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Thursday, November 13, 2008

So you want to be Microsoft Student Partner??

First of all: Good news! I've been selected as a Microsoft Student Partner!! and I just received the official letter (Ofcourse the results were out in the start of this month!). To know about how my MSP exam was, check my eariler blog post!

For those wondering what this Microsoft Student Partner is all about, read on!

Microsoft Student Partners Logo Created by Rasagy Sharma aka RaSh

[Logo modified by me :) ]

Microsoft Student Partners is a Global program that aims to find college students passionate about technology and willing to learn and share their knowledge.

MSPs get a chance to interact with other MSPs all over the world, as well as Microsoft Professionals. Apart from this, they get to attend Exclusive MSP Boot-Camps by Microsoft and much more!

Not to forget, they also get Internship & Recruitment opportunities at Microsoft & partners.

You can register (Last chance for this year!) latest by 16th November, ’08

Time's Up!! Anyway go check http://student-partners.com/ for more info!

Imagine Cup 2009 Logo by Rasagy Sharma aka RaShWhen you'll apply for MSP, you have to also take part in Imagine Cup. Open to students around the world, Imagine Cup involves using Technology to make a difference to the world. It aims at finding solutions to real world issues and has come a long way in the past 6 years.

From Short Film Making to Game Development, Photography to Software Designing, Imagine Cup has something for everyone!

To Register, Head on to: http://imaginecup.com/ 

PS: While registering, please give the Referral Code as “Rasagy” J

PPS: You can apply for Imagine Cup 2009 (In Egypt this time) without applying for MSP too! Check it out!

All the best!

20 comments:

Divesh said...

congrats!! (officially)

RaSh said...

@Divesh: Thanks!! *Bows down*

None said...

Wtf the US is not on there.

Gratz, btw.

RaSh said...

OMG!
They have Burkina Faso.. but not US!!
Maybe they don't think they need MSPs there :P :P

Anonymous said...

congos rasagy!!.. not what are we supposed to do, now that we are officially selected as MSPs

RaSh said...

Thanks! :)
Start conducting short sessions etc on Microsoft Technologies!! And also, drive participation for Imagine Cup (like I'm doing!) :D

Already had one session about MSP & Imagine Cup. Now have tests coming :(
All the best!

Anonymous said...

same here... pracs starting in a weeks time.. also to drive participation for imagine cup u need to participate yourself also na which i m not atleast this year

RaSh said...

Atleast try out the IT Challenge (and photography etc..??)

One of your goals is to get people to take part in Imagine Cup, so you have to register for Imagine Cup. Participating in Imagine Cup is also a task :P

Anonymous said...

ya i registered for the IT challenge.. the main task is to drive participants and clear 1st round (which is BTW very tough, after seeing the practice question for november). now the problem with driving participants is that this week is the last working week. the next week is pracs and then end sems, so basically no time for holding any seminar or anything like that... I am worried, what to do???

RaSh said...

I guess blogging could be the best way, apart from word of mouth and Putting up Notices/Posters. :D

Btw when does your college start??

Anonymous said...

the restarts on 5th jan 2009... also how do i manage studies for my end sems n pracs n studies for the IT challenge... seems quite hard

RaSh said...

True.. Pretty hard to achieve the targets they've given. I guess they should change the deadlines a bit :(

Let's see what everyone else is doing.. :)

Shane said...

Hi! This is in response to your comment that there aren't any MSPs in the US. Actually there are. You have to click on North America on the student-partners site for the US and Canada!

RaSh said...

Ah my bad really.. Infact now I know a couple of MSPs from US who are working at Microsoft.

Can't believe I was so dumb to not notice the North America section :embarrassed:

Thanks for pointing that out! :)

Shane said...

Hi Rash. I got a mail from MS that I can expect a call within 2 weeks. (I cleared the IT challenge and got those 10 referrals required). So what can I expect the next rounds to be? Interview or GD? Either way please post some tips.

RaSh said...

Hey Shane! Congrats once again!
I don't know many guys who applied, so I guess I'll just write some tips as a comment here instead of making a separate post.

There are 3 ways (that I've heard of) through which MS has shortlisted candidates over the past few years:

1. Phone In Interview: This was done earlier (2007), where you were called by a MS representative and asked some questions. They are generally a mix of technical & logical questions, aimed at judging how well you can adapt and respond to queries. They also evaluate your speaking skills, the way you present your idea and how well you keep your cool.

Though they aren't done in India anymore, the key to crack them is to speak a little slowly (so you are coherent & clear), yet fluently. Also, try and avoid pausing and then thinking. It's better to start off with a simple idea and keep building on it while you speak. The skills required are pretty similar to the Interview, though the latter tends to be harder at times. ;)

2. Group Discussions: GDs are very popular and I'm sure you've heard a lot of tips on how to crack GDs. Still, remember the basics of a GD: You aren't there to just speak (unlike Phone In/Interviews). Equal (& sometimes more) weightage is given to how you listen to others and respond to what they are saying.

Try not to take a strong stance initially. Be open to suggestions & ideas and try to convince other students to understand the merits of your point. Sometimes, you may even have to change your stance (If you're doing this, clearly point what all reasons led you to change your view). Also, try & be concise, as everyone gets only a few minutes to put forth their views.

Don't forget to listen to others and jot down their key points. Some lines I frequently use in GDs are:
"I would like to add on to what ABC said about Blah Blah.."
"I feel ABC is trying to throw light on Blah Blah.."
"I agree with ABC that Blah Blah is Blah Blah.."

"When ABC talked about Blah Blah, he forgot to consider the fact that.."
"I would now like to present the other side of what ABC spoke about.."
"I feel if THIS & THIS is done, then we could easily solve what ABC felt could be a hinderance.."

Something on these lines prove that you've been listening to what others are saying and not just saying a prepared speech.

3. Interview: There isn't much to tell about this (I'm sure you know a lot about Interviews!) Still, try to keep your cool & stay confident through out the interview. If you are not sure of a question, politely say, "I'm not sure about ABC technology, but I feel it's related to blah blah and hence...". And always try and smile if there's something funny (Rare) :D

* Eye Contact: In GDs & Interviews, make sure you glance at everyone once a while. In interviews, speaking while looking in their eyes shows that you're confident (Try not to shake legs, move fingers, slur/stutter etc.)

* Technical Topic: It's a nice idea to prepare as much as you can, but if you end up with something you haven't heard of, try and first listen to everyone in a GD. Then try and link up the points. ("From what I understood, I think Blah Blah should be..")

That's it! It might seem too trivial (and obvious) for some (I'm not sure how useful it was), but that's all I could think of.

All the best! Do let me know how it goes!

PS: Drop me a mail if you need more help.. Or leave a comment here!

Shane said...

Thanks a lot. I really appreciate it.

RaSh said...

Anytime Shane!

Oh & do let me know what they ask you! And ofcourse, don't forget to tell me when you get selected! ;)

All the best!

Abhishek said...

HI! Its really nice to read all of this stuff. I will return hear to read more. Recently I have been shortlisted for phone-in interview for MSP. kept my fingers crossed. Let's see what happens.
Thanks
Abhishek Bhattacharya

RaSh said...

@Abhishek: Congrats for getting shortlisted!

Just try & be clear and audible for the phone-in interview. And make sure everyone in your house knows about the interview timings (You wouldn't want your mom screaming at you while you're giving the interview! :P )

All the best! Let me know how it goes!

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