The Roadmap To Getting A Job At Microsoft
Microsoft has continuously served its purpose of enabling every individual and every business to enjoy tech benefits. Windows would possibly be the first OS we all have seen since computers became many.
Therefore, for aspiring software developers, working at such a prominent organization like Microsoft is the stuff of dreams. One of the many reasons to work for the computer giant is the incredible benefits, great compensation, pleasure of calling oneself a Microsoft employee, and of course the chance to collaborate with creative geeks.
However, getting a job at this company is the hardest part. It won’t be simple to be recruited at Microsoft because the competition will be fierce but it is also not impossible. To have a successful Microsoft interview experience, we have compiled some expert tips which can help you pass through the interview.
Moreover, the tips we mentioned can also help you crack and have an amazing Google or Adobe interview experience as top tech firms like these usually follow the same recruitment pattern. Without much ado, let us start the roadmap to getting a job at Microsoft by checking how the recruitment process is.
Microsoft’s hiring procedure
Before discussing how to prepare for a Microsoft interview, it is important to understand the recruitment process in detail.
Recruitment often begins when you apply for a position, but there is a potential that Microsoft will contact you through your college placement cell or job fair. Once you’re called, you will have to pass the following rounds.
Phone Screen
You will be required to code in a shared document during the phone screen test that serves as the first round. The code problems will be posed in a manner that is convenient for the timing which is 30 to 45 minutes.
In-person interview
If the phone interview goes well, you’ll be requested to show up for an in-person interview. On-site interviews for the time being have been stopped due to Covid-19. But via Microsoft teams, the interview will take place. There are also chances of on-site interviews if the covid restrictions are removed in some locations.
The face-to-face interviews typically have 4-5 rounds, with each round lasting an hour. You will have,
- Technical round: The candidate’s understanding of data structures and algorithms is examined in this round. You will encounter a lot of challenges in these rounds that require an understanding of Arrays & Strings. In addition, you can expect questions on Linked Lists, Terminology etc. Learn everything you can about the programming languages Java, Python, C, C++, and C#.
- Systems design round: Usually, the experienced candidates alone go through this round. This round comprises open-ended questions. This round’s goal is to assess your overall capacity for system design and scalability. The interviewer is most likely to be curious about the databases, logging, effective algorithms, etc. that you choose.
HR Interview
Once you clear the above round, you can expect to hear back from HR with an offer or a rejection letter within a week after the interview.
Your final point of contact will be the hiring manager, who will interview you and ask you a few behavioral questions to determine whether you’re a good fit before making an offer.
Tips to prepare for Microsoft interview
Here’s the big question: How to prepare for the Microsoft interview? Below are some tips that you can follow to have a smooth Microsoft interview experience.
If you follow the below tips, you’ll be able to answer confidently and also make use of them to have a nice Juspay, Google or Adobe interview experience. (These tips are pretty common to be followed to crack any big tech firm’s interview)
Use mock coding tests
A wonderful method to improve your coding skills is to practice with online coding tests. On the Internet, there are many coding-related questions to choose and work out. Moreover, famous coders have compiled several DSA sheets with repeated coding questions. You can choose any and work on those problems. Additionally,
- Start with simple coding challenges and work your way up to more challenging ones.
- Practicing coding every day.
- Avoid attempting to solve too many coding issues in one day. Take it gradually.
- Work on paid mock coding interviews and tests so you can get real feedback.
Some coding questions you can expect are:
- Add two linked lists’ head pointers and return the new linked list, where every linked list denotes an integer number. (Note that all nodes are digits.)
- Display the values of each node at each level of a binary tree given the root.
- Put the words of a sentence backwards (an array of characters).
- A positive number ranging from 1 to n is presented to you, with the exception of one integer, “x,” in the array. We need to locate “x.” Nothing in the input array is sorted.
- Find the spot where the least amount of travel time is needed for all N individuals on a MxM grid to meet at that location.
- From a given string, tell us all non-single letter substrings. They need to also be palindromes.
Be strong with your basics of DSA
Having a thorough understanding of data structures and algorithms is necessary to pass the coding evaluation. You’ll be able to accomplish the interviewer’s coding problem more rapidly if you can implement DSA with ease. One must be aware that the IT company needs a techie while applying for a job at Microsoft.
Hence, make sure you fully know the concepts of computer science. You must demonstrate how tech-savvy you are. You must be confident with computer fundamentals, such as operating systems, for that.
Research about the company
Most interviewers will ask why you chose their company to find out what your motivation is. Hence, you’ll need to make sure you’re familiar with “everything” about the company. The interviewer will be intrigued by you and most likely provide good feedback about you if they discover that you are well-versed in Microsoft’s products, networks, achievements, business culture, and other key areas.
Behavioral test preparation
Behavioral interviews are crucial because they allow the interviewer to assess your ability to communicate, your cultural preferences, and how you learn and take criticism. You can expect questions like,
- How can you solve a dispute among your team?
- Will you be able to rule a team without bossing them?
- In 10 years, what achievement do you believe you’d have made?
The wrap-up
If you put good effort into practicing and studying for Microsoft interviews, passing them shouldn’t be too difficult. To improve your understanding of DSA and coding abilities, try to consistently create a routine and do coding problems.
The abovementioned tips will help you succeed and lead you to have a fruitful Microsoft interview experience. Having said that, we wish you luck on your interview!
Ishita Juneja