November 22, 2021

If you consider applying for a position at Microsoft, it is important to know what the interview process is like. The Microsoft recruitment process is designed to ensure that candidates are the right fit for the company.

This blog post will cover the common steps in the recruitment process, regardless of whether you are a fresh graduate or an experienced professional, this can help you prepare for your next big meeting with Microsoft!

What Is the Interview Process Like at Microsoft?

The interview process at Microsoft is designed to be as straightforward and non-intimidating as possible. The company wants serious candidates about the job, so they try to focus on the positive parts of their experience instead of throwing difficult or challenging questions.

Furthermore, the Microsoft recruiting team recognized that some of the best applicants perform poorly under stress. Thus the Microsoft recruitment process was designed with that in mind.

As a result, some hiring managers offer practice questions or reveal the interview questions ahead of time so that applicants may prepare and show their brightest selves.

Now let's go over the interview process in more detail.

The Interview Process

The length of time for the interview process may vary from about a week or months after applying for a job. Moreover, the process may take longer than you expect, with campus interviews sometimes taking a month or two.

If you are applying for a vacant position with Microsoft, it is essential to be patient and remain positive. If the company likes your resume enough to invite you in for an interview, they will contact you as soon as they can.

The Interview Structure

There is no standard interview procedure or format at Microsoft. It depends on teams, groups, and products. On the other hand, the most common approach includes four to five rounds that focus on assessing the applicant's technical, problem-solving, and analytical abilities. Below are the most common interview rounds:

Phone Screen

You would go through your resume just like any other phone screen. The recruiter will also ask you behavioral questions to assess your leadership abilities, openness to learning, and curiosity.

For Engineer or Developer Roles:  The phone screen is longer and includes more technical questions regarding algorithms and data structure. You'll be given a coding problem to solve in a shared editor. You'll have 30 minutes to create a solution, similar to a whiteboard exercise that is being made remotely.

Phone Interview

The phone interview is more formal and lasts longer than the first one. Assuming everything goes well, this will occur around 1-2 weeks after your phone's screen interview. You will be expected to solve a problem and discuss your solution with the interviewer. The person may ask you to walk through your solution step by step, which gives them a chance to assess your technical skills and problem-solving abilities.

They are also interested in learning more about your personality and how you would fit within the team. Communication skills and professionalism are essential for this round.

For Engineering Roles:  A second phone interview with an engineering manager or a senior developer is possible for engineer roles. Candidates must understand data structures like hash tables, linked lists, queues, stacks, and arrays. And also, algorithms include divide and conquer, mergesort, quicksort, depth-first search, and breadth-first search.

On-site Interview

Suppose you make it to the on-site interview, congratulations! You are one step closer to joining Microsoft. The on-site interview is a three to four-hour process in which you will meet with members of the team and have one to two interviews.

The first round usually consists of an engineering problem or case study, similar to phone screens for engineer roles. You may be given a written test consisting of logic puzzles that assess your analytical thought processes.

For Non - Developer Roles: you will be given two or three coding exercises designed to test your programming abilities.

For Developer Roles: A coder is expected to have good problem-solving skills and the ability to apply them efficiently while staying focused on a task for long periods of time. As such, top Microsoft coder interview questions often include modifying a piece of code that does not compile or finding bugs in existing programs.

Here’s How It’s Structured:

●       Two individuals conduct each interview: Microsoft interviewer teams collaborate to complete the candidate's evaluation and eliminate unintentional biases.

●       For an hour each, you'll get to meet with team leaders, managers, and coworkers from the team you're interested in joining.

●       During a typical on-site meeting, you'll have lunch with the team, which is seen as another aspect of the interview.

●       Interviewers will mark the applicant as 'no hire' or 'hire' after each round. If an applicant receives three 'no hires,' they may be an early dismissal.

The "As Appropriate or 'As-Ap' is the last person who will interview you during the on-site interview. This person is either a peer or senior developer and is typically a member of your future team. They have the power over your hiring, and This is an important part of the Microsoft recruitment process that you should not overlook.

HR Interview

This is the last part of the Microsoft hiring process, and it's often about filling out paperwork. Candidates either get a rejection or an offer within one week of their on-site interview or are invited back for one final HR round.

The HR round is where you get to meet with a Human Resources (HR) representative who might ask you behavioral and technical questions such as:

●       Why did you leave your previous job?

●       Which features of C++ are you familiar with?

●       What is the difference between a linked list and an array in Java - if any at all. Etc.

After you have been offered a position, HR may conduct further background checks before your start date. It is done to ensure that there are no issues or red flags that would cause problems in the future. These steps include verifying education and work history, drug testing, and a criminal background check.

What Kinds of Questions Should You Ask Interviewers?

We at Recruitmently believe that interviewing is a two-way process. It is equally important for you to interview the company as it is for them to interview you. It's critical that you ask questions at the end of your on-site Microsoft interviews, especially if this is your dream job and you want to be sure they are a good fit before accepting an offer.

Here are top questions you can ask during the Microsoft interview process:

●       What influence does the role provide on the business unit's mission?

●       What does an ideal candidate need to succeed in this role?

●       Will I be working alone or on a team during regular duties?

You can ask some of these questions during the Microsoft hiring process. However, make sure to consult one of our coaches in the same field here at Recruitmently to help you prepare for the Microsoft recruitment process. They can guide you and help you every step of the way.

The Key Behavioral Competencies

At Microsoft, you will be evaluated into six core competencies: Judgement, Influencing for Impact, Drive for Results, Customer Focus, Collaboration, and Adaptability.

These competencies are used to assess your performance and if you are fit for the job. Within each of these traits, there is a description of behaviors that indicate you possess that trait.

Judgment

This is how you make decisions in difficult situations, and it is based on your ability to gather information from all sources of data.

You must understand how to make decisions quickly and efficiently. You should also know how to distinguish between good information, bad information, and irrelevant data points when making a decision.

Sample Questions:

●       Tell me a situation wherein you were required to make a big and quick decision and how you handled it?

●       How do you make decisions under pressure or when there aren't any good options available to choose from?

●       How do you prioritize and organize your work?

●       What was a time when you failed to convince someone else of an idea? How did this situation happen, and what impact did it have on the final decision made?

Influencing for Impact

This competency focuses on your ability to influence others. You must build consensus among other people, especially if they have opposing views of the situation.

It's also important that you can communicate your ideas and create actions with others in mind. You should be able to anticipate reactions from others and how they will interpret what you say to react appropriately.

Sample Questions:

●       Describe a situation when you had an unfamiliar opinion or idea? How did you convince others to see things your way?

●       How do you convey an idea in a persuasive manner that will resonate with other people?

●       How do you prepare for giving presentations or pitches to large audiences?

●       What is the biggest mistake when influencing others, and how does one avoid it?

Drive for Results

This competency focuses on your ability to work independently and produce results. It is important that you can meet deadlines, handle pressure, and prioritize the most urgent tasks first.

You should be capable of achieving long-term goals through short-term milestones and working on several projects simultaneously while still meeting their respective deadlines.

Sample Questions:

●       Tell me about a time when you exceeded expectations at work and how this affected your team dynamics.

●       What is the most difficult situation in which you have ever found yourself? How did you handle it?

●     In what ways do you stay motivated throughout the day or week while working on projects that don't necessarily require motivation to complete?

Customer Focus

This is your ability to understand customers' needs and communicate issues with them effectively.

You should be able to listen and understand what customers want or need, and you should also know how to communicate any issues coming from the customer's perspective effectively.

Sample Questions: 

• Tell me a situation wherein you were required to make a big and quick decision and how you handled it?

• How do you make decisions under pressure or when there aren't any good options available to choose from?

• How do you prioritize and organize your work?

• What was a time when you failed to convince someone else of an idea? How did this situation happen, and what impact did it have on the final decision made?

Influencing for Impact

This competency focuses on your ability to influence others. You must build consensus among other people, especially if they have opposing views of the situation.

It's also important that you can communicate your ideas and create actions with others in mind. You should be able to anticipate reactions from others and how they will interpret what you say to react appropriately.

Sample Questions: 

• Describe a situation when you had an unfamiliar opinion or idea? How did you convince others to see things your way?

• How do you convey an idea in a persuasive manner that will resonate with other people?

• How do you prepare for giving presentations or pitches to large audiences?

• What is the biggest mistake when influencing others, and how does one avoid it?

Drive for Results

This competency focuses on your ability to work independently and produce results. It is important that you can meet deadlines, handle pressure, and prioritize the most urgent tasks first.

You should be capable of achieving long-term goals through short-term milestones and working on several projects simultaneously while still meeting their respective deadlines.

Sample Questions: 

• Tell me about a time when you exceeded expectations at work and how this affected your team dynamics.

• What is the most difficult situation in which you have ever found yourself? How did you handle it?

• In what ways do you stay motivated throughout the day or week while working on projects that don't necessarily require motivation to complete?

Customer Focus

This is your ability to understand customers' needs and communicate issues with them effectively.

You should be able to listen and understand what customers want or need, and you should also know how to communicate any issues coming from the customer's perspective effectively.

Sample Questions: 

• Tell me about a time when your work was criticized by someone who wasn't involved in the project. How did you react?

• How do you keep your customers informed of updates and progress towards milestones?

• What is an example where a customer service issue escalated but was quickly resolved to everyone's satisfaction?

Collaboration

This competency focuses on how well you work with others to accomplish tasks or projects. You should be able to work well in teams while still being capable of completing tasks independently.

You should be able to communicate your ideas, collaborate with others on projects, and know when necessary to lead or take charge during certain situations.

Sample Questions:

• Tell me about a time where working collaboratively with someone was difficult. How did you handle the situation?

• What is an example of a time when your work or input impacted team morale positively?

• How do you typically organize and plan for projects that require numerous people to be involved at different stages throughout their life cycle?

Adaptability

This is your ability to adapt quickly and adjust yourself to new situations. You must be able to manage change well, whether it be personal or professional.

You should know how to reorient yourself even when there is ambiguity about the future and find creative solutions for problems that present themselves unexpectedly.

Sample Questions:

• Describe a time when you had to adapt quickly. How did things turn out?

• What do you usually do during your free time to relax and stay motivated?

• How have past experiences impacted how you have adapted or changed over time, whether personally or professionally?

These are a few examples of what to expect in the Microsoft hiring process. Even if you don't think you have all of these competencies, that's okay! It doesn't mean that Microsoft is not the right place for you to work at. Our coaches in Recruitmently are here to help you prepare for your next interview, so don't hesitate to reach out!

Takeaway

The Microsoft hiring process is an evaluation of your ability to work independently and produce results. Knowing what to expect can help in your preparation. With the right guidance and practice, you can ace the Microsoft hiring process and get a job offer, and land in your dream role.

Recruitmently can also help by connecting you with top-rated recruiters, who will take care of everything from finding and screening candidates to preparing and running practice interviews. The best way to learn about our service is by trying it yourself! Simply find a recruiter today to get started.