“For many young people, a career with Microsoft is the dream job, which is very helpful when we are looking for people to join us. The problem appears when we evaluate the language skills of candidates, as there are few specialists on the market who speak a second foreign language fluently,” Bigas said. Most IT specialists have good English skills.
Microsoft opened a Technical Support Center in Bucharest in February 2007, which currently has in excess of 100 employees, whose numbers are increasing, according to Bigas.
Targeted candidates are specialists able to provide IT support services for enterprise clients in Europe, so they need to speak a second foreign language.
The company has training programs for students, in an attempt to create a talent base of future employees. This year, some 40 students are to attend a two-month training session at the support center. Furthermore, students can apply for training at Microsoft’s U.S. headquarters in Redmond.
