This accelerated career development program is designed to help us recruit, hire, and develop top talent from around the world and cultivate them as passionate and innovative contributors to our various sales and marketing teams. As a participant, you’ll be hired into a full-time position in an area that suits your qualifications and interests. You’ll receive MACH training and mentoring to help you realize your full potential. The MACH program is global in scale and encompasses all of our regions in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Asia Pacific (APAC), the Americas, Greater China, and Japan. The program provides structured academy training in year one.

• Career development support in year two
• A strong peer and career mentor program
• Global exposure—You’ll participate in worldwide meetings, interact with peers in workshops and trainings, and leverage technology to foster your global community. You’ll also have opportunities to travel and enjoy experiences planned exclusively for MACH participants. Recent MACH trainings have taken place in Atlanta, Singapore, Korea, and throughout Europe.

Specific positions available under MACH include Technical Account Managers, Consultants, Technology Specialists, Inside Sales, Customer Service and Support, Developer Evangelists, and Technical Presenters.

Training
As a potential MACH Graduate, we know you’ve got a passion for technology. Otherwise you wouldn’t be here.

However, a vital part of our philosophy is the belief that talent needs to grow and knowledge needs to diversify in order to remain relevant and fresh. It’s good for you, as you will always be a specialist in your field thanks to some of the best vocational training in the world. And it’s also good for us, as you’ll be our expert in an industry which changes faster than any other.

Below you will find a breakdown of some of the training you can expect to receive at Microsoft:

MACH is a two year programme of balanced work and training which gives all students, irrespective of their particular specialisms, the perfect start to their careers as well as a great opportunity to develop relationships with peers from across the globe. In the first year, you will focus on core skills training which will help develop personal and professional skills, and establish a strong presence within the MACH community. Year 2 focuses on career development initiatives to help you manage your future career at Microsoft.   Throughout all of this you will also have your manager, mentor and buddy on hand to support and structure your development to suit your needs.  The only question is: how will you express yourself? 

The MACH Core trainings include:

• Microsoft Induction in Redmond, Seattle, Washington (this can vary from 1 week to 3 weeks , dependent on your role)
• 2 weeks of professional skills training at a European location , including presentation skills and team learning and development
• MACH Global conference and Microsoft Global Exchange – 1 week global networking experience in the US
• A 3 day virtual scenario -based training, enabling you to practice everything you’ve learnt
• Career strategy workshop and graduation.

On top of all of this you can also expect some tailored training which will help you to be successful in your roles.  This will be dependent on your past experience and your strengths but can include:

• Marketing
• Technical
• Sales

Marketing
Microsoft invests in your first 2 years with the MACH Marketing program. This will provide you with Marketing fundamentals, especially ‘how’ we do marketing at Microsoft; it exposes you to senior marketing leaders, connects you to an incredible global network of marketers and offers career guidance within your profession.

Training includes:

• 2 weeks in the US, one of these weeks at Kellogg in Chicago
• Locally in the UK we also fund CIM (Chartered Institute of Marketing) evening classes through your second year

Technical
2 weeks technical training to equip you with the specialist competencies needed to attain the relevant MCP (Microsoft Certified Professional) qualification for your role. There are 2 different tracks available here.

Training can include:

Developer (MCPD):

• Introduction to VB.Net
• SQL training
• Advance Web Development
• Web Design Training

System Administrator (MCSA):

• Implementing a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Network environment/infrastructure
• Installing and Configuring the Windows Vista Operating System, applications and tools
• Microsoft Exchange Server 2007:  Installing, Managing, Messaging Security

Sales
You will work in a real sales role and get client exposure from day one, and we will give you all the training and tools needed to succeed in this environment.  At the same time you will have mentors and managers with strong sales backgrounds to advise you and help direct you through your first years with Microsoft.  Additional training can include:

• Microsoft Solutions Sales Process
• Spin selling
• Shadowing experienced Business Managers
• Selling the Stack – Product training
• Selling to the board – a 3 day course to allow you to use all the sales skills you have developed in a real and challenging environment with ex-CXO’s to advise and give feedback

Once you complete MACH, you'll become one of our MACH alumni and continue to be part of that community throughout your career at Microsoft.

In terms of what you'll be doing, that could be anything, but what is sure is that you'll continue to be challenged and excited about the opportunities available to you. That's because every single career at Microsoft incorporates – as standard – long-term learning, lateral career development, and a world of opportunity.

The only question left, then, is how exactly will you express yourself in order to fulfill your unique potential?