Author: Karen K. Ngo
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How to Manage Critical Changes in Your Career
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Since joining Microsoft as a new grad, I was lucky enough to meet and learn from Hema Sandhu, National Director of Customer Success at Microsoft Canada. I’ve always been inspired by Hema’s calm air of authority in business meetings, and I also felt empowered by her guidance and advice in…
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What They Don’t Tell You About Home Ownership
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For those who enjoyed the 3-part series on Hard Lessons About Buying My First Home, I am back with more transparency about this topic. When people talk about homeownership, a sort of glorification comes with it—like all of your financial problems are solved because you’re now contributing towards your own…
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Top 10 Takeaways from “Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office: Unconscious Mistakes Women Make That Sabotage Their Careers”
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On March 9, Microsoft hosted the Women at Microsoft Summit 2022 in celebration of International Women’s Day. I had the opportunity to present a live breakout session on my top learnings from reading Lois P. Frankel’s Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office: Unconscious Mistakes Women Make That Sabotage Their…
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How to Build a Career Walking Deck That Impresses Hiring Managers
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For those of you who are looking to differentiate yourself in the job market, keep reading! Today’s blog post will feature great advice from LJ Marinello, Sr. Director of Global Partner Solutions at Microsoft, on how to build an effective walking deck. If you haven’t heard of what a career…
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1 Month Life Update: I’m Getting In Over My Head!
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For the past few months, the whirlwind of uncertainty revolving around my life and career has somehow evolved into a tornado of angst and gusto! Let’s rewind to the Fall of 2021, when I: Started transitioning into my new role as a Communications Manager with Microsoft HQ. Became a homeowner…
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Become a Thought Leader That Reaches Thousands of People
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This week, I participated as a speaker for the Microsoft SPARK Conference 2022, which is a virtual learning event for 30K+ employees. This year, there were 800+ speakers around the world who touched on a variety of technical and non-technical skilling topics. In my workshop, I share the cool opportunities…
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Please Don’t Just Say “Hello” in Chat
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Some time ago, I saw someone’s Microsoft Teams status mention nohello. It was simple but life changing, and I’ve been using/sharing it ever since. What to remember: Don’t ping someone with a simple “Hello!” or “How are you?” and wait for them to respond. Make your message useful by providing…
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First Impressions: The 6 Biggest Shockers of Seattle Living (so far)
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It’s been 2 weeks since I’ve crossed the Canada & U.S. border, and the adjustment has been much more than I had anticipated. Today, I am going to share a few of my first impressions and biggest changes or shockers so far… Let’s just say it’s been a very interesting…
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My L-1B Blanket Visa Process 101
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For those of you who are new to my blog, I share my experiences and learnings related to career development and life! Recently, I moved to the U.S. for my new job as a Communications Manager at Microsoft. Today, I shall share all the details about what the U.S. visa…
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Top 10 Questions About My Move to Seattle
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Over the weekend, I finally made my way across the border and landed in ☀️ Sunny Seattle (jk lol). I am still trying to get used to the grey skies and USD prices, but it’s been an eventful start to my journey so far. For those of you who aren’t…