How to Prepare for a Microsoft Interview
Microsoft can be a great company to work for, but if you're interviewing for Microsoft, you'd do well to prepare for the interview. It's well known that you won't receive the standard types of "strengths and weaknesses" questions at your Microsoft interview. Microsoft uses critical reasoning questions to test your ability to solve problems. In many cases, it's not about getting the right answer--you may not have the tools with which do to so--but rather about the way that you approach the situation.
Instructions
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Research the company and current news related to the company. You should know about Microsoft's latest products and what might be in development. You should also be aware of problems that the company is facing, such as major security flaws in its products. This allows you to be specific in the interview and ensures that you will be familiar with anything that the interviewer asks.
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Brush up on your coding. If you're applying to be in software development, you can expect to receive specific coding tasks in your Microsoft interview to test your abilities. It's especially important to review concepts if you've been out of the workforce for awhile.
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Determine why you want to work for Microsoft. At least one of your interviewers will ask you this question and "Microsoft is a great company" is not the right answer. Instead, you need to focus on what you can bring to the company, not what the company can do for you.
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Practice coding on a whiteboard. At a Microsoft interview, you can expect to show your coding work on a whiteboard. This may not be a style that you're used to and the unfamiliarity can trip you up.
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Prepare to think on your toes. You're sure to get a few riddles or problems that you must solve. There is no way to prepare your answers ahead of time--which is what the Microsoft hiring manager wants--but you can prepare by reading other riddles and problem solving questions and answers.
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