Tatyana Reptevskaya graduated in English and French from MGLU in 1983. Having spent over six years as head of human resources at a Russian subsidiary of Reebok International, she joined Microsoft last year. On her arrival at the software corporation, she was given the responsibility of setting up the department of human resources. It was no small task!

The Leader: How long has Microsoft been in Russia?

Mrs. Reptevskaya: The office was set up in November 1992.

The Leader: What was it that attracted you to Microsoft?

Mrs. Reptevskaya: Microsoft has an excellent team and a good corporate strategy in the area of human resource management. I got the job through the ANCOR employment agency.

The Leader: What are your main responsibilities?

Mrs. Reptevskaya: I work to develop internal HR programs and policies, to ensure that Microsoft’s HR principles are maintained and developed, and that consistent, cost-effective procedures are followed. I also manage relations with outsource to provide them with efficient HR operations. I keep track of relevant legislation in Russia and the C.I.S., implement all aspects of our training and development programs and communicate with our headquarters.

The Leader: What do you enjoy most about your job?

Mrs. Reptevskaya: I like most of what I have to do: recruitment, compensation analysis, HR policies development, etc., but I enjoy dealing with employee training and career development most.

The Leader: What are the most difficult aspects of your job?

Mrs. Reptevskaya: In my last job, I had to reduce job positions, that is, people. I hated it. I faced this in late 1998 and early 1999, during the economical crisis, when I worked for Reebok. As for Microsoft Russia, it was a pleasant surprise for me to learn that no positions were reduced in 1998 or 1999. Salaries were not cut down and medical insurance was not canceled. As a result, Microsoft Russia has kept and developed its main asset — its people.

The Leader: What are the benefits of working for such a large corporation as Microsoft as opposed to a small company?

Mrs. Reptevskaya: All our global business strategies, policies and procedures are established in the company headquarters, and so any subsidiary has access to the corporate guidelines, which is a real advantage as compared to a small Russian company where top managers have to create everything from scratch.

The Leader: What are the disadvantages of working for such a large company? Is it sometimes an impersonal place to work?

Mrs. Reptevskaya: The team at the Microsoft Russia subsidiary has only about 60 employees, so it’s definitely not an impersonal place to work. Employees are involved in a number of cross-functional projects, which means a lot of interaction.

The Leader: What advice would you give to someone who wants to work at Microsoft?

Mrs. Reptevskaya: I would recommend that those people who would like to join the Microsoft team be prepared to work a lot, learn a lot and be responsive and helpful.

The Leader: How possible is it for a Russian graduate without connections to get a job at Microsoft in Moscow?

Mrs. Reptevskaya: It’s realistic, provided the graduate meets the job requirement criteria posted on our Web site.

The Leader: Where do you usually advertise vacancies?

Mrs. Reptevskaya: We usually place ads both on Microsoft’s European and Russian Web-sites.

The Leader: Do you expect applicants to send a cover letter with their resume?

Mrs. Reptevskaya: If applicants send all the necessary information, including their goals and objectives in their resume, then cover letters become redundant. I always read cover letters, but very rarely do they contain any valuable information not reflected in the resume. More often than not it is just information like "I have always wanted to work in your company¾"

The Leader: What do you look for in a resume?

Mrs. Reptevskaya: The most important things we look for are higher education, previous working experience, fluent English and knowledge of Microsoft products and technologies. I advise all applicants to treat their resume seriously, as a resume should show not only data, but also the ability to present relevant information in a concise way.

The Leader: What is the interview procedure like?

Mrs. Reptevskaya: It’s standard: the hiring and HR managers meet with the candidate and ask him or her about any experience and major challenges the candidate may have had in his or her professional career. The best candidates are presented to Managing Director Olga Dergunova for a final interview. After the final decision is made, the candidate is invited for a meeting and an offer is made.

The Leader: What impresses you in an interview?

Mrs. Reptevskaya: The ability to objectively assess one’s strengths and weaknesses and readiness and enthusiasm to learn.

The Leader: What are the main categories of employment at Microsoft in Moscow?

Mrs. Reptevskaya: Sales representatives, sales managers and systems engineers.

The Leader: What does a systems engineer do?

Mrs. Reptevskaya: This is a very general question. If answered in general — then a system engineer’s work could involve any of the following: information systems maintenance; systems design; development and implementation; technical consultancy related to applications; systems software; database or networks. Actual job responsibilities may vary depending on the size of the company where the person works and its business and IT strategy.

The Leader: How much competition is there for job seekers wishing to work at Microsoft?

Mrs. Reptevskaya: There is very tough competition for job seekers as many people wish to work for Micorosoft. We receive resumes from Russia and abroad every day.

The Leader: How has Microsoft found doing business in Russia? Has there been an unusual amount of bureaucracy to deal with?

Mrs. Reptevskaya: We implement Microsoft Corporation strategy but use local tactics. It is really enjoyable to promote high-tech technology and intellectual property principles in a territory of 11 time zones, where efficiency and basic business values are not as entrenched as in most developed countries. We usually don't face bureaucratic problems. Mostly we face problems of intellectual property rights infringements by all levels of "chinovniks."

The Leader: What are Microsoft’s main aims for the next couple of years in Russia?

Mrs. Reptevskaya: To develop its regional presence, work on further developing partner channels and IT services infrastructure in Russia and the C.I.S., stimulate C.I.S. governments to realize the importance of using IT in governmental structures and in educational processes and help C.I.S. companies make their businesses more efficient by using Microsoft technologies.

The Leader: And, last but not least: where do you see yourself in five years’ time?

Mrs. Reptevskaya: In five years’ time I would like to see myself as a Microsoft Russia HR Manager but in a bigger subsidiary.