Structure Of Microsoft Interview Process
As one of the largest major tech companies, with over 130,000 employees, Microsoft’s product management interview process has more variance than that of its peer companies, like Google and Facebook.
That said, most Microsoft product management interviews follow a common structure: a quick phone screen, one first round interview and an on-site interview day with three to five interviews, depending on the team, the role and seniority.
Pm Interview Company Guides
This guide is relevant for product manager interviews in any tech company, but of course, the exact process and questions will vary. The good news is that we’ve also created specific guides for each of the leading tech companies. If you’ve already got an interview at one of these companies then you absolutely must take a look at the relevant guide below!
How To Win The Technical And Behavioral Round With Team Members And Stakeholders
Like the previous round, this group of interviews will address technical knowledge. Youll also be asked a number of situational and product design questions. Here are 9 examples of third-round Microsoft interview questions to get you ready:
For these questions, the interviewer will be looking to assess your problem-solving and critical thinking skills, so be sure to clearly explain each step of your thought process and ask to provide visuals if needed.
After this round, the decision is in the hands of the Microsoft hiring team. Good luck!
Read Also: How To Answer Customer Service Interview Questions
Tips To Negotiate Microsoft Program Manager Salary
- Do not share the current compensation you are receiving.
- Do not share the compensation you are expecting.
- Invest in building a good rapport with the hiring manager.
- Do not insist on receiving offers in writing.
- Ask for a relocation package if it applies to your case.
- Compare your offer with publicly available data.
Salary negotiation is a must-have skill. Read The Ultimate Guide to Salary Negotiation at FAANG for Software Engineersto hone your negotiation skills and get an offer that matches your value.
How To Become A Microsoft Product Manager
Kristen Miller
Microsoft, one of the largest and most recognizable technology companies in the world, completely revolutionized personal and workplace computing. Now nearly 50 years old, Microsoft remains as relevant as ever, continuing to produce new software, hardware, consumer devices, and advertising and licensing services. The company is one of techs most sought-after employers, and most Product Managers would jump at the chance to work for such an influential and well-established brand.
Want to join the Microsoft product team? Then this guide is for you. Well cover everything you need to know to win the Microsoft Product Manager interview and land the job.
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How Do You Foster Teamwork And Collaboration In A Remote Setting
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
Microsoft employees work in various environments including on-site, remote, and hybrid settings. Interviewers ask this question to gain insight into a candidate’s ability to foster a healthy team environment regardless of the work setting of each team member.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Remember To
Remember to include any coaching or mentoring activities you regularly perform to encourage project managers or other team leads within your area of responsibility to improve teamwork. Interviewers value candidates who can influence others to actively contribute to the health of their teams.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
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Example Question: Why Do You Want This Job
In the book Cracking the PM Interview, the authors suggest that the candidates answer the question by highlighting their experience, mentioning at least one specific accomplishment, and what attracted them to this job.
For example: Ive been working as a product manager for the past four years. During that time, I successfully drove two new product launches. Im looking to broaden my skill set and take on new challenges. I love how your company focuses on products that are helping build a more sustainable future.
Here are some other background/experience questions and prompts you can use:
- Walk us through your resume.
- Tell us about yourself.
- Why excites you about product management?
- Where do you see yourself in five years?
- Why do you want this job?
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+ Microsoft Product Manager Interview Questions
With its evolutionary line of products, Microsoft is a company every Product Manager wants to work with. While many apply, only a few manage to crack a Microsoft Product Manager interview.
In this blog, we share with you the ultimate list of 25+ Microsoft Product Manager interview questions to help you get the job at your dream company.
Like any other Product Manager interview, at Microsoft, you can expect guesstimates, analytical, behavioral, and other common Product Manager interview questions.
However, in this article, we exclusively cover Microsoft-focused PM interview questions. These questions have been shared by former interviewees at Glassdoor.
With the help of this article, you can understand what Microsoft seeks in a Product Manager, the types of questions asked, and practice 25+ PM interview questions.
So, lets get started
Microsoft Product Manager Interview Questions
A Microsoft PM interview includes a mix of product design, operations, strategy, leadership, and technical questions.
These questions are asked to evaluate how the candidate thinks, approaches, and solves product challenges. Lets look at popular Microsoft Product Manager interview questions below.
Top 3 Microsoft Interview Questions
Enough about strategy. Its time to get to the main event: the example Microsoft interview questions and answers.
Now, like we mentioned above, Microsoft hires for all kinds of positions. Each of the jobs at Microsoft is going to have a unique set of interview questions. Thats why, along with reviewing the Microsoft interview questions, you should also explore lists for your specific role. So, if youre trying to land a program manager, financial analyst, , or any other kind of job, dig into the specialty.
However, you should also review the questions that many Microsoft interviews have in common, like the ones were discussing here. Lets start with these, the top three Microsoft interview questions you might encounter:
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Microsoft Product Manager Interview Questions
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I interviewed at Microsoft
Interview
Very good with various company members, starting with HR and then with other companions of my area of activity. It took less than a month to join up the company eventually.
Anonymous Employee in San Jose, San Jose
Application
I applied online. The process took 3 months. I interviewed at Microsoft in Feb 2022
Interview
I really enjoy the process, it’s really challenging, the only bad thing is that is really long. I took me around 3 months to complete it.Steps:1. Call with HR.2. Three interviews in one day. 4. They sent me the offer 3 weeks later5. We negotiate the offer 6. Background check
Interview Questions
- How would design a washing machine?How do you solve a conflict in your team?Tell me about a situation when you feel proud?What kind of metric would you use to measure user engagements?What is your favorite product and why? How would you improve it? How would you monetize outlook?Why Microsoft?What are your strengths and weaknesses?
Here Is A List Of All Product Manager Interview Questions Asked At Microsoft
To help you with your Product Manager interview preparations, we have compiled a complete list of the most asked Product Management InterviewQuestions and Answers at companies like Facebook, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Netflix, etc.
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Product Improvement:
How would you improve Microsoft Teams?
What’s your favorite product and why?
Improve the experience of moving to a new city.
How would you use VR to improve education?
How would you improve Slack?
How would you improve trust in the Bing search results for healthcare?
How would you improve the adoption of the Bing search engine in India?
How would you improve the search for charities on Bing?
What is that one product feature that would change the landscape of DevOps/GitOps?
How will you improve Google Maps in remote areas for non-tech-oriented people?
How would you increase user engagement on Microsoft OneDrive?
How would you improve Microsoft OneNote?
Suggest features to build better connections on Instagram.
Which is your favorite IOT product and whats the future of IoT in the next 5 years?
Whats your most-used Microsoft product and is there anything you would like to suggest for improving it?
How would you detect fake news on Facebook?
What would you build to improve user retention on Microsoft Teams?
What is a Product?
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Write A Fantastic Product Manager Resume
According toMicrosoft, your resume should highlight specific accomplishments you achieved at your previous positions. If you have a past project that was particularly successful, they recommend adding it as an attachment or link within your application. Resumes may be longer than one page, but the most relevant information should be quickly visible on Page One. Microsoft also suggests including a list of your interests, extracurricular activities , and volunteer work.
Before writing your resume for Product Manager, check out our free webinar on resume writing, which takes you through the process of building a resume that can be used for multiple Product Manager positions.
Common Situational Product Manager Interview Questions
Leadership and communication are two essential skills for all Product Managers.
Most PMs sit at the head of design and development teams, and all Product Managers have to collaborate with a diverse roster of stakeholders with different job responsibilities, specialties, and goals.
Leadership and communication are crucial intangible skills for Product Managers to get different teams working together in an organized, purposeful goal toward a common purpose.
To get a sense of whether you have these soft skills, questions to ask for interviewers include:
Question:Do you recall working on a project that required you to influence people that did not report to you?
Answer: Its pretty commonplace for PMs to work with more senior employees, from Program Manager categories right up to CEOs and top company leadership.
Its a priority for any PM to know how to achieve stakeholder alignment and not only get engineers and development teams on the same page, but also gather buy-in from senior business leadership.
Specific examples will always be a good idea when answering a question like this. Feel free to boast a little about your experience working alongside top-level decision-makers!
Try to provide concrete strategies for how you influence them, whether its creating attractive data visualizations to illustrate your point, delving into user research, or other tactics.
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Do You Have Experience With Xyz Methodologies
Developing a new product from scratch whether its a lightweight B2C SaaS or a comprehensive suite for business managers takes time.
But product teams dont have all the time in the world. There are deadlines to meet and competitors to beat.
To keep up with all of those challenges and ensure the products success, people have come up with different methodologies over the years.
The most widely recognized is the agile methodology.
To test the candidates technical know-how and level of hands-on experience, a recruiter might ask if they have ample experience with any of the methodologies.
How To Get A Product Manager Job At Microsoft
At Product Gym, we apply a simple four-step framework to landing the Product Manager job youre looking for. With this structure and the support of the PG community, both aspiring and veteran PMs have increased the number of calls they receive for interviews. The process also leads to more of those interviews being converted into offers.
Heres how the magic works:
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What Technical Skills Do You Have That Set You Apart
This question is an opportunity for candidates to highlight their strengths and outline what technical skills will help them succeed on the job. Its important that the candidates answer aligns with the position requirements. This will show recruiters that the potential hire understands what it takes to succeed in the role.
The way that this question is answered could make the difference between a good and a great candidate clear for recruiters.
Additional Technical Product Manager Interview Questions
| How do you define market opportunity in a business plan? |
| To build your product roadmap, what inputs do you use? |
| What is a product you cant live without? How would you improve it? |
| Please explain how you managed the roadmap for a product in the past. |
| Define machine learning. |
| Have you attained a product management certification? |
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What Are The Major Differences Between Agile And Waterfall Methodology
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
Microsoft uses a mix of methodologies, but they mostly lean on iterative development practices. Interviewers ask this question to test a candidate’s ability to articulate the differences and the value of these two styles of development.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Remember To
Remember to compare the phases, budgeting techniques, change management procedures, and team structures for these two models. Also, be sure to mention the business scenarios in which these two styles add value.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
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Describe Your Executive Or Senior Management Presentation Experience
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
Program managers at Microsoft work directly with senior stakeholders. Interviewers ask this question to ensure that candidates can present the right level of detail in a way that is easily understood by this important audience.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Remember To
Remember to communicate that you are confident presenting information to this level of an audience while simultaneously demonstrating humility. Executives and senior leaders at Microsoft represent a wide range of informational needs and it is expected that a program manager will need to learn the preferences of their audience.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
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Discovery
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Advanced Product Manager Interview Questions
Examples of Product Manager interview questions that some of the top tech companies ask candidates include:
| Think of a product you used today. What did you like about using it? What would you change? |
| Think of a product you hate to use. How would you improve it? |
| Please give an example of a tech trend to watch. |
| Give us your view on leadership. What makes a strong leader? |
| Think back to a time when you had a difficult problem to solve. How did you tackle it? |
| Have you ever made an unpopular decision on the job? What happened? |
| What innovation are you most proud of? |
| Think back to an example of a professional failure. What did you learn? |
| Explain your approach for improving X product? |
| Explain your approach to design X product for Y people? |
| Think of a real-world example of a competitive move a company has made recently. Give us your opinion on the move. |
| Define the concept of protocol. |
| What is typical page load time distribution on desktop, and how does it compare to mobile? |
| Choose any digital app or product. What would you do to improve it? |
| Whats your approach to optimizing the production process on a production chain? |
| Whats your approach to motivating users to return to use an app every single day? |
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Hiring And Decision Process
It is important to note that the interviewers talk in between while taking the interview letting the other person know what you missed and what were your strong points. It also lets the next interviewer know what part to focus on.
If in the next interview you get asked a similar question, it is most probably because it wasnt well elaborated the last time. This is an attempt to get you to discuss a bit more in detail and understand your point of view in a better way. For example, one interviewer might find you lacking on the creativity or innovation front, so the next one might ask you something related to the same. Make sure you watch out for this.
If you are recommended by a majority of the interviewers, you will be extended with an offer letter within a week.
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Describe A Time When You Had To Work With A Challenging Stakeholder
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
Program managers at Microsoft partner with a wide range of stakeholders for the programs they are responsible for. Interviewers ask this question to determine if a candidate has the soft skills necessary to connect with a stakeholder that is perceived to be difficult.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Remember To
Remember to focus on the operating or business impact on your program and how you improved your stakeholder relationship in your response. Interviewers are aware that personal conflicts between program managers and stakeholders can occur, but these examples should be excluded from your response as they might be poorly received by the interviewer.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
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