Getting to know datacenter employees: Chihiro Mita

Microsoft’s success depends on our people. We are proud to introduce some of the talented folks in your community who work in our global datacenters. Discover what inspired them to seek a career in the tech industry, the different pathways they pursued, and what a day in the life of a datacenter employee looks like.

Introducing Chihiro Mita

Datacenter Inventory & Asset Technician

Tokyo, Japan

Employee since April 2023

Early days

Chihiro was raised in a small town in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. Her parents worked very hard, so her grandfather took care of her. She was not interested in technology in her youth; instead, Chihiro studied English in junior high school. She recalls, “English became my motivation and hobby. I started to think of working in an international environment.” Chihiro began her career as an English teacher, but in time felt the need for a change.

The path to technology

As a young teen, Chihiro had been interested in someday working for an international company and using her English language skills. The opportunity presented itself when she learned of the Microsoft datacenter. “Two years ago, my colleague suggested a job at Microsoft,” Chihiro recalls. “Her husband works as a datacenter technician.” To get involved in the datacenter, Chihiro applied to the inventory technician position. Now, Chihiro is happy to contribute to customers through technology.

Superpowers

“I think my superpower is flexibility,” Chihiro says. Her experience working in several different job sectors, from education to technology, has helped her learn to communicate with many different people with various job titles and experiences. Flexibility is particularly useful when launching a new career: “With flexibility, I can be calm and adapt to a new environment.”

A day in the life

Chihiro arrives at her office and checks her email and schedule for the day. She makes a list of what needs to be done that day. Every day begins with a meeting, where Chihiro joins other datacenter technicians and managers to share information and discuss the tasks they will tackle that day. Depending on the day, she might guide the introduction of new racks and servers to the datacenter, check item quantities for equipment deliveries or inventory, or perform cycle audits to assess the status and security of the equipment. As a new hire, she sometimes joins training sessions.

Favorite childhood food

Chihiro’s favorite childhood food is sashimi. She grew up in a small town surrounded by the sea, so she had plenty of fresh and tasty fish in her childhood. Every time she goes home on the weekend, her grandfather will prepare her sashimi or sushi with local fish.

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