I was contacted by a contingent staffing company (I think they found me on Monster) about contract work at Microsoft. This intrigued me at the time, so I took a

I was contacted by a contingent staffing company (I think they found me on Monster) about contract work at Microsoft. This intrigued me at the time, so I took a 6-month contract, during which I earned respect and made friends. They extended the contract a couple of times, and then I was encouraged to apply for a full time position. I still had to do a regular interview loop, but I think their perception was colored by the fact that they had already seen a lot of my production code, and thought it was good. This was perfect for me, because due to the way my mind works, I would much, much rather "interview" by doing a few months of real software development, than by floundering around on the spot with clever questions about manhole covers, weighing billiard balls, egg drops, etc.