MS Interview
-
Unfortunately everyone (and their sister) has been invited to an interview upthere. Been going on for years now ( well at least 8 ) Nonetheless, if that’s what’s in your desired future, best of luck and enjoy :)
Guess you missed the "relevant advise" part of the post. :sigh: I don't care how many people have been getting interviews, I'm trying to get an idea about what to expect, trying to be prepared.
only two letters away from being an asset
-
Wow, congratulations! Did you have a phone screen prior? :cool:
Mark Nischalke wrote:
Anyone have advise (relevant, advise) on the process
From what I have read - You will have 5 interviews if you get through the whole process - 2 before lunch, one during lunch (be careful, it masquerades as just "having lunch" but it's another interview and if you blow it, you'll be escorted back to the HR bus), and 2 after lunch. If at any time before the 5th interview you get told your interviews are done, you blew it somewhere and will not be offered a position. If you get through all 5, apparently it's very likely you'll be offered a position (because each one gives a HIRE or NO HIRE assessment immediately, and the first NO HIRE will get you escorted to the door. So if you get to 5, you have only one more group to impress and the odds of doing that are better). Don't look for any rhyme or reason in why they may decide to escort you to the door. The process seems like they're looking for specific things, but really they're just doing what every other hiring manager does - hire the person who seems most like themselves the instant they walk in the door. Ok, ok, before I get the business from everyone here who does any hiring, studies have shown that something like 85% of hiring decisions are made in the first 2 seconds when you meet someone. Yes, 2 seconds. Read "Moving Mount Fuji" for more - it's pretty interesting, and its main thesis is built around the sort of puzzle-based, grueling interview process given by Microsoft and companies like it. The people giving those interviews are just as subjective and prone to whim as everyone else is. We go through the farce of actually giving a complete interview pretty much to reinforce the notion we conceive the instant the person walks through the door. Far less frequently does an interview result in you changing someone's mind about their first impression. It's not impossible, but unlikely. So what I'm getting at is, take it in stride, do the best you can, and don't feel badly if you don't get offered a position. Unless you screw up royally in a way you know you could have done better, there probably would have been nothing you could have done differently. More specific advice that I've seen offered by other applicants (yeah, I've been reading up pretty heavily on this lately): 1. Bring snack bars with you and put them in your pocket. Eat them between interviews. You need to keep
I had three phone calls with one group, but the interview is with another group that I have never spoken with.
only two letters away from being an asset
-
Naww, we'd miss ya. Well, miss the sig at any rate. :-\
Citizen 20.1.01
'The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, 'which is to be master - that's all.'
I'll leave it to you in my will ;P
only two letters away from being an asset
-
I had three phone calls with one group, but the interview is with another group that I have never spoken with.
only two letters away from being an asset
Wow. How long did it take you to get a response (up/down) for the phone interviews you had? So this Redmond interview is without a tech screen? (P.S., I edited my above post to add some stuff I've run across on the web while researching the very question you're asking)
It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity. - Albert Einstein
-
Wow. How long did it take you to get a response (up/down) for the phone interviews you had? So this Redmond interview is without a tech screen? (P.S., I edited my above post to add some stuff I've run across on the web while researching the very question you're asking)
It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity. - Albert Einstein
Excellent. I was going to spend some prep time later this week also. I knew at the end of the last phone screen I wasn't what they were looking for. I did speak with one other person from a different group, but the interview invite came from someone else. Guess I'll find out when I get there. :)
only two letters away from being an asset
-
Guess you missed the "relevant advise" part of the post. :sigh: I don't care how many people have been getting interviews, I'm trying to get an idea about what to expect, trying to be prepared.
only two letters away from being an asset
Don't know where you're coming from but go early because you'll be pulling out your hair from the traffic and then if you get hired you can try to tell the contractor's from the employees. I live in Puyallup about 50 miles south of Redmond and I've been offered an interview through contract recruiter's 3 times and said no cause I won't make the drive or move. I held out till I was almost broke and now I got a position 10 miles from home. Check out all options before making a decision.
Don't take any wooden nickels.
-
OK, so I managed to score an interview in Redmond. Anyone have advise (relevant, advise) on the process, what to expect, what to look out for, what would it be like if I got an offer?
only two letters away from being an asset
-
Excellent. I was going to spend some prep time later this week also. I knew at the end of the last phone screen I wasn't what they were looking for. I did speak with one other person from a different group, but the interview invite came from someone else. Guess I'll find out when I get there. :)
only two letters away from being an asset
i'm curious... what group are you interviewing with? what's the position related to?
"mostly watching the human race is like watching dogs watch tv ... they see the pictures move but the meaning escapes them"
-
Wow, congratulations! Did you have a phone screen prior? :cool:
Mark Nischalke wrote:
Anyone have advise (relevant, advise) on the process
From what I have read - You will have 5 interviews if you get through the whole process - 2 before lunch, one during lunch (be careful, it masquerades as just "having lunch" but it's another interview and if you blow it, you'll be escorted back to the HR bus), and 2 after lunch. If at any time before the 5th interview you get told your interviews are done, you blew it somewhere and will not be offered a position. If you get through all 5, apparently it's very likely you'll be offered a position (because each one gives a HIRE or NO HIRE assessment immediately, and the first NO HIRE will get you escorted to the door. So if you get to 5, you have only one more group to impress and the odds of doing that are better). Don't look for any rhyme or reason in why they may decide to escort you to the door. The process seems like they're looking for specific things, but really they're just doing what every other hiring manager does - hire the person who seems most like themselves the instant they walk in the door. Ok, ok, before I get the business from everyone here who does any hiring, studies have shown that something like 85% of hiring decisions are made in the first 2 seconds when you meet someone. Yes, 2 seconds. Read "Moving Mount Fuji" for more - it's pretty interesting, and its main thesis is built around the sort of puzzle-based, grueling interview process given by Microsoft and companies like it. The people giving those interviews are just as subjective and prone to whim as everyone else is. We go through the farce of actually giving a complete interview pretty much to reinforce the notion we conceive the instant the person walks through the door. Far less frequently does an interview result in you changing someone's mind about their first impression. It's not impossible, but unlikely. So what I'm getting at is, take it in stride, do the best you can, and don't feel badly if you don't get offered a position. Unless you screw up royally in a way you know you could have done better, there probably would have been nothing you could have done differently. More specific advice that I've seen offered by other applicants (yeah, I've been reading up pretty heavily on this lately): 1. Bring snack bars with you and put them in your pocket. Eat them between interviews. You need to keep
You know, if an interviewer played those kinds of stupid mind-games with me, I'd tell them to take their position, fold it until it's all sharp corners, and shove it up their a...
Software Zen:
delete this;
Fold With Us![^] -
You know, if an interviewer played those kinds of stupid mind-games with me, I'd tell them to take their position, fold it until it's all sharp corners, and shove it up their a...
Software Zen:
delete this;
Fold With Us![^]Gary R. Wheeler wrote:
if an interviewer played those kinds of stupid mind-games with me
Seems like more and more of them are going this direction these days. Driven by the need to compete, companies increasingly believe these sorts of interview tactics have anything to do with the quality of employee you end up hiring. Personally I think company culture has alot more to do with how employees end up performing.
It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity. - Albert Einstein
-
You know, if an interviewer played those kinds of stupid mind-games with me, I'd tell them to take their position, fold it until it's all sharp corners, and shove it up their a...
Software Zen:
delete this;
Fold With Us![^]There are interviewers who play mind games, to be sure. But I think what he outlined are not games, but very effective ways to see how you behave.
“Cannot find REALITY.SYS...Universe Halted.” ~ God on phone with Microsoft Customer Support
-
Naww, we'd miss ya. Well, miss the sig at any rate. :-\
Citizen 20.1.01
'The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, 'which is to be master - that's all.'
I second that. His sig always makes me laugh :)
"The clue train passed his station without stopping." - John Simmons / outlaw programmer "Real programmers just throw a bunch of 1s and 0s at the computer to see what sticks" - Pete O'Hanlon
-
OK, so I managed to score an interview in Redmond. Anyone have advise (relevant, advise) on the process, what to expect, what to look out for, what would it be like if I got an offer?
only two letters away from being an asset
Mark Nischalke wrote:
I managed to score an interview in Redmond
Wow! Good luck to you, Mark.
"The clue train passed his station without stopping." - John Simmons / outlaw programmer "Real programmers just throw a bunch of 1s and 0s at the computer to see what sticks" - Pete O'Hanlon
-
Be prepared for the stupid questions masquerading as "we want to know how you think." And whatever you do, if asked what the best feature would be for Word, don't answer "a button to turn off all the automatic shit." (A friend did that on purpose.) As for an offer, be prepared to be low balled on salary (my brother.) Odds are they won't pay your move (if required.) [EDIT: Apparently, Microsoft has greatly improved the relocation package in the past few years.] I almost got an interview there--I fit the [obscure] job description exactly--but was given the brush off. I highly suspect it was an obligatory H1B job posting, which nobody but one person was supposed to actually match. I didn't really want to move to Seattle so it didn't bother me.
Anyone who thinks he has a better idea of what's good for people than people do is a swine. - P.J. O'Rourke
modified on Thursday, July 31, 2008 9:33 PM
Joe Woodbury wrote:
asked what the best feature would be for Word, don't answer "a button to turn off all the automatic sh*t." (A friend did that on purpose.)
I'll have to remember that one :laugh:
"The clue train passed his station without stopping." - John Simmons / outlaw programmer "Real programmers just throw a bunch of 1s and 0s at the computer to see what sticks" - Pete O'Hanlon
-
OK, so I managed to score an interview in Redmond. Anyone have advise (relevant, advise) on the process, what to expect, what to look out for, what would it be like if I got an offer?
only two letters away from being an asset
Congrats...hope it works out! Mike
Semper Fi http://www.hq4thmarinescomm.com[^] My Site
-
You know, if an interviewer played those kinds of stupid mind-games with me, I'd tell them to take their position, fold it until it's all sharp corners, and shove it up their a...
Software Zen:
delete this;
Fold With Us![^]Gary R. Wheeler wrote:
fold it until it's all sharp corners, and shove it up their a...
Exactly. This procedure seems to be for it own sake. What happened to asking straight forward and very pointed questions?
Sovereign ingredient for a happy marriage: Pay cash or do without. Interest charges not only eat up a household budget; awareness of debt eats up domestic felicity. --Lazarus Long
-
OK, so I managed to score an interview in Redmond. Anyone have advise (relevant, advise) on the process, what to expect, what to look out for, what would it be like if I got an offer?
only two letters away from being an asset
Hi, sometime ago i found this video http://channel9.msdn.com/shows/WM_IN/Zoe-Goldring-and-Gretchen-Ledgard-What-is-it-like-to-interview-at-Microsoft/[^] It's gets you an inside look into the recruiting process at microsoft. And I heart about a book "How Would You Move Mount Fuji?". it's all about interviewing questions. Good luck. :-D
-
OK, so I managed to score an interview in Redmond. Anyone have advise (relevant, advise) on the process, what to expect, what to look out for, what would it be like if I got an offer?
only two letters away from being an asset
Hey Mark, Well, I've been working for M$ for about 8 years now, and have been on the "other side" of the interview process. What I can say is answer honestly and talk through your thought process. Most of the "obscure" questions we ask is to understand how you think, how you break down problems, basically how you deal with ambiguity. I would say the most important trait in a successful M$ employee is dealing with ambiguity. I don't know what type of position you are interviewing for, but if it is coding related, again, just be honest. If you don't know it offhand, but know where you can get the info in a hurry, say that. We aren't looking for someone who knows every single syntax for every command ever written. We're looking for good solid people that have a personality, are willing to admit they are human. Then we hire them and force them to do super-human feats! Anyways, overall it's a great place to work. Feel free to send me a direct email if you have other questions. Good Luck, Randy
-
Wow, congratulations! Did you have a phone screen prior? :cool:
Mark Nischalke wrote:
Anyone have advise (relevant, advise) on the process
From what I have read - You will have 5 interviews if you get through the whole process - 2 before lunch, one during lunch (be careful, it masquerades as just "having lunch" but it's another interview and if you blow it, you'll be escorted back to the HR bus), and 2 after lunch. If at any time before the 5th interview you get told your interviews are done, you blew it somewhere and will not be offered a position. If you get through all 5, apparently it's very likely you'll be offered a position (because each one gives a HIRE or NO HIRE assessment immediately, and the first NO HIRE will get you escorted to the door. So if you get to 5, you have only one more group to impress and the odds of doing that are better). Don't look for any rhyme or reason in why they may decide to escort you to the door. The process seems like they're looking for specific things, but really they're just doing what every other hiring manager does - hire the person who seems most like themselves the instant they walk in the door. Ok, ok, before I get the business from everyone here who does any hiring, studies have shown that something like 85% of hiring decisions are made in the first 2 seconds when you meet someone. Yes, 2 seconds. Read "Moving Mount Fuji" for more - it's pretty interesting, and its main thesis is built around the sort of puzzle-based, grueling interview process given by Microsoft and companies like it. The people giving those interviews are just as subjective and prone to whim as everyone else is. We go through the farce of actually giving a complete interview pretty much to reinforce the notion we conceive the instant the person walks through the door. Far less frequently does an interview result in you changing someone's mind about their first impression. It's not impossible, but unlikely. So what I'm getting at is, take it in stride, do the best you can, and don't feel badly if you don't get offered a position. Unless you screw up royally in a way you know you could have done better, there probably would have been nothing you could have done differently. More specific advice that I've seen offered by other applicants (yeah, I've been reading up pretty heavily on this lately): 1. Bring snack bars with you and put them in your pocket. Eat them between interviews. You need to keep
Hi, First, best of luck with the interviews. I've gone through the whole process twice and got selected in the second try (obviously, failed in the first :P). Anyways, the process is quite simple. Expect small yet hard to crack riddles/programming questions. Remember, if a question is taking too long to make sense or if your writing too much code to solve something your probably off the track. THINK ALOUD AND ASK FOR CLARIFICATIONS, this probably is the best advice i can give you. They are never looking for the solution just your thinking pattern. By the way, everyone will give you an introduction before starting the interview. Listen to it carefully, this will help you in writing code. How? For example, If the interviewer is a manager for a test group, make sure you place checks in your code, WHEREEVER POSSIBLE :). The vice versa works for manager from the development teams, they value efficiency more (well to support the argument, its quite simple to get the BSOD in windows :P). This doesn't mean you don't need to check your input. Its always a good idea to ask the interviewer explicitly about the checks. Lastly, 5 interviews are not a must. I got selected after 4.5 :) (two guys in the fourth interview, i agree theoretically its 5) but if your really good they might select you in 3 interviews. Moreover, some people posted earlier about the relocation. Frankly, i think they have the best relocation benefits you can find. I hope this helps. If you have any further queries drop me an email and I'll try to help you as much as possible. Chao!
-
Hey Mark, Well, I've been working for M$ for about 8 years now, and have been on the "other side" of the interview process. What I can say is answer honestly and talk through your thought process. Most of the "obscure" questions we ask is to understand how you think, how you break down problems, basically how you deal with ambiguity. I would say the most important trait in a successful M$ employee is dealing with ambiguity. I don't know what type of position you are interviewing for, but if it is coding related, again, just be honest. If you don't know it offhand, but know where you can get the info in a hurry, say that. We aren't looking for someone who knows every single syntax for every command ever written. We're looking for good solid people that have a personality, are willing to admit they are human. Then we hire them and force them to do super-human feats! Anyways, overall it's a great place to work. Feel free to send me a direct email if you have other questions. Good Luck, Randy
ogryzek wrote:
If you don't know it offhand, but know where you can get the info in a hurry, say that
Like... Google?
