Interview questions of microsoft: Top Microsoft Interview Questions and Answers in 2023

How to Answer the “Why Microsoft?” Interview Question

Microsoft behavioral interview questions are a key part of the company’s technical interview. The behavioral round typically takes place on-site. Microsoft’s behavioral interview questions are primarily based on work-life balance, workplace ethics, general workplace conduct, and leadership. 

Like most top tech companies, Microsoft has grueling interview rounds. In addition to onsite and online rounds, there is a dedicated round in the ON-site interview, where your behavioral skills are tested. “Why do you want to work at Microsoft?” is one of the frequently asked behavioral interview questions at Microsoft. With this question, the hiring managers want to understand your motivation for applying to Microsoft and whether you are the right fit for the organization. 

The “why Microsoft” behavioral interview question can be a tricky one to answer, especially if you end up giving a vague answer without backing it up with solid reasons that demonstrate your genuine motivation.

In this article, we’ll discuss how to answer the “why Microsoft” interview question. We’ll cover:

• The Microsoft interview process 
• Top 7 most-asked Microsoft behavioral interview questions
• How to answer the “Why do you want to work at Microsoft?” interview question
• 5 sample answers to the “Why Microsoft?” behavioral interview question
• Things to avoid while answering the “Why Microsoft?” interview question

The Microsoft Interview Process: A Sneak Peek

Depending on the team you are applying for, you’ll need to crack 4 to 5 rounds of interviews. These interviews are designed to assess your technical skills and problem-solving abilities. What sets Microsoft interviews apart from other tech companies is that the hiring managers compare your performance against other candidates to assess your performance. In contrast, other companies make the hiring decision based on your performance. Following are the typical tech interview rounds at Microsoft:

• Phone screen: The initial screening is done over a phone call, where you can expect questions that evaluate your behavioral skills and leadership qualities, along with your technical knowledge. For instance, as a software developer, you may be asked technical questions on algorithms, data structures, and coding-related questions. 
• Technical phone screen: If you pass the phone screening round, the recruiter will schedule a tech interview. This round is usually with a senior software developer at Microsoft, and you can expect questions on various technical topics such as stacks, queues, divide-and-conquer, etc. Check some of the Microsoft technical interview questions here.
• On-site: The next round is an on-site interview, where you usually meet the managers and employees of the team you want to join. Microsoft prefers pairing up recruiters to minimize any chance of any unconscious bias creeping in. Usually, there are 4 interviews when you are onsite. A majority of these interviews consist of various coding and design questions along with a host of behavioral questions. 
• An “as appropriate” interview is the final round of the Microsoft interview process where you meet a senior executive of the company. The purpose of this interview is to fill in the gaps from the assessment in the previous rounds. Suppose you have demonstrated strong technical skills but did not perform as well in your behavioral round. In that case, the interviewer will ask you more behavioral interview questions to assess whether you are the right fit for the culture at Microsoft. This round is also meant for the interviewer to pitch the idea of working at Microsoft to you as they want to be sure that you will accept the offer once it is made. 

Check out the Microsoft Interview Guide for more information.

You can expect the “why do you want to work at Microsoft” behavioral interview question during the various behavioral rounds, as hiring managers would want to evaluate how well you have understood Microsoft’s culture and mission statement. With this question, they also try to evaluate what type of a professional you are. 

Top 7 Most-Asked Microsoft Behavioral Interview Questions at Microsoft

When it comes to behavioral interviews, at Microsoft you can expect the recruiters to ask you a standard set of questions. How you answer these questions will help them to assess you on core competencies of Microsoft, such as:

• Adaptability
• Teamwork 
• Customer focus
• Drive for results
• Decision-making skills

Behavioral interview questions also help interviewers understand whether you can contribute towards the growth-mindset culture of Microsoft, where your eagerness and curiosity to learn new skills and techniques to resolve an issue is valued much more than how much you know. 

Based on the experience of previous candidates and hiring managers, here are the top 7 behavioral interview questions that are frequently asked at Microsoft: 

• Why do you want to work at Microsoft?
• Tell me about a time when you were given a task, but the client wanted you to pivot or go in a different direction at the last minute.
• Tell me about the greatest accomplishment/failure of your career so far.

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• Tell me about a time when you faced conflict within a team and how you dealt with it.
• Tell me about a time when you had to make a big decision.
• Share some of the biggest lessons you’ve learned in life.
• What do you do to get people to agree with your point of view?

This is not an exhaustive list of questions; however, practicing such questions will help you understand the approach you must take and build confidence. Check out Behavioral Interview Questions for Software Developers for more.

How to Answer the “Why do you want to work at Microsoft?” Interview Question

Even the best software engineers and developers find it incredibly challenging to answer this behavioral interview question at Microsoft. After all, there are no right or wrong answers in a behavioral interview. These questions only help the recruiters evaluate whether you are a good fit for the company and its environment. And while these questions look deceptively simple, they play a critical role in establishing your value to an organization and directly impact the hiring decision. 

But before we learn about the ways of answering this question, let’s understand the real motive behind asking such a question. 

• Most interviewers try to determine whether you are genuinely enthusiastic about joining the organization or simply appearing for an interview to strike it off on your checklist. 
• They are also eager to learn more about your authentic self to determine whether your values are aligned with the company’s culture.
• Lastly, asking such behavioral interview questions also helps hiring managers to check whether you have done your homework and researched the company well.  

Therefore, you need to frame your answer in such a manner so that it ticks off all the boxes on the recruiter’s checklist and makes a fantastic impression on them. Your response should be able to convince the hiring manager that you are genuinely interested in the position. 

It should also showcase your USP that makes you the right fit for Microsoft. In addition, you should also convey how you expect to add more value to the growth of the organization. A helpful rule of thumb to answer behavioral interview questions at Microsoft is to structure your answer into three parts:

• Start with highlighting how exciting it is for any software engineer to work for a tech titan like Microsoft
• Next, talk about what are the critical skills that you are bringing to the table to contribute to the success of Microsoft
• Conclude the answer by talking about how working at Microsoft will contribute to your growth and learning as a professional

5 Sample Answers to “Why Microsoft?” Behavioral Interview Question

Check out our sample answers to some behavioral interview questions at Microsoft that can help you frame your responses during interview prep. You can use these examples as a structure to create a unique answer, as there is no one-size-fits-all response. 

Response 1:

The Windows operating system and Microsoft Office Suite have been responsible for the digital transformation of the modern world. Though Microsoft had a humble beginning, it has played a critical role in shaping the world of technology as we experience it today. 

Working with Microsoft will allow me to leverage my X years experience as a software developer and work on some world-class products that empower the customers. During my previous role as a software engineer at Y, I worked on [details of an interesting project you have done]. This assignment helped me sharpen my skills in designing efficient front-end user interfaces using the industry’s best practices. I am also well-versed in JavaScript, Ruby on Rails, and React framework and can assist the team in designing front-end applications. 

I am keen on working with an organization that can contribute to my growth as a software engineer. I am fascinated by the emphasis on team effort at Microsoft to empower the customers and ease their challenges. Working and collaborating with others to find a solution to a problem is something that I have always loved doing right from high school, where I was [provide details]. I would like the opportunity to work here and be part of the team effort.  

Response 2:

The continuous innovation that happens at Microsoft is my biggest motivation to join the company. I have been following the recent developments of [talk about any Microsoft product you find interesting]

During my stint as a software developer, I worked on [talk about the project/time when you designed API]. This experience has helped sharpen my skills in X, Y, and Z. I am confident that I will leverage these skills and contribute to the culture of innovation at Microsoft. 

Microsoft has brought some fantastic products to our lives. Working with the smartest people in the business will help me grow as a professional.

Response 3:

There are three reasons why I want to work with Microsoft:

First, I value its technical culture and constant innovation. I have a Master’s Degree in Computer Science, and I know that at Microsoft, I will work alongside my peers who are as excited about advanced technology.

I believe my expertise in [provide details of a programming language/skill you excel at] will be valuable for the ongoing projects at Microsoft. 

Finally, (a friend or colleague’s name) works at Microsoft. Her experience has been extremely positive, and she encouraged me to apply to join the team.

Response 4:

First, I admire the leadership style of Mr. Satya Nadella. Bringing clarity in ambiguous situations, generating energy all around, and delivering success even when the circumstances are not perfect deeply resonate with me.  

I’ve spent the last six years of my career in the cloud computing space and really enjoy working in that vertical. I’m really excited about working with [details of the team you’d be joining and the contribution you can make].

I find the culture at Microsoft attractive — using our skills to empower every person on the planet to achieve. I am eager to use various learning opportunities and would love an opportunity to work on projects that are creating a global impact.

Response 5:

I am interested in working at Microsoft as I want to build a career in the voice recognition software space. This is a topic that excites me both as a professional and a user of such software. I found Microsoft’s acquisition of Nuance particularly exciting as I have worked on [provide some details of work done in the cloud computing space]. That’s why I was drawn to this role specifically. 

I also find Microsoft’s customer-driven culture attractive, as this is something I take very seriously while working on an assignment. I am always eager to learn more skills and use them to create innovative solutions for the users.

I think that Microsoft is at an interesting juncture right now where application development is still at the core of the work done at Microsoft. The renewed focus on developer tools and platforms has made it possible to explore newer ideas and think outside the box. This aspect has drawn me to the company, as I wish to be part of that growth story. 

Things to Avoid While Answering the “Why Microsoft?” Question

We’ve covered how to approach the behavioral interview questions at Microsoft with some samples. Now, here’s what you need to avoid when answering the “why Microsoft” question:

• Don’t give a generic answer such as “Microsoft is a top-tier company, and I want to work here.” Focus on making the answer memorable by highlighting specific reasons that attract you to the company. This could be your admiration for certain products or the work culture at Microsoft or even the CEO’s leadership style.
• Don’t forget to do your research. Go through the website, follow the news reported in the press, and ask within your network to learn more about Microsoft. An uninformed and poorly researched response shows that you are not serious about the role.
• Avoid sounding too scripted. Remember that every hiring manager is looking to know more about you as a fellow professional. Show your human side through an empathetic response.

FAQs on Microsoft Behavioral Interview Questions

Q1. What is the best way to answer Microsoft behavioral interview questions?

The best way to answer Microsoft’s behavioral questions is through the STAR method, where STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result. 

Q2. How many behavioral questions can you expect at the Microsoft interview? 

Recruiters generally ask you 4-5 behavioral questions around past projects, workplace conduct, and your general attitude towards personal and professional situations.  

Q3. Does the Microsoft behavioral interview consist of leadership-related questions?

Yes, Microsoft behavioral interview questions can also be leadership-related, mostly including questions around leading teams, managerial-related challenges even for somebody who isn’t applying to a managerial position, decision-making, and relationships with subordinates and coworkers.

Q4. Can you be asked behavioral interview questions in the Initial HR round?

Yes, recruiters in the Initial Recruiter Screen might sometimes ask you Microsoft behavioral interview questions. Questions asked won’t include in-depth responses, and are mostly around why you want to work at Microsoft, and what interests you most about the role, etc. 

Q5. Can you get a Microsoft offer without acing the Microsoft behavioral round?

Not really, because your performance in the behavioral round largely influences recruiters’ offer decision.  

Get Ready to Crack Microsoft Software Engineering Interviews

The interview prep for Microsoft is no piece of cake. These technical interviews are infamous for being extremely grueling. Having someone by your side who can guide you through your prep can be a real gamechanger. And that’s where Interview Kickstart can make a difference! We have trained over 9,000 software engineers to nail their tech interviews at FAANG and other tech behemoths. So take the first step towards building an amazing career at Microsoft by registering for our FREE Webinar!

Microsoft Interview Questions – InterviewBit

116 Microsoft Interview Questions Found

About Microsoft

On April 4, 1975, when most Americans utilized typewriters, cherished companions Bill Gates and Paul Allen discovered Microsoft, an organization that makes programs. Initially situated in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Microsoft moved to Washington State in 1979 and at last developed into a significant worldwide innovation partnership.

Microsoft Corporation is a multinational technology company based in Redmond, Washington, that manufactures computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services. The Microsoft Windows operating system, the Microsoft Office suite, and the Internet Explorer and Edge web browsers are among the company’s most well-known software products. The Xbox video game consoles and the Microsoft Surface range of touchscreen personal computers are the company’s major hardware offerings.

Microsoft was rated No. 21 on the Fortune 500 list of the largest US firms by total revenue in 2020; as of 2016, it was the world’s largest software maker by revenue. It is one of the Big Five U.S. IT corporations.

Microsoft’s corporate mission is ‘to engage each individual and each association in the world to accomplish more.’ This statement of purpose shows that the business is about strengthening individuals and associations. Learn more about its company values.

Why Microsoft?

Microsoft has a number of scholarship programmes, internships, and full-time positions available to help you develop your skills. It is well understood at Microsoft that having a diverse workforce, including those with disabilities, is critical to achieving the purpose of empowering every person and organisation on the planet to achieve greater success.

Microsoft HQ

In this Article

1. Interview Process at Microsoft
2. Microsoft Coding Question
3. Tips for interviewing at Microsoft
4. FAQ for Microsoft

Microsoft Interview Process

Interview Process

1. Recruiter Connect:
   It is highly recommended to maintain a good Linkedin profile to get noticed by Microsoft recruiters. It is also advised to connect with existing Microsoft employees to get referrals for job positions. The candidate can also try applying on the job portal.
2. Interview Rounds:
   The interview rounds start with an initial screening interview which is DS/Algo based. The later rounds are more technical and focus on DS/Algo skills along with system design knowledge.
3. After Interviews:
   Performance of the candidate is judged based on the past interviews and the verdict is decided. All of the interviewers hold a meeting to discuss and debate the ratings of candidates with the hiring manager.
4. Hired:
   Once the team and you both are comfortable and ready to start, the offer letter is prepared and shared with you by the recruiters and you are HIRED!

Interview Rounds

1. Screening Interview(1 Round) A telephonic interview could be conducted to see if the candidate is a good fit for Microsoft. It could even be a coding test instead of an interview. It can last 30-45 minutes and cover 2-3 DS/Algo problems.
2. Onsite Interviews(4-5 Rounds) A series of interviews is conducted. The first few are DS/Algo based rounds while the later ones are system design rounds. Microsoft likes to ask mostly Array/Strings/LinkedList problems so the candidate is advised to especially prepare these topics. Arriving at the most optimized solution is key here. The design rounds test the candidate’s ability to design complex systems like Gmail, youtube, Uber etc.

Microsoft Coding Questions

1. Gas Station

Problem Description
Given two integer arrays A and B of size N. There are N gas stations along a circular route, where the amount of gas at station i…

2.

Majority Element

Problem DescriptionGiven an array of size n, find the majority element. The majority element is the element that appears more than floor(n/2) times.
Yo…

3. Distribute Candy

There are N children standing in a line. Each child is assigned a rating value.
You are giving candies to these children subjected to the following re…

4. Longest Increasing Subsequence

Find the longest increasing subsequence of a given array of integers, A.
In other words, find a subsequence of array in which the subsequence’s elemen…

5. Max Rectangle in Binary Matrix

Given a 2D binary matrix filled with 0’s and 1’s, find the largest rectangle containing all ones and return its area.
Bonus if you can solve it in O(n. ..

6. Max Product Subarray

Find the contiguous subarray within an array (containing at least one number) which has the largest product.
Return an integer corresponding to the max…

7. Regular Expression Match

Implement wildcard pattern matching with support for ‘?’ and ‘*’ for strings A and B.
’?’ : Matches any single character.
‘*’ : Matches any seq…

8. Edit Distance

Given two strings A and B, find the minimum number of steps required to convert A to B. (each operation is counted as 1 step.)
You have the following …

9. Regular Expression II

Implement regular expression matching with support for ‘.’ and ‘*’.
‘.’ Matches any single character.
‘*’ Matches zero or more of the preceding elemen…

10. Swap List Nodes in pairs

Given a linked list, swap every two adjacent nodes and return its head.
For example,
Given 1->2->3->4, you should return the list as 2->1-…

See all Microsoft Interview Questions

Tips for Microsoft Interview Preparation

1. Gauge Your Plans – Microsoft is a deeply diverse company that deals with several different technologies. It is necessary as a candidate to go through the entirety of the company’s businesses, what they do and figure where one fits, and where one sees themselves going forward. Understanding how things work on the inside can help come up with the right answers during the interviews.
2. Focus On Specifics – From how you have solved certain problems in a previous project to answering how you deal with working in a team, be specific about your experiences. This gives the interviewers a closer view into who you are as a person and how likely you are to be a good fit.
3. Know Beyond Microsoft – While it is a good idea to know what is happening inside Microsoft, it is important to know what is happening in the larger technology scene as well. Having a good understanding of newer areas with potential or even existing competitors can give you the edge when answering about what you want to do inside the company. Learn More

FAQ

1. How many rounds are there in a Microsoft interview?

   5 – Rounds: Screening Interview(1 Round), Onsite Interviews(4-5 Rounds). Find out More.

2. How can I prepare for Microsoft Interview?

   • Make your resume one page long and just contain information that is important. Because recruiters only have 15 seconds to scan a CV, keep it short and accurate. Only write down what you are comfortable with; do not make up anything during the interview because the interviewer will be able to tell if you are faking it. If you’re going to talk about your project, you should also talk about its intricacy. Examine it.
   • If you will be graduating from a university, Microsoft offers a particular website dedicated to student recruitment
   • Microsoft occasionally recruits at job fairs, hackathons, and other events, but waiting for any of these opportunities to occur organically can be a long process, depending on where you are in the world. You can check out hackathon.com to see if there are any upcoming hackathons.
   • Maintain your Linkedin, Github, and other profiles; recruiting managers utilise tools like LinkedIn, alumni databases, and professional associations to locate qualified candidates.

3. What should I expect at a Microsoft interview?

   The interview process often begins with a phone call from an HR recruiter to discuss your interests and determine which group or team would be the ideal fit for you. This chat will also be used by your recruiter to evaluate whether or not you have a possibility of getting the job. Prepare to discuss your background and why you’d be a good fit with Microsoft.

   • The first round of Microsoft: You’ll move on to the next step of the process if things with the recruiter go smoothly. Depending on the team and role you’re applying for, what occurs next is different. However, if you’re an industry hiring, you can normally expect a phone interview, an on-campus interview if you’re a recent graduate, and in some situations, an online test instead of an actual interview. They’re going to go over everything.
   • Phones featuring technical screens: This is known as the ‘phone screen’, but it can also occur via video using Skype. The duration of each interview will be 45 to 60 minutes. You’ll be interviewed by a colleague or a future manager, who will ask you a mix of technical and behavioural questions.
   • You should expect standard data structure and algorithm questions in the technical portion of the interview, which you’ll have to answer in an online collaborative text editor. You’ll need to get used to not having syntax highlighting or autocomplete in the text editor during your interview preparation. It’s also worth noting that you’re unlikely to be asked to design a system.
   • You can expect questions like this in the behavioural section ‘Tell me about yourself’, ‘Why Microsoft?’ or ‘What Microsoft product is your favourite?’ And why is that? ‘Microsoft interviewers, in our experience, spend more time on behavioural questions than their Facebook or Google counterparts. As a result, it’s important to make sure you’re prepared for common behavioural queries (more on that later).
   • Interview on-campus: If you’re a student, you’ll almost always be interviewed in person rather than over the phone. You’ll be offered a mixture of behavioural and technical questions to answer on a whiteboard. You may have many interviews on campus in some circumstances.
   • Online coding assessment: Before advancing a candidate to the onsite interviews, Microsoft may also use online coding assessments. The company uses a number of tests, but the most popular is a three-question examination offered by Codility that you must complete in 60 to 90 minutes. You must submit a solution to the problems, which are typical data structure and algorithm questions.
   • Onsite Interview: If you qualify the first stage, you’ll spend a full day at one of Microsoft’s offices, taking part in four on-site interviews. These one-on-one interviews will last approximately 60 minutes and will include a mix of people from the team you’re applying to join, including colleagues, the hiring manager, and occasionally a senior executive.
   • Types of questions: Three or four of your interviews will involve code problems (data structure and algorithm questions) that you must answer on a whiteboard. The last one or two interviews will focus on system design issues. All of your interviews will include behavioural questions.
   • Coding and behavioural questions are likely to be exceedingly difficult for all candidates. You might not be asked system design questions if you’re a junior (SDE II or lower). And if you do, the bar will be lower than for senior or mid-level engineers (e.g. Senior SDE or above).
   • The ‘as appropriate’, AA or ASAPP interview: Finally, you’ll have one last interview with a Microsoft executive (e.g. your hiring manager or possibly their boss). Because you will only be requested to perform this interview if your first three interviews go well, it is commonly referred to as the ‘as appropriate’ AA, or ASAPP interview. If you don’t do well in the first three, you’ll be eliminated.
   • There are two duties for AA interviewers. The first is to make sure you don’t have any blind spots in your analysis. If your first three interviews have determined that you fulfil technical hiring standards but are unsure about cultural fit, your AA interview will primarily consist of behavioural questions.If you fared well in earlier interviews, the second function of an AA interviewer is to ‘offer’ the company to you. The idea is that if Microsoft decides to make you an offer, they want to be sure you’ll accept it.

4. Is Microsoft Software Engineer interview hard?

   It isn’t that difficult.

   Microsoft, for example, is looking for a skilled software engineer that can learn quickly and adapt to new technologies.

   Regardless of the programming language you use or are familiar with, they all test your software engineering basics (Data Structures, Object Oriented, Algorithms, Problem Solving, and so on), regardless of the programming language you know or use. Someone competent is expected to be able to learn anything (including a foreign language) quickly and easily.

   However, depending on your level and the position you’re applying for, you should expect inquiries regarding your previous experience and design. (For example, you can’t work for the Windows Kernel team as a Senior Engineer without knowing what Kernel / IO is. ) They assess the candidate on a variety of factors other than technical ability, including self-assurance, communication, willingness to learn, and teamwork.

5. How long is the Microsoft Interview Process?

   The complete interview process for a software engineer post at Microsoft takes about 1-2 months on average.

6. How do I apply for a job at Microsoft?

   • The business encourages looking for jobs on the Microsoft Careers page. This website allows you to create a profile, apply for open positions, set up job notifications, and track the progress of your application.
   • If you see several desirable positions, feel free to apply to all of them.
   • If you want to take part in the employee referral programme, contact your corporate contact and have them submit your information.

7. Why do you want to join Microsoft?

   For three reasons, I want to work for Microsoft.

   • The first reason is because this is where I see myself in the long run. I want to have a great career with an organisation that will allow me to learn, grow, and develop. Microsoft has an incredible history of invention and ongoing achievement, and I want to have a successful career with an organisation that will allow me to learn, grow, and develop.
   • The second reason is that Microsoft is a place where I can be myself – I am an honest person with a wide range of talents and abilities, but I am also aware that I have much more to learn. As the phrase goes, ‘knowledge can be learned, but trust must be won’, and I believe that by hard work and an honest approach to duties, I will be able to win trust from my coworkers and bosses.
   • Finally, Microsoft produces some incredible things that change and improve people’s lives. Being creative is one of my favourite things to do at work, and what better place to use those creative skills than Microsoft!”

8. What are the benefits of working at Microsoft?

   It is an unspoken rule at Microsoft India that our employees deserve nothing but the best from us because they are the brightest minds in the world! As a result, they are provided with the best possible perks to enhance their work experience and keep them rejuvenated every day! The following are some of the benefits accessible to our employees:

   • Employees maximise their experience by forming their own group. Social and networking groups are available through Employee Resource Groups (ERGs).
   • Provide flexible work schedules, extensive vacation time, and holidays so you may spend time with your family or pursue hobbies outside of work. Microsoft is dedicated to providing support and time away from work so that employees may focus on the people who are most important to them.
   • Employees can broaden their knowledge on a range of topics, stay current in their area, and gain new skills as their careers grow.
   • With our world-class health care benefits and extensive wellbeing benefits, you and your family may attain and maintain your greatest physical and mental health.
   • Employees can be benefited with the various programs designed by Microsoft such as Tuition Assistance Program, Health Care Programs, Employee Assistance Programs, Fitness Programs, Employee Stock Purchase Program, Child Care Benefit, Vehicle Lease, Night Time Allowance and many more.

25 Tricky Questions Candidates Are Asked at Microsoft Interviews

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Archive rb. ru

October 13, 2015

Archive rb.ru

October 13, 2015

Ksenia Dementieva

Author – RB.ru

Ksenia Dementieva

Microsoft is one of the world’s largest technical companies, and many engineers (though not only) from around the world would be happy to get a job there.

Ksenia Dementieva

Of course, it’s not too easy – they don’t take ordinary people there. To demonstrate your own originality, at the interview (if your skills and experience are relevant) you will have to answer several non-standard questions. Business Insider found 25 mini-tasks that candidates solved in an interview at Microsoft on the Glassdoor portal, where employees share in-depth impressions of different companies.

Photo: Fotoimedia

So, what were the candidates for different positions asked about?

1. “Think of a way to make sure there is always milk in the refrigerator.” (Question to an intern for the summer.)
2. “Give us an example of a site with a great design.” (Question to a user experience specialist.)
3. “How to determine whether a deck of cards is well or badly mixed?” (Question to a software engineer.)
4. “Why don’t you join the Google team?” (Question to senior business development manager.)
5. “Write a program that simulates writing a journal article.” (Question to a software engineer.)
6. “What do you think about Microsoft’s decision to launch Office products for the iPhone?” (Question to a business planner.)
7. “Why are manholes round?” (Question to a software engineer. )
8. “How would you design a shuttle system to use on a Microsoft campus?” (Question to the program manager.)
9. “The infamous question about the hands of the clock: how many times does the minute and hour hands “overlap” during the day?” (Question to software developer.)
10. “Situation: Your sales team made a mistake with an old client. How will you use your influence to fix things?” (Question to a senior consultant.)
11. “How will you solve the problem of slow startup on a computer / laptop?” (Question to a customer service specialist.)
12. “Explain to a five-year-old child what recursion is.” (Question to software developer.)
13. “Tell me how you would design an airport.” (Question to the program manager.)
14. “You are given time, how do you determine the angle between the hour and minute hands?” (Question to software developer.)
15. “How do you form relationships with team members who work in another country?” (Question to the lead administrator. )
16. “Create a GPS for a 16 year old.” (Question to product manager.)
17. “Describe a difficult relationship with a colleague.” (Question to program manager.)
18. “Make a list of all the words used in the novel, as well as repetitions.” (Question to a software developer.)
19. “If you were in an elevator with the CEO of a company, how would you talk about the cloud for one and a half minutes?” (Question to the account manager.)
20. “You are standing in a crowd. What will you do to stand out?” (Question to the site administrator.)
21. “Your device has a stylus. How do you store it? How do you charge it? What other things can you use for this device?” (Question to a mechanical engineer.)
22. “Create a research plan for a new wearable product brand.” (Question to a design researcher.)
23. “If you could choose between two superpowers (invisibility and flight), which would you choose?” (Question to the lead product specialist.)
24. “Most unexpected was a question from a female manager who wanted me to share situations of sexism and misogyny that took place in my last job. She asked me a lot of questions on this topic.” (Question to the program manager.)
25. “How would you help your grandmother if her computer broke down?” (Question to a support engineer.)

By the way, about the company Google, which was asked about by a potential senior business development manager. As Vice President of Human Resources Laszlo Bock wrote in his book “Work Drives”, Google has already abandoned this approach (Microsoft, apparently, is also gradually moving away from strange questions). Bock called puzzles meaningless: “The candidate may be given the following problem: “Your client is a paper manufacturer. He is considering buying a second factory. Should he do this?” or “How many gas stations do you think there are in Manhattan?” Or the more slick “How many golf balls can fit in a Boeing 747?” and “If I cut you down to the size of a dime and put you in a blender, how can you get out?” These types of questions at best reveal a single skill that can be improved by practice, but their usefulness in the overall evaluation of candidates tends to zero. At worst, the interviewer will rely on very little information or intuitive visions presented by the candidate, which will only give the first person a sense of deep satisfaction from their own quick wits, but they can hardly (if at all) predict how good a candidate is for a particular job. situations (how many times during the working day do you have to estimate the number of gas stations?), partly due to the lack of correlation between mobile and intelligence (a good measure of performance) and intuitive tasks like puzzles, and partly because there is no way to distinguish a person with innate talent from someone who has simply trained this or that skill.

• Google
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How I got an offer from Microsoft / Habr

What this article is about

This is a continuation of my adventures in FAANG. The previous article was about my Amazon interview experience: https://habr.com/en/post/646319/ .

I’ll just leave my blog here: https://andreyka26.com/

Here I’ll also share the whole process: how I got to the interview, all stages, interview questions, how I prepared, some details of the offer, and overall impression of the interview. There will also be all sorts of comparisons of the interview experience at Microsoft and at Amazon.

By the way, all interviews are now also taking place online, and there are no on-sight interviews.

Offer on LinkedIn

November 4 – I received this message on LinkedIn. At that point, I was actively preparing for the last round of interviews on Amazon, and of course I agreed, while still “warm” and prepared.

This message was followed by a phone call with a recruiter, where they told me general information, clarified that it would be an interview for the company itself (not for a project) at many locations (with a choice), and briefly described the interview process. Remember for now “company interview” and “multiple locations”.

The first stage – tasks again

Then, after some time, I received an invitation to Codility, it’s something like Litkoda, with 3 tasks that had to be solved in time. Unlike Amazon, there was no need to explain their decisions.

All of them were of easy and medium level.

First:

Second:

Third:

To be honest, I don’t remember how I solved them, but I managed to solve everything.

Some time later, I was immediately invited to the final round, which consisted of 4 interviews.

Second stage – loop interview

As I said, at this stage there were 4 interviews. All interview sessions were consecutive, 45 minutes each + 15 minutes of rest. The whole process took 4 hours.

First Interview (OOP)

It was necessary to design a system that would be able to switch between elements in some client. I have never had such tasks, and I did not prepare for them, so this happened.

In the course of the interview, I was led to more correct thoughts, for example, to use a command pattern instead of a strategy, etc. The interviewer was in a good mood and I liked it.

By the way, there were no behavioral questions in this interview at all.

Second interview

Even now I don’t really understand what the second interview was about, to be honest. At one point, I wrote what they said and explained what was wrong with that code. Then I explained how I would test it.

Then, there were questions on SOLID, by type: there is an interface and there are 10 methods:
IInt {

M1,

m2,

...

m10

}

It is realized by two classes

class A: IINT {

il0003