[saagarjha]

That job description is strange to me–how could they ask for experience with an internal tool? Is it just a filtering mechanism to hire ex-Microsoft employees? This seems like an Apple job posting asking for experience with XBS, or an Amazon one asking for Brazil familiarity–unless this has been published in some form to the public, like Google and Facebook have done?

> #gamingjobs

Heh. Someone needs to tell Microsoft recruiting to dial back the "fellow kids" :P

[bri3d]

Most large companies, for various legal, policy, and compliance reasons, require job requisitions to be posted externally in order to be posted for internal hiring and vice versa. This job listing is probably intended to make an internal hire.

[iso8859-1]

But why not list it as a "required" qualification then? This way, people will apply because they think it isn't necessary.

[throwaway0a5e]

Because some middle manager is likely filling out a web form with zero regard for accuracy because it's just a formality they already have someone in mind and HR is gonna bin all the resumes anyway.

[kevin_thibedeau]

If that someone is a guest worker the job posting is legally required.

[thisisnico]

I've seen companies list x number of requirements and hire someone that doesn't meet any of the "requirements".

[ethbr0]

Obvious that person had great culture-fit. /s

[baq]

the company and the hiring manager are interchangeable here and it's a lot easier to make sense of this if you know that it's basically one person making this decision instead of some nondescript black box grinding gears.

[ghaff]

People will apply anyway because so many requirements aren't.

Also, people do boomerang to companies they've worked at before.

[easton]

They do it if there is a candidate(s) internally they want to hire, but HR requires (either because of laws or internal policy) that they also look for outside candidates. The outsiders won't pass the screening because they don't have experience with the required tool, and the team gets to hire the person they wanted anyway.

[crmd]

That's exactly what it is. I worked at IBM many moons ago, and at one point was asked to create a list of job requirements that would ensure I was provably the only person in the world who met the constraints. Big companies are weird, man.

[TeMPOraL]

It's also how procurement works in the public sector. Either of their own, or with a help of an external consultant, public sector workers will create a set of requirements that are tailored to fit a particular desired supplier, with a bunch of extra bullshit requirements thrown in so that technically allows other competitors, and doesn't look obviously illegal.

[wang_li]

Once worked with a network guy who always specced out EIGRP as a requirement to ensure he always got Cisco routers.

[salawat]

Suddenly that contracting company asking me to fudge the wording on my work experience is starting to make sense...

[Nextgrid]

How would this comply with the law if an external candidate would have no chance to pass anyway (due to work experience required with an internal tool not available to the public)?

Wouldn't posting a job that an external candidate has no chance of obtaining still violate the intent of that law?

[ponker]

There can be external candidates with that qualification. In general the standard is “Bona Fide occupational qualification” which means that you have a legitimate reason for the requirement. For a college hire this would likely not suffice ... you can teach a college hire what they need to know. For the engineering director running the project it very well might be.

[yodsanklai]

Incidentally, a bunch of people outside Microsoft had access to these tools (e.g. academics).

[slaymaker1907]

The job posting lists it as something preferred but not a hard requirement.

[aYsY4dDQ2NrcNzA]

Don’t forget former employees.

[saagarjha]

I wonder if you can still apply if you're managed to sus out the requisite experience through reverse engineering…

[R0b0t1]

Depends, some places only want to count experience if it can be linked to hours you billed.

[cartoonfoxes]

Seems perfectly legitimate to me. Returning, former employees, are a thing.