of the women it hires?
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| "The Microsoft Women's Forum, which is an internal employee-run event, is something I'm a part
of and enjoy a great deal. The forum has been helpful as it has enabled me to get to know other women in other
parts of the organization. And Microsoft puts an emphasis on career development for every employee. I've been
fortunate that my managers have been great partners at developing and assisting me and then genuinely making
sure that my accomplishments are recognized in other areas of the company."
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| What are the negatives of being a woman in sales at Microsoft?
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| "I haven't had a negative experience as far as being female. In fact, I have worked in two
organizations that have had a broad diversity of employees and it has only assisted me in my own career
and development to learn so much from others."
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| What skills do you need to work in sales at Microsoft?
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| "The skills that I have most utilized are my business and communication skills. Microsoft
is a big company, and having especially strong writing, speaking, and presentation skills have been
foundational for my success, given the many different venues we use to connect with one another.
Additionally, having a genuine interest and aptitude to learn technology is key to knowing how to apply
our solution offerings to our customers' businesses."
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Women in Sales
