How I Got 2 Microsoft Job Offers at Once After More Than 50 Rejections

This as-told-to essay is predicated on a dialog with Benjamin Phillips, 26, who is predicated in Seattle. He’s a enterprise program supervisor for Minecraft at Microsoft. Enterprise Insider has verified his job functions and employment; Microsoft declined to remark for this story. This piece has been edited for size and readability.

Once I was about 9 years outdated, my dad acquired us our first Xbox, and it modified our world. I am the oldest of three boys, and after we weren’t enjoying sports activities outdoors, we have been at all times enjoying Name of Responsibility or Halo collectively.

Xbox was my introduction to each gaming and Microsoft. As I went by faculty, I stored utilizing the corporate’s merchandise, like Phrase, PowerPoint, and the remainder of the Workplace suite.

It grew to become my dream to work at Microsoft, and as soon as I noticed that they had business-facing roles in gaming, these grew to become my dream jobs.

I arrange an e-mail alert for non-technical jobs at Microsoft

Midway by my junior yr at Miami College in Oxford, Ohio, I went to play skilled basketball and volleyball within the Philippines, the place I stayed till 2024, whereas additionally finishing my undergraduate research and an MBA.

From January 2024, I used to be again within the US, networking and making use of for jobs, targeted on getting a role at Microsoft. The primary job I utilized for on the firm was a enterprise advertising and marketing function. I used to be unsuccessful.

I arrange an alert system in order that at any time when a non-technical function opened up, I obtained a weekly e-mail notification.

Going through rejection after rejection, I attempted to work out what was unsuitable with my résumé. I stored altering it and even hired a résumé service to assist. I adopted the recommendation of constructing it extra action-oriented and metrics-focused.

I knew the truth of the scenario: I used to be competing in opposition to 1000’s of different candidates for every Microsoft function.

I needed to do issues in another way.

Constructing relationships was important

I began cold-networking on LinkedIn. I subscribed to LinkedIn Premium and messaged anybody I may discover at Microsoft. I had two college connections who labored there in junior roles and gave referrals, however I used to be nonetheless rejected.

In late 2024, I linked on LinkedIn with a former govt on Microsoft’s Minecraft crew. She informed me she hardly ever obtained messages asking about her journey. We hit it off, and she or he gave me a heads-up on a job on the Minecraft crew.

Whereas I used to be ready to listen to again from the functions, I accomplished each LinkedIn Microsoft certification I may discover.

By early 2025, I had greater than 50 rejections, however as I knew from enjoying basketball, you solely want one shot to go in.

After 15 months of silence and rejection, I acquired two Microsoft presents on the similar time, each in April 2025. One was engaged on the Microsoft Floor Professional, and the opposite was with Xbox, working on Minecraft — the function my LinkedIn connection had alerted me to

I really feel like I am the place I am meant to be

Once I acquired the Minecraft provide, it was my birthday weekend. I broke down, cried, and praised God.

To rejoice, my household and I went to see the Minecraft film. Watching it, I assumed, “This feels loopy. That is my firm now.”

Once I sit within the Minecraft workplace, it looks like I am my 9-year-old self once more, however now I am creating video games for the following wave of youngsters. It looks like I am the place I am meant to be on the proper time.