Young Ghanaian female software engineer Anna Addei has become an integral part of Microsoft’s PowerPoint team.
Her journey to Microsoft though started with a recruitment program that aimed at tapping into African tech talent, straight from African universities.
The former student of Ashesi University heard the news of a recruiting initiative by Microsoft from the career services department at her university and she jumped at the opportunity.
Anna said “It was quite a long recruitment program,” adding that “It had one hackathon, a round of Skype interviews, and then a half-day of onsite interviews at a Microsoft office. I went through that process and praise be to God, I got the job.”
According to Anna the recruiters worked hard to place her on a team that was relevant to her career interests.
For her, that meant landing a job with our PowerPoint team — even though there were no PowerPoint hiring managers present.
“It’s a point that has been reiterated to me during my time at Microsoft,” she said adding that “I know I’m working for a company that is not just interested in me doing a thing for them and they will pay me in return, but they are looking to help me set myself up for a successful career, and help me work on things that I truly care about.”
Meet @serwa_hemaa, a software engineer on our @powerpoint team.
Her journey to Microsoft here in the Bay Area started with a recruitment program that aimed to tap into African tech talent straight from African universities.
Learn more: https://t.co/nul0WyHEMO #MicrosoftLife pic.twitter.com/SEpyHsNQp8
— Microsoft Bay Area (@MSFTBayArea) February 5, 2021
Anna’s former university, Ashesi University is excited about her progress.
Happy to see alumni like Anna blazing the trail! #AshesiAlumni https://t.co/ak5Rql3VJh
— Ashesi University (@Ashesi) February 7, 2021
In 2020, another young Ghanaian digital entrepreneur Ivy Barley joined Microsoft as a program manager.
Barley is the co-founder and CEO of Developers in Vogue, an organization helping women embrace the tech industry.
Her organization which she would still continue to manage has trained and equipped thousands of women in Africa with digital skills.
Developers in Vogue has also provided mentorship and job placement for African women in tech.
Barley as a young STEM enthusiast self-learned her way through coding.
Source: Africafeeds.com
