Have you been wondering what cloud computing roles we have here at Microsoft? Or how we evaluate cloud computing talent? If so, this is the series for you.

In Part I, we discussed "Cloud computing talent: What is it?" with Microsoft's Chandra Prasad, one of the world's foremost authorities on cloud computing. In Part II, we looked at "Cloud computing talent: Who is it?" with Chandra and Yunus Mohammed, the Dev Manager with Windows Azure team. Part III was "Cloud Computing Talent: What do we look for?" again with Chandra.

Today, we'll consider Part IV "Cloud computing talent: What if no cloud experience?

Cloud Computing is relatively new, so we have a smaller pool of candidates with direct cloud experience in the industry or at the university level. Please clarify: what are the other skills we look for in the absence of direct cloud experience?

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Have you been wondering what cloud computing roles we have here at Microsoft? Or how we evaluate cloud computing talent? If so, this is the series for you.

In Part I, we discussed "Cloud computing talent: What is it?" with Microsoft's Chandra Prasad, one of the world's foremost authorities on cloud computing. In Part 2, we looked at "Cloud computing talent: Who is it?" with Chandra and Yunus Mohammed, the Dev Manager with Windows Azure team.

Today, we're going to examine "Cloud Computing Talent: What do we look for?" - again with Chandra.

What are the core skills we look for in a person with cloud computing related experience?
First and foremost, we are still looking for the basic core competencies and great software engineering skills that we would look for in any other position. We still expect that they are solid software engineers, have good customer focus, have great communication skills, and can collaborate and make the team around them better.

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Have you been wondering what cloud computing roles we have here at Microsoft? Or how we evaluate cloud computing talent? If so, this is the series for you.

In Part I, we discussed "Cloud computing talent: What is it?" with Microsoft's Chandra Prasad, one of the world's foremost authorities on cloud computing.

Today we follow up with Chandra for Part 2 of our series "Cloud computing talent: Who is it?"

Yunus Mohammed, the Dev Manager with Windows Azure team, assisted with the answer.

Who qualifies as someone who has cloud computing experience?

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After the positive response to my earlier JobsBlog interview with Chandra Prasad, I decided to do a full series of interviews with him about the nature of cloud computing talent.

Chandra is the Development Manager in the Distributed Application Server group in the Business Platform Division, which is a long way of saying that he is one of the world's foremost authorities on cloud computing.

Have you been wondering what cloud computing roles we have here at Microsoft? Or how we evaluate cloud computing talent? If so, this is the series for you.

For Part 1 "Cloud computing talent: What is it?", I asked Chandra, "What is the definition of cloud computing talent?"

Read on for Chandra's answer...

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If you want to work at Microsoft, an important question to consider is: What constitutes quality code?

"Quality code" means so much more than just meeting customer requirements, high code coverage and shipping on time.

 The Cloud, mobile and the online space present new challenges that did not exist in standard packaged software. Our online presence “is” our presence and, as an engineer, you need to ensure a few things to deliver quality.

Read my list of four essentials to writing quality code in this new era:

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‘Softie in question: Chandra Prasad

Job title: Development Manager in the Distributed Application Server group in the Business Platform Division

Chandra on the forefront of the Cloud. He works on the AppFabric Foundation on Windows Server and Windows Azure.  In simple terms, Chandra oversees the development of some of the most cutting-edge technology in the world. That said, he believes that even in the most advanced of work environments, there is great value in a reliable manager.

Chandra, how did a manager affect your success at Microsoft?
I joined Microsoft as an industry hire with 15+ years of industry experience. While this experience was was relevant, it was even more important that I contextualized this experience to Microsoft. The manager who hired me into Microsoft played a crucial role in helping me fit my past experience into my new position at Microsoft, providing me with the right set of opportunities to showcase my strengths and establish credibility on the team. He helped me to build connections and networks that served me well.

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While the iPhone 4 is grabbing headlines this week, reviews and commentary are less hyperventilating than for versions past. Major tech blog, Gizmodo, notes fierce competition including the coming strength of Windows Phone 7 and the "glimpse of the future" set forth by Microsoft's Kin phone.

In its list of reasons NOT to buy an iPhone 4, Gizmodo says that Windows Phone 7 is "looking great." They go on to write, "Think about how you feel today, in terms of [iPhone] enthusiasm. Now try to imagine how you'll feel after... an entirely new OS—and accompanying, varied hardware—from Microsoft. Kind of tempers the magic, no?"

Regarding Microsoft's other mobile device, Kin, Gizmodo states that Kin users "glimpse the future of Microsoft, and without knowing it, the future of how we use gadgets." They argue that certain Kin features tell of Microsoft's advantage in cloud computing and explain, "Google, Apple and Microsoft are all run by people who understand, to varying degrees, that our data is moving online, and all of the companies want to be there when this finally happens, dutifully archiving, repurposing and serving all of your information. Microsoft is just two steps ahead."

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‘Softie in Question: Amy Lin

Job title: Project Manager for Excel Services. I work on Excel in the Cloud. The Project Manager role is much more multi-faceted than it sounds. We’re at the intersection of project managers, designers and customer champions!

You’re in your early 20s and you’re a Project Manager at Microsoft… you must be doing something right. Did you always know that you wanted to work for Microsoft?
I grew up around here and starting building websites when I was 11 and was programming games like Monopoly by high school. We only had one computer science class in my high school, but it led me to the Microsoft high school internship program - which was only for students in the Seattle-area.

I didn’t do big stuff during the internship and wasn't totally set on returning to Microsoft, but it was good industry exposure. Up until that point, I had no idea what “computer science” really meant or how it could actually be applied. I just knew I was interested in technology.

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