[Welcome to I Want Her Job's Women at Microsoft Week! Today's article is the last in a series of five that will help you find out what it's like — and how you can — land your dream job at one of the biggest companies changing the face of business.]
Sure, we know Siri, but her counterpart Cortana is quickly gaining traction. As the personal assistant on your Windows Phone, she’s confident and eager to help you succeed, with just the right dash of spirit and spunk. Susan Hendrich, principal program manager lead for the Windows Phone, often wondered, “What would Cortana say?” as she tirelessly worked to breathe life into a tech device and make it a bit more C-3PO and a lot less answering machine-like.
Interviewing the personal assistants of celebrities, Skype calls to India and even drafting a list of likes and dislikes for Cortana is all in a day’s work for Susan. With the announcement of Cortana in April, Susan’s year has been a whirlwind of celebrating the fruition — and exploring the new possibilities — the technology of Cortana can provide. But Susan’s job wasn’t always so fun. In fact, she almost wasn’t even hired by Microsoft! More on that in a moment.