Microsoft Interview Guide

Tejasvee Sharma

Oct 14, 2021 - 10 Min read

There is no working professional who don’t know about Microsoft and who don’t want to join it. It is a dream job for mostly all the professionals, each of them want to join this MNC. But they don’t know how to get in there, how to apply for Microsoft Jobs? What is the Microsoft interview process? So, here we have brought the complete guide of Microsoft recruitment process which tells you about its application process, selection criteria, and tips to follow before and during interview, candidate’s interview experiences and lot more.

About Microsoft:

You all very well know about Microsoft and what it do, so here we are providing so briefing which might be helpful to you during your interview. Microsoft is founded in April 4, 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, headquartered at Washington, U.S. It deals in developing computer software, OS and electronics. Some of its highly popular software products are the Microsoft Windows line of operating systems, Microsoft Office suite, and Internet Explorer and Edge web browsers. The company has 182,268 employees and valued at over $1 trillion in 2019.

Benefits to Employees:

Microsoft provides good benefits to their employees, out of which some are:

Generous salary and excellent package
Healthcare insurance to employee and their dependents
Its headquarters has on-site shops and services with good discounts
Employees get the access of company shuttle bus

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Microsoft Job Application Process:

You need to apply for the job first by making a Microsoft account to set up a personal profile which also helps you in receiving relevant job alerts and check the status of your application(s). You need to follow these steps to create an account and apply for a job.

Go to Microsoft Careers Page.
Now search relevant jobs and you can customize the details and select a job.
Read description, qualification and all the details mentioned in the job profile.
Now create a Microsoft account (if you don’t have one).
Add personal details, qualification, professional details and complete the profile.
Finally Submit the resume and Apply for the Job.

Your application will be screened by the Talent Team, and if found suitable for the job role, they recruiter will contact you for phone screening.

Core Competencies

During interviews apart from technical questions you’ll be asked competency-based questions. So while answering keeps these core competencies in mind. These are Microsoft core competencies:

Collaboration: The interviewer will test you on the basis of effective communication skills. How well are you able to communicate within the team, it is not only the fluency of language but also how effectively you can communicate within & outside of your team.
Drive for results: Candidate who dedicatedly works and has tenacity to deliverables on time, regardless of any obstacles, taking ownership of the work and face challenges, holding yourself and others accountable for the core actions.
Customer-focused – Candidates who value the customer and have customer focused mindset are the ones which Microsoft is looking for.
Influencing for impact: You need to effectively influence and persuade others with your communication skills.
Judgment: You need to evaluate complex problems, using your business awareness to make evidence-based decisions.
Adaptability: You must deal and cope with uncertain situations or issues with agility.

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Microsoft Interview Process:

You have to undergo a lot of round of different interview and screening to get an offer. There are 7-8 rounds will be conducted to test candidate’s potential. The rounds are as follows:

Stage 1: Phone Screen Discussion

This is the easiest stage where a recruiter connects with you to discuss and verify the details written in your resume related to education, experience, previous and current organization you are working in. Apart from that recruiter you’ll be asked some behavioral questions, leadership qualities and your interest fields. The interview will take around 30-45 minutes depending on the resume and role. In this duration you’ll also be asked technical questions related to algorithms and data structures which you need to answer using a shared editor.

Stage 1: Telephonic Interview

After passing the phone screen, you need to attend telephonic interviews which usually take place after 1-2 week of phone screening. You will be shared an agenda of interview in advance which help you to prepare for it. For technical roles there might be a second telephonic interview taken by technical person such as engineering manager or senior developer etc. You might be asked for algorithms, data structures, operating systems etc.

Stage 3 Face-to-Face Interviews (5-6 rounds)

Candidates who successfully clear the above rounds will be further called for on-site face to face interviews (which are now happening virtually because of Covid-19 outbreak). There will be 5-6 back to back interviews plus lunch time with the team you are expected to join. During each interview there are at least two interviewers available to be fair in results. As the interview stages increase the interviewer seniority is also increase as well the toughness of interview. You need to have a professional approach and excellent communication during the interview.

At the end of each round the interviewing panel will mark you as either ‘hire’ or ‘no hire’. In case you get three ‘no hire’ then your interview may end and you’ll be rejected from that interview process.

Technical Rounds:

All the rounds are technical rounds and the interviewer will judge your technical skills required for the role. You also asked to write codes and solve puzzles and also face some tricky questions. You need to prepare all the things mentioned in the JD of the role. Microsoft Technical Interviews are tough to crack and you really need to prepare well. Programming languages, C++, Java, Data structures, operating systems, DBMS etc. are some important topics to cover.

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HR Interview:

After clearing all the technical rounds of face-to-face round you’ll be asked to appear in the last round of the process i.e. HR Round. The last person interviewing you is referred to as an ‘As Appropriate’ or ‘As Ap’. Along with the interviewer the As Ap has the power to decide whether you’ll be hired or not. This is the interview where HR wants to know more about you check on your behavior, attitude, working background and other essential qualities.

They are also the ones who will share the on-site interviews feedback promptly and if you are hired they will share the offer as soon as possible.

Microsoft Company Culture:

Microsoft is a well-known tech company who is on a mission is ‘to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more’. To achieve this mission Microsoft and their employees follow set of key cultural attributes which are:

Growth Mindset: Microsoft wants to hire people who are highly motivated towards growth and development. Candidates who are quick learners and easily connect with people to bring new fruitful ideas and candidates having ‘growth mindset’ is believed to have a nurturing potential.

Customer-centric mindset: Every company keeps their customers as priority so does the Microsoft. You need to understand the customer requirement and problems and then working on developing solutions.

Diversity: Microsoft believes in diversity and hires the candidates who have it. It means Microsoft want from candidate to recognize their own biases and enhance their behaviors, ensuring every group can make a contribution at Microsoft.

Team Values: Microsoft workforce works in a team with the same mission. The company expects you to be a team-player and listen, discuss ideas, collaborating with employees outside of their area of work. Treat each other with respect and integrity and follow Microsoft’s culture, values and competencies.

Microsoft Virtual Interview Tips:

Now-a-days virtual interviews are going on as a part of Hiring process. Almost all the companies are taking virtual interviews because of pandemic. You need to be prepared with complete setup and check all the teleconferencing technology. You can directly check the Microsoft Video Interview Tips which helps you in building confidence and have an effective interview.

Sign an NDA:

It’s being a policy of Microsoft that as a job applicant, you’ll get access to confidential information related to their business operations. So you need to sign a NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) to authorize that you’ll not share any information with anyone. Signing an NDA is totally depends on the job role and interview related to it. HR asks you to sign an NDA prior to your interview and if the recruiter doesn’t ask for it then you job role doesn’t require an NDA.

Collate Evidence of Your Past Projects

You must need to have a good knowledge of your past projects no matter it’s of college project or work projects from previous or current job. This information will going to be a helping hand and adds a useful visual aid in your answers and makes the interview more conversational. Through your projects you can show your accomplishments, decision making, and action taking skills. You can also talk about your vision and goals and your achievements.

Tips for a Successful Application and Interview Process

Be yourself: Be true to yourself and unique in your own way, you need to be honest during the complete Microsoft recruitment process.
Avoid distractions: As interviews are ongoing virtually, it is important to find a suitable place to connect over video call where there is no disturbance.
Wear Appropriate: Microsoft does advises that they not expect interviewee to ‘dress to impress’. So you not need to wear a suit, but formals will look smart and more professionals.
Use STAR model to answer: STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action and Result/ So, apply this structure in answering a situation based questions or when providing examples.
Demonstrate your thinking: The interviewer want to know you more rather than your answers. Explain why and how you reach to a particular solution.
Ask questions: If you are not clear in questions or need more clearance then don’t hesitate and ask, Sometime the recruiter do it intentionally to check whether you speak up or not.
Update your resume: It is the most important document during application and hiring process. So update it before applying for the job and focus on the JD and include information on any relevant experience, qualifications or skills you have.
Choose your coding language: Your technical interview is depends on it. As stated above you must know 1-2 specific language. Select the one in which you are most comfortable for coding tasks.

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Jobs in Microsoft are the dream job and to get one is a tough job. It is one of the companies who take competitive interviews and the only way to go through is vital interview preparation.