When computer science graduate Laila Albalkhi celebrated her convocation in June, she already had her sights set on her next chapter: joining one of the world’s leading tech companies.

Albalkhi is now just over two weeks into her job as a software engineer at Microsoft in Redmond, Wash.

While no stranger to the company — having interned twice in Microsoft’s Toronto office during her undergraduate studies — Albalkhi said the application process for this position was intense. It included a 30-minute “behavioural” interview with human resources, followed by two 45-minute technical interviews where she was required to show her coding skills in front of a manager.

“It was very intimidating,” Albalkhi recalled. “I thought I bombed the first round. I figured my nerves had gotten the best of me, and I truly believed I didn’t get the job and that it was over. With that mindset, I approached the second round much more relaxed, thinking, I’ll learn from the experience.’ There’s a bit of luck involved too, and everything ended up working out — I got the job and I love it!”

During her four years at the University of Windsor, Albalkhi was an active member of the Computer Science Society and was part of the Outstanding Scholars program, both experiences she credits with helping her land the software engineer role.

“I think the biggest part of the prep initially was making sure my resumé was as perfect as it could be. When I was in my second year, I put my resumé on our resumé critique channel and I reached out to people I knew who had internships that year, people who were about to graduate, and a career advisor. I got a lot of really great feedback, telling me how to adjust my layout, what program to use, and all of that. Your resumé is your first foot in the door. If they like your resumé then they’ll call you for an interview,” Albalkhi said.

In addition to learning technical skills and team building in her classes, Albalkhi also credits her work in the Outstanding Scholars program and other extracurricular activities with gaining vital experience to help her stand out as a candidate.

She worked with professor Pooya Moradian Zadeh in her first year and had the opportunity to work with a non-profit organization to help create an information management system.

“I was able to put that research experience that was related to software engineering and the field that I was looking into on my resumé. I was also a teaching assistant at the time. So Outstanding Scholars had a huge role in giving me experience outside of my coursework,” Albalkhi said.

Now settled in the Seattle area, Albalkhi is enjoying her new city and looking forward to reconnecting with other former interns.

“The city itself is nice. It rains but I don’t have to shovel rain,” she joked. “And some of the friends that I interned with are also moving back so I’m excited to spend some time with them. It feels like a new chapter; I’m excited.”

Alumni Week festivities continue through the weekend.

The Sept. 28 “Saturday Afternoon on Sunset” community event offers family entertainment and activities from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. outside the Welcome Centre.

Lancer football will put its undefeated record on the scrimmage line Saturday, hosting the Toronto Varsity Blues at Alumni Field. Kick-off is at 7 p.m.

Organizers have cancelled the Engineering Car Meet originally scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 29, due to concerns about inclement weather.