We’re excited to have Microsoft University Recruiter Kimberly Wagner and Imagine Cup and MSP alumnus Wilson To hosting our Career Week Facebook Live Chat on Thursday, May 16 from 9-10am PDT. Before the chat we asked Kimberly and Wilson to answer a few questions to help students get to know a little bit about them.
Meet Kimberly Wagner
Kimberly is a recruiter based out of Dallas, Texas who helps Microsoft find top talent out of universities. She’ll be able to answer your questions about what students should focus on to make themselves great candidates and what the process of getting hired at Microsoft is like.
Can you tell us a little bit about your role at Microsoft?
As a University Recruiter, I have the incredible privilege of helping to connect talented minds with positions that unite a passion for technology and a desire to make a worldwide impact. I travel the country, meeting some of the most innovative and curious minds who want to change the technology industry.
What's the best part of working for Microsoft?
The best part of working at Microsoft is finding the students smart enough to work at Microsoft, who thought they never had a chance. I am inspired by the passion that students have to change the technology industry.
Do you have a favorite recruiting story you'd like to share?
There are too many great stories to share! Anytime I am able to meet a student on campus, help them realize the potential at Microsoft and match them with their dream job content - one of the many reasons I love my job!
What is your favorite Windows Phone app?
I love Smart Shoot. It shoots five frames for each picture and you can then pick the best faces from each frame to create the best picture of everyone in the photo. It is great for all of those group shots to ensure every photo is perfect. When you are done, you can share your pictures directly to Facebook, Flickr and Twitter.
What is your favorite ice cream?
Birthday Cake Remix from Cold Stone
Meet Wilson To
Wilson is a recent doctoral graduate in Integrated Pathobiology / Comparative Pathology at the University of California, Davis. As a Microsoft Senior Student Partner, he worked with researchers and faculty members to integrate technologies and platforms into their academic curriculum. He competed in Imagine Cup in 2010 and 2011 and mentored a team in 2012. His 2011 project, Lifelens, won an Imagine Cup grant. We asked Wilson a bit about his background and his current role at Caradigm.
Are you still working on LifeLens? How is that going?
We are still actively working on Lifelens, primarily funded through the Imagine Cup Grant received, as well a number of various other competition awards. The team, whose day-to-day functions are primarily driven by Jason Wakizaka, has been working hard and partnering with a few groups to create a robust prototype together. We’ve have since expanded the scope of the project and our technology in computer vision and machine learning to a few other areas of biological relevance.
Can you tell us a little bit about your current role at Caradigm?
I am currently a Product Manager on the Intelligence Platform team that focuses on healthcare application strategies to drive improvements in clinical quality, revenue and cost optimization, and population health management. I work very closely with a number of different healthcare Partners and Organizations to change how healthcare is delivered on a day to day basis, primarily through the meaningful use of technology to drive accountability in care. I also drive a number of innovative development projects around big data and mobile.
What is your dream job?
I think I’m one of the lucky ones who was offered a career opportunity that lines up what I’m most passionate about.
Are there any moments from Imagine Cup that really stand out as great memories for you?
The teams that I have worked with come from across the US – Boston, Los Angeles, Florida, etc. – many times, it is at the Finals when I am able to introduce everyone to each other. That moment when you’re able to see their sense of wonderment and camaraderie that they have built over the past few months is amazing.
What is your favorite Windows Phone app?
Call me a geek, but I love the Microsoft Academic Search (academic publications) and I’ve learned some cool tricks with TouchDevelop.
What is your favorite ice cream?
Ben and Jerry's New York Super Fudge Chunk :)