[Daniel_Newby]

"Whenever you apply for a position inside Microsoft, first question hiring manager asks is: What are your last three/four/five review scores?"

Does anyone know the rationale for blocking internal transfers? If somebody is unhirable by all teams but one, why are they not fired? If a manager might need a sacrificial goat, why would he not hire a proven low performer?

[twoodfin]

I can imagine at least three rationales:

- Avoid "manager shopping", wherein a low performing employee transfers from group to group until he finds one that doesn't recognize his lack of competence. Similarly, communicate to the low-ranked employee that his only path to redemption is with his current group.

- Encourage effort from employees who are dissatisfied with their current group. Continue to perform or you won't be able to switch.

- Discourage managers from handing out worse reviews to team members whom they'd just like to see leave the group, as opposed to genuinely poor performers.

But I'd love to hear the real reasons.

[anotherblue]

Typically, even if hiring manager would like you one way or another (either he genuinely believe that you can perform, or he wants sacrificial lamp), usually he is under orders from VP level which forbid interviewing anybody with bad mark in last three years.

However, those who call out VP orders are weak managers anyway, so you do not want to go work for them. A manager who hired me actually was impressed by me enough to go to director and bat for me to give me a chance to interview...