How can you tell remote jobs are here to stay? Because even after spending all of 2023 pushing back against the concept, the biggest tech companies in the business still have hundreds of 100% work from home positions available.
Microsoft is one of the biggest and oldest names in tech, with a rich history that includes that one time Bill Gates jumped over a chair. Probably some other stuff, too. Look, the point is that the Microsoft name is a great resume builder. Joining up connects you to a high-quality network of tech professionals at every level.
And, with around 890 jobs currently available for remote workers, it’s easier than ever to land yourself a work-from-home position at the Redmond, Washington-based corporation, all without leaving your living room.
Fully Remote Microsoft Jobs: Listings and Locations
Settling into a remote job at Microsoft will be a lot easier if you have a lot of subject authority as a senior engineer or top-level management professional.
But you won’t have to be: Available roles include titles like a Customer Success Account Manager based in San José, Costa Rica (you can still apply even if you’re nowhere near the country) or a Regional Delivery Manager across multiple locations in the US.
Here’s a quick example list of some of the fully remote jobs available at Microsoft:
- Customer Success Account Management (San José, Costa Rica)
- Senior Software Engineer – Azure Storage (Redmond, Washington, US)
- Principal Mechanical Architect (Multiple Locations, US)
- Advertising Account Executive, Travel Industry (Seattle, Washington, US)
- Customer Experience Engineering Manager (Redmond, Washington, US)
- Fiber Delivery Engineer (Multiple Locations, US)
- Director Planning Infrastructure – Systems Applications & Products (Redmond, Washington, US)
- Technical Program Manager (Multiple Locations, US)
- Cybersecurity Incident Response Engineer, Manager (Multiple Locations, UK)
- Senior Content Designer (Redmond, Washington, US)
- Software Engineer – Sales Copilot (Redmond, Washington, US)
- Regional Delivery Manager (Multiple Locations, US)
Microsoft currently has just 408 “job site only” positions available, compared to 893 openings for “up to 100%” work from home positions and a huge 1,726 available jobs for the hybrid-working “up to 50% work from home” crowd.
That’s a huge sign that Microsoft is remote-friendly. After all, we just reported on remote positions at Google that are available this month — and found just 60 fully remote openings at the search giant out of a total of 1,000 open jobs.
Is Remote Work Right for You?
Remote work is not for everyone. Some people try it out only to find they hate the lack of a structured routine that a well-worn commute or a trip to the office break room can provide. And you’ll need to be self-motivated in order to keep plugging away at a nine-to-five without direct supervision outside of a Slack channel.
However, many people find they work far better when the trip to work takes two minutes, and the hubbub of an office building isn’t distracting them.
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Plenty of remote work statistics support the concept, too: Employees report more work-related optimism, while 47% of businesses report boosted productivity among their work-from-home employees.
You’ll want to keep an eye out while job-searching, however: Some positions require in-person travel, while others are unclear on how much remote work will be expected alongside in-person office appearances.
These concessions to physical office space might be reasonable for most workers, but not everyone has even a little flexibility to visit an office for one or two days a week, or even to take a company retreat once or twice a year. The number of Americans with disabilities is higher today than it has ever been since the government started tracking the data in 2008. The Covid-19 pandemic is likely a big cause, given the hike in numbers since it started: The U.S. Department of Labor found in 2022 that the total of disabled adults in the nation had risen by 2.7 million since 2020.
For those with serious reasons to stay entirely remote — from childcare needs to physical disabilities — even one day a week in a physical office can derail everything.
Should You Work at Microsoft?
One thing’s for sure: You’ll need to know Microsoft Teams inside and out. As the company’s personally branded method of syncing up in-person and remote workers alike, Teams is going to be your main tool for tasks like internal communication and meeting schedules. Microsoft has even used Teams to run a massive 500-person live global meeting that spanned an impressive 48 different countries.
But is Microsoft truly remote-friendly, or is it all a PR stunt? Commenters on the Microsoft subreddit seem to be largely affirming that the company really is happy to employ entirely at-home workers, even if they’re in another state or country outside of Washington state in the US. In fact, the company-wide accessment of remote work is that nearly anyone can do it:
“The official policy is that everyone can work from home up to 50%, or 100% if you have management approval (some roles aren’t eligible to WFH, but they’re rare)” –Reddit commenter
A few caveats worth keeping in mind: Microsoft will adjust your wages to stay competitive with the area you live in, rather than the area you’re remotely commuting to. Within the US, there isn’t a huge difference, but if you’re in, say, the UK, Microsoft may offer you a lower salary than they’d offer an equivalent US-based role.
On the whole, though, Microsoft doesn’t seem likely to pull the rug out from under you by revoking their remote-friendly policies — even if steady remote work is getting a lot tougher these days.
How to Apply for Fully Remote Jobs at Microsoft
If Microsoft sounds like a fit for you, you’re ready for the next step: Filling out a few (or a few dozen) online applications.
You can visit Microsoft’s dedicated job opening website now and search for open positions by a variety of metrics including profession, discipline, and employement type. On the “work site” dropdown, you’ll see options for “Up to 100% work from home,” “Up to 50% work from home,” and “Microsoft job site only,” letting you chose how much remote work fits your work style.
