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Interviewing at Microsoft

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2 years ago I interviewed at Microsoft for a Software Development Engineer in Test – and I probably did well, since I am now working here. Lately, I interviewed people myself (mostly college hires). Looking back, I realize I did a very good thing at my interview: I asked a ton of questions. It is said the person that asks questions is in control, and it is true.

There are 2 benefits when the interviewee asks questions:

- The interviewee learns more about the work place, the environment, the team, the product and whatever he or she asks about. It’s a good way to find out whether there is really a good fit between the candidate and the position.

- The interviewer gets a sense of the interviewee’s knowledge and interest about his team. You get as much knowledge from the interviewee’s questions as you get from his answers.

Of course, there is a caveat. The questions must be good, intelligent questions. How do you come up with a list of good questions? You can start by looking through some books like 201 Best Questions to Ask on Your Interview. But it’s not enough to copy some questions from these books. Your questions must be in sync with your interests and your uncertainties. For example:

- If the people in the team and the team culture are important for you, ask about that. Ask how big is the team, how experienced are the team members, and how is the attrition (good and bad). Ask for views on mentoring, management style, personal & professional growth and processes used. Depending on the interviewer’s style (whether he’s open and easy going or not), you can ask how are team members socializing at work and outside work.

- If you want customer interaction, ask who the customers are, how does the team interact with the customers, whether you will have the opportunity to talk directly with them.

- If you are interested in career advancement opportunities, ask about team’s plans for growth and expansion, about the organization structure.

- If you want to know more about the product and future directions, ask where they are in the development process, what specific goals they have for next 6 month/1 year, what will they done after the current version, what challenges are they facing.

Pay attention during the interviews and ask about things the interviewers are talking (or are avoiding). You will not ace the interview just by asking the right questions - you have to answer the right way to the interviewer’s questions (technical or non-technical), but you can definitely impress someone and get an advantage over other candidates.

If you are interviewing (with Microsoft or other companies), good luck and don’t forget to prepare a list of questions as starting point for your discussions.

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