So, apparently I Have an Interview Opportunity

... with Microsoft. That's right, you heard it, MICROSOFT!

"How could this happen?" you say. "Why would I even apply?" you ask.

Turns out, a while back I went to a meeting where Microsoft was presenting something, advertised by the Computer Science Club. They were giving away free prizes (including an xBox 360), and there was free food. They asked for a resume to be in the drawings. I ended up with free pizza and a small sized "Let's Get Nerdy" t-shirt, nothing good. So, this afternoon I get the following e-mail:

Dear John,

I hope this email finds you well. I am a recruiter from Microsoft and have recently been able to review your
resume. I would very much like to speak with you about opportunities at Microsoft and would like to invite you
to phone interview with me within the next week or two. I have a copy of your resume and would appreciate
about 30 minutes of your time to discuss your qualifications further. If you are interested in speaking with me
about job opportunities at Microsoft, please send me some windows in your calendar over the next two
weeks, and I will schedule a date and time for us to talk. Please send availability in Pacific Standard Time (PST).
Also, please send me a telephone number at which you can be reached (land line preferred).

The headers show that it can from Microsoft's servers in Redmond. The from indicates that it came from a microsoft.com address and was identified as a person from Kelly Staffing, Inc. From what I hear, a few other people who attended that meeting have gotten requests for phone interviews as well.

What should I do? I'm pretty sure I don't have much of a chance actually getting a job at Microsoft, even if I did try. Should I try seriously? I do have connections with people who have interned at Microsoft and are going to intern and who are very familiar with the full-time interviewing process, but these people are far more qualified than I am (and even some of them have been turned down for full-time jobs). Also, I do question the stability and the management of the company as well, for legitimate reasons. The constant delay of Vista is starting to get people inside the company to talk.

Comments

Yes, try seriously. Even if they offer you the job doesn't mean you have to accept

BTW, I'm hanging out w/ an ISU student/mac-addict who shared an amusing job interview question that ISU overall tech support asked: "Name all the data connectors you can." Five minutes later they said, "You can stop now." :)