The Microsoft MVP Program is one of the most prestigious programs out there for Technology enthusiasts to be awarded in multiple categories of the technology stacks.
The Microsoft Most Valuable Professional Award has been awarded to individuals across the world, it’s a global program usually Microsoft gives these awards to people who share their knowledge across different technology stacks. Usually, people who get awarded the title are technology experts who work with Microsoft directly and indirectly.
Often people who are awarded this title have years of experience and expertise built up over at least 5-10 years, these are usually experts who have their own website, contribute to other communities, they are usually highly active on social media sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, GitHub, they may have even made some well-known publications.
One of the key things Microsoft look at for a potential Microsoft MVP is the impact they make on the communities this will usually be across a year-to-year basis with a renewal in the last 6 months should the candidate wishes to be renewed into the program for the following years.
so how do you become an MVP – Simply get nominated by an Active MVP or Microsoft employee, to do this you should be networking across the industry, speaking at conferences, posting supporting information about different technologies Microsoft offers, giving troubleshooting guidance and supports to individuals across Microsoft Learn and MCT Central, and in general be an active supporting member of the Microsoft Communities.
Some of the key areas Microsoft Looks at are.
Are you an Expert in your field? – Do you have demonstratable expertise and experience.
Perhaps you’ve been recognized by other accredited bodies in the industry as having subject matter expertise, this is a good way to demonstrate that you have standing in the community working with certification providers like Microsoft, CompTIA, GIAC and ISC2 all provide opportunities for you to contribute toward exam developments and beta testing products and features.
Another part to this if have you got qualifications, qualifications across multiple vendors demonstrates your commitment to keeping pace across the industry. Microsoft looks to see what you been doing around this space particularly their certification roadmaps.
Are you involved in community groups these can be both offline and online, community groups can come in many forms, teams’ meetings, meetups, mentoring sessions, questions, and answers and even study groups. Do you participate and is your content viewable for all to see. Have you organized any events recently in your chosen areas and do you enjoy helping others learn all of these demonstrate expertise and support within the Microsoft ecosystem.
Are you a Leader in your field? – Do you lead by example across communities.
Essentially being a leader is all about supporting and guiding others, here Microsoft are looking at things like, do you have a website and or blog site supporting others in their learning paths, are you a leader of an online community group, do you have a YouTube channel that influences other technologists in multiple areas in Microsoft portfolio if so, this is what Microsoft are looking for.
Microsoft puts huge emphasis on leaders who can demonstrate leadership, if you fall into this category chances are Microsoft will be more successful in choosing you as an aspiring MVP. Leaders come in all types maybe you lead out a security group, maybe you lead out an online community, maybe you organise events and live streams if so, this is what Microsoft are looking for.
Are you an Advocate in your field? – Do you consistently promote Microsoft Technologies
Being an advocate is really simple , you get involved , you contribute to making the IT industry better , if you’re a developer that’s going to be GitHub , if your into Intune or windows server that’s going to be writing support guides and debug guides , if your into security you’re going to be writing about and publishing white papers on security I’ve just mentioned three but there are many more things you can do , essentially your jobs as an advocate is to promote Microsoft products and services , you use your leadership skills to help others and lead projects in multiple domains like security infrastructure and Devops. You promote the use of Microsoft products, and you help others in their adoption of these products, Microsoft learn, and tech community are two places you can contribute to the Microsoft ecosystem.
Are you contributing to the IT Profession? – Are you making a meaningful impact.
Contribute because you want to many individuals only contribute to get awarded the MVP Status , if your contributing to other organisations and the general public across platforms , make it known don’t just keep it quiet , create a log of everything you do especially if you have to renew for the next year but write about your experiences , share those with others , demonstrate the qualities of a Microsoft MVP and be consistent don’t just do it for a few months do it every day because you want to , because your passionate about it , because you want to make IT better for the greater good. Having a mentality of helping others without expecting a reward makes you a better person professional and advocate, this is where you learn more about what you must give and as I always say throw back to others to give them a head start in the industry.
Are you Helpful to others?
Helping others is the golden rule here, you need to have previously helped others to be considered helpful e.g. if you setup a user group, promote your members talk about your experiences across different technologies , support your members in their challenging times and provide guidance and supports in the form of mentorship to others , these are all qualities that make you a valuable individual to be part of the MVP Community , regardless of if you get the award this is something you should be doing as it benefits both you and the mentee , its always nice to help others and mentoring can be a great form of this it benefits you as a leader it benefit the candidate as a student and it benefits the profession as we get more people involved to resolve real life problems and help with solutions.
Do you have a good standing in the community?
Having a good standing in the community is key , visibility across all your social networks both online and offline is important , networking build up on these possibilities , having a good standing can be the difference between being awarded and not being awarded , be known for your passion your energy the support you give to others and most important be known for you understanding and support to help others in the community. This goes a long way over time this adds value to you as an IT Professional as you become a trusted advisor so be that person and you’ll see the benefit it gives to both you and the profession.
Most importantly are you passionate about Microsoft Products?
You need to be passionate of Microsoft, certifications, events, conferences, meetups and networking are all elements you need to contribute towards, if your passionate about the products Microsoft Offer this will be an easy win example I’m passionate about Azure and Security so that’s why I was awarded a dual Category MVP Award. Without passionate you won’t succeed, you need to be a voice for all things Microsoft, you need to support their initiative and most importantly you need to have used their products.