Microsoft

"What a nightmare! Everything was fine until I became pregnant. What was said in my review did not match my review score. It became clear that they were trying to manage me out the minute I returned from maternity leave. I left quickly and had another manager beg me to stay as she knew that my crappy review score was going to her. If you have a bad review score they will deny you disability leave so watch out for this. Absolute pleasure leaving this team!"

"Build strong relationships and network a lot. Don't be afraid to try a new role or job and certainly don't believe every bit of feedback you get."

"Network! Find projects that interest you outside of your normal responsibilities. Ask for what you want. If you are a working mom, do what you need to do for your family. Microsoft expects that your family will come first. They will support you!"

"Make the most of your experience but don't be afraid to say 'no'... the extra work you take on may not be worth it."

"Relax. Give yourself a year to learn and get your footing. When your manager assigns you an area to cover, reach out to others to learn everything you can about it. Ask everyone you talk with to suggest another person to talk to. If the conversation goes well and you like the person, ask them if you can meet again at some later date to review your work and get advice. Once you feel comfortable, don't limit yourself to what you're assigned to do -- seek out projects, offer to help others, if you are passionate about something, do it. That's the best kept secret around here: if you tell enough people you're working on something, eventually you will be -- just make sure it falls within your org's product/goals/vision. Have fun and connect with others. It'l be great!"