Jason Schaaf: Global Sales Leader, Azure Defender for IOT, Microsoft
The Old Grad Story:
Jason served as a Field Artillery Officer for five years, then left the Army to start at EMC through their sales associate program. After advancing through numerous sales leadership roles across EMC, Symantec and Palo Alto, Jason eventually became the Chief Revenue Officer of CyberX. He joined Microsoft after its acquisition of CyberX, and currently leads global sales for the Azure Defender product line.
Old Grad Knowledge:
Coming out of the Army, you might not have the [industry] domain knowledge, but you have the ability to view problems, work through them and influence people to get them on your side. Focus on weaving a story that translates those abilities in a way [civilians] can understand.
I love to help people when they reach out. Reach out, ask for help, and network – industry really values your [JMO] skill sets, and there are many people who want to help you succeed.
Remain open-minded about what is possible; be bold, be aggressive, and don’t be afraid to come up with some crazy goals!
Building a Career at Microsoft
· Demonstrating a growth mindset and commitment to continuous learning are key to entering Microsoft and thriving within it. West Point and the Army provide us experiences to demonstrate both – use stories to illustrate these qualities!
· Army Officers have experience running cross-functional programs with diverse stakeholders – Microsoft values those experiences and skill sets.
· Getting into Microsoft is the hard part – once you get in, the mobility to different functions and products is high. There is tremendous opportunity to try new things and find assignments that you’re passionate about.
· The most common ways for veterans to get in are 1) by getting an MBA, 2) through programs like Breakline, and 3) via the Microsoft Systems and Software Academy.
· People often undervalue the potential of a tech sales career path, but recruiters are hungry for talented performers with a sales background.
