10 Microsoft Interview Questions (With Example Answers)

Microsoft is a name everybody knows. Working at the technology giant of Microsoft is a career dream for many people. It’s an esteemed company that attracts the best and brightest applicants in specialties from marketing to software engineering.

Being considered for a position at Microsoft is an accomplishment in itself, but you haven’t landed the position yet. The chances of making it past this part of the application process will depend on how well you can answer interview questions.

Key Takeaways:

• Microsoft interview questions should be answered with specific examples that can be backed up with tangible results.

• Research as much as possible about Microsoft in general and the position in particular to be as prepared as possible.

• Microsoft’s core competencies are collaboration, a drive for results, customer focus, influencing for impact, judgement, and adaptability.

• An answer to a Microsoft interview question should show how you would fit in with the team.

• The average employee salary at Microsoft is $120,000

Top 10 Microsoft Interview Questions (With Examples)

Prepping for an interview with Microsoft is intimidating, but understanding the questions they’ll probably ask can ease your worries and make you more prepared.

An interview is your chance to stand out. While the questions you’re fielded will differ depending on the role you’re applying for, there are some that they generally use to figure out if a candidate is the right fit for Microsoft.

Review the list below of the top 10 questions asked during a Microsoft interview with examples of how to answer them.

1. Why do you want to work for Microsoft?

   This question is utilized in interviews across many fields because it demonstrates the candidate’s passion for the role and their knowledge of the company. This is a question that almost all applicants are asked during their interview with Microsoft because they want to understand what draws you to them versus their competition.

   How To Answer: This question implores you to tell a story about why you’re the perfect fit for the position and company. Be specific about the values of Microsoft that you feel you demonstrate. Show your familiarity with the company, role, and what drew you to apply in the first place.

   Having clear reasons why you want to work for Microsoft paints you as a self-assured and passionate applicant.

   Example Answer:

   “I’ve always loved being part of a team, ever since I played youth sports. I’m attracted to how Microsoft fosters teamwork and collaboration
   to develop the best products on the market. I want to work with Microsoft to be a part of this team effort.”

2. Tell me about your accomplishments.

   An influential tech company like Microsoft is seeking top-notch candidates with the most impressive accomplishments and qualifications. It’s likely a hiring manager will ask you to detail what your professional accomplishments are and how you achieved them.

   How To Answer: Be humble but confident when answering this question. The goal is to come across as an accomplished candidate without sounding braggy. Use your answer to highlight your strengths.

   Example Answer:

   “My greatest accomplishment happened while working as an application developer with a company called Flix. After three years with them, I was offered the opportunity to lead a project developing a fitness app. We worked on the project for two years before it ended up being one of the top five most successful, in terms of revenue and growth, that Flix had ever seen. This was an incredible accomplishment for me, not only because of the app’s success but also because it was my first opportunity to lead a team.”

3. Tell me about a time you tried something, but failed.

   An interview isn’t all about basking in the warm glow of your accomplishments. A hiring manager is on the lookout for how you’ll handle a discussion about your mistakes and failures.

   How To Answer: An interviewer is looking for honesty and description in answering this question. Even though it’s a conversation that involves your shortcomings, try to bring it back around to how this failure improved your overall performance or helped you grow in the long run. You can be honest and descriptive while still answering strategically.

   Example Answer:

   “After I graduated from college, my two close friends and I decided to try and build an app. The idea was for a fashion suggestion software, and it was a good one. We thought the opportunity would just grow by itself and were lazy about it. It failed within the year, but the experience gave me valuable insight into what it means to be successful and how to get there.”

4. Do you use Microsoft products? If so, which ones?

   Since Microsoft is internationally recognized, it presents a unique interview situation in which you have probably used their products before. Interviewers use this question to figure out how familiar you are with their services. While it isn’t necessary to own Microsoft products exclusively to be hired, having one that you enjoy using in mind can be helpful during an interview.

   How To Answer: Whether you have been a decade-long user of Microsoft or hardly use their products, you can likely find at least one example of a service they offer that’s helpful to you. Remember that the interview is still about you. Choose an example that gives you the chance to detail your skills.

   Example Answer:

   “Yes, I use Microsoft products. One of my favorite Microsoft products is OneDrive. As a prior freelancer in software development, I needed business organization. It allows me to easily collaborate with contract employers, improve my productivity, and create the best work possible. I wouldn’t use any other software to handle freelance team projects.”

5. What’s a unique quality you have?

   An interview is used to gather more information about who you are beyond your resume’s experience and skills. They may ask you a variation of “what are your unique qualities?” to create a more well-rounded candidate profile for consideration.

   How To Answer: Do some introspection about what makes you a unique candidate. You want to focus on a quality that’s more of a soft skill than a hard skill because they’re looking for character representations. Use a quality that will be particularly helpful to the role you’re applying for.

   Example Answer:

   “Growing up with four siblings, I quickly learned that communication is key to coexisting peacefully and productively. I believe strong communication skills have made me a more effective team player and employee.”

6. What does “XP” stand for in Windows XP?

   While you may not receive this exact question, the recruiter will likely ask you questions about Microsoft and their products to test your background knowledge in these areas. Having some baseline information about Microsoft’s history, products, and knowledge needed for the particular role will help during an interview.

   How To Answer: For this question, the answer would be that it stands for the “XP” in the word eXPerience. This analogy was chosen because it was an operating system meant to usher in a new user experience. However, do some research into other questions that an interviewer may ask you about Microsoft’s business and product history.

   Example Answer:

   “The “XP” in Windows XP is taken from the word “experience.” It was an operating system introduced in 2001 to bring about a revolutionized user experience.”

7. How do you keep your skills relevant and current?

   A lot of the competitive positions at Microsoft involve technology. This field changes a lot, and people working in it need to adjust to this. The interviewer will ask about your efforts to maintain the relevance of your skills.

   How To Answer: Recruiters are looking for answers that demonstrate a candidate who takes initiative towards keeping themselves informed. An innovative company like Microsoft needs self-starters like these. You should illustrate your system for learning current techniques in your industry and why you believe it works.

   Example Answer:

   “As a software developer, I think it’s imperative to stay up-to-date with the latest news and resources available in the industry. To keep my skills current, I enroll myself in an online course relevant to enhancing my skills and position every six months. I like to use these courses to keep myself sharp and competitive.”

8. Give me an example of a time you dealt with conflict at work.

   Even at an impressive company like Microsoft, there’s some conflict that goes on behind the scenes. One of the reasons why Microsoft is a successful corporation is that they turn conflicts into improvements. A Microsoft interviewer asks this question to see how you’ll handle discussing a difficult topic like conflict and understand your conflict management skills more.

   How To Answer: The key to answering this interview question is honesty. The interviewer wants to hear about a real conflict you’ve experienced and how you dealt with it. With that being said, you have a choice of which conflict to discuss further. Choose one that paints you in a favorable light and eventually ends in a positive resolution.

   Example Answer:

   “In my last position, I was working with a supervisor who tended to micro-manage the team. While I thrive in a collaborative environment, I produce my best work when given the freedom to do so. It was beginning to become an ongoing issue, so I decided to discuss it with my supervisor.

   It was intimidating to speak to a manager about the behavior I wasn’t happy with, but I went in prepared with what I wanted to say. To my surprise, the meeting went great, and my relationship with my boss greatly benefited from being open to communication.”

9. Describe a long-term project you managed.

   If you’re interviewing for a leadership role with Microsoft, you should be expecting some questions about your experience managing a team. This question is fairly straightforward and aims for more information about your management style, past work experience, and self-awareness.

   How To Answer: Many candidates will go off on a tangent when describing long projects that they managed. The experience may have had an incredible impact on your career, but you need to find a way to explain this in the most succinct way possible. Narrow down the project strengths and your leadership details to the most critical information.

   Example Answer:

   “During my last position, I was initially hired as an associate and worked my way up to managing marketing projects for the company. One of the projects I’m proudest of was for an upcoming ethically conscious clothing brand. I was appointed to lead a team of fifteen to develop a marketing strategy.

   Over three years, we worked with the clothing to establish a wildly successful brand that saw profits in the millions. I think what made the project so successful was the open communication on our marketing team. I bring that mindset of collaboration with my team to every project I work on.”

10. What is the best idea you’ve had in the past year?

    Microsoft is an innovative company, and it seeks this quality in its employees. By asking potential hires what the best idea they’ve had in the past year has been, it shows them whether a candidate demonstrates this creativity that’s crucial to their values.

    How To Answer: This question leaves a lot of applicants stumped if they haven’t prepared for it. They focus too much on presenting a great idea on the spot than having an impressive interview answer. Make sure the idea that you describe is relevant to your professional life, and preferably, was something that was implemented in a former position.

    Example Answer:

    “My best idea this year was offering the marketing team I managed in my former position extended schedule flexibility benefits to improve motivation and productivity. Specifically, I allowed them to work from home for two days every week. My theory was that employees with a comfortably flexible schedule would produce better work. I consider it my best idea of the year because it was the most successful one.

    The profit analytics of the company my team was managing improved by 1.2%, and they were happier at work overall. After seeing the positive impact that extending benefits had, the company ended up providing this to all their employees.”

How Can I Prepare for a Microsoft Interview?

There are a few steps you can take to prepare for an interview at Microsoft. The company doesn’t try to keep these tips secret — in fact, they’re available on the Microsoft careers page. We’ll just go into a bit more depth for each tip to ensure you’re ready.

• Do your due diligence. Hiring managers at Microsoft aren’t interested in candidates who think that knowing their role is good enough. Truly successful applicants (and employees) work hard to understand the broader goals of the team, department, and company as a whole.

  Regardless of where you’re applying, we recommend researching the company ahead of time. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that brand awareness is the same as a deep knowledge of the company’s ins and outs. Consider how the position you hope to land fits into the bigger picture and be ready to communicate your understanding.

• Know where you want to go. Most people prepare for the “where do you see yourself in five years” question anyway, so you shouldn’t need to do much extra homework here. Just know that Microsoft puts an extra emphasis on vision and long-term planning.

  Take a look at career paths on the Microsoft website. The more you understand the corporate hierarchy, the more fluently you’ll be able to discuss where you see your future going.

• Work well with others. Microsoft flat out warns applicants to “be prepared to answer questions related to professional relationships you maintained with former supervisors and colleagues.” It’s no secret that behavioral interview questions are en vogue, so practice using the STAR method to organize your answers.

  Additionally, think of plenty of examples of your workplace relationships, and not just the positive stuff. Questions about conflict, failures, and disagreements are also likely to come up.

• Showcase the qualities they’re looking for. Microsoft seeks candidates who express a strong desire to learn, a passion for technology, and an entrepreneurial spirit. They don’t want pencil-pushers who are happy to take and perform tasks without question or creativity.

  Be ready not only to discuss your competence, but enthusiasm for the field and the company’s larger role in the world.

• Demonstrate your thinking. Brainteaser questions aren’t about arriving at the “right” answer. They’re about letting the interviewer see how your mind works.

  When you’re asked a hypothetical question, don’t sit in silence while you consider your answer. Walk the interviewer through your thoughts to give them an idea of how you approach problems in general.

• Be yourself. It’s hard to make this tip actionable because every company encourages this sort of vague authenticity. In the context of an interview, we recommend not sounding overly rehearsed.

  Practice your answers, but think of them in bullet-point form rather than paragraph form. That way, you’ll give a solid answer that still sounds natural.

• See the landscape. This tip ties into one of the qualities Microsoft is looking for: a passion for technology. Microsoft wants hyper-nerds who geek out on new advances in the tech industry.

  Be ready to talk about how you stay up-to-date on trends and what new technologies you’re looking forward to the most. That’s the kind of forward-thinking that hiring managers love to see.

What are Microsoft’s Core Competencies?

Microsoft’s core competencies are:

• Collaboration. Microsoft employees have to be effective in their communication with team members and other employees to work on a common goal.

• Drive for results. Microsoft employees must hold each other accountable as they rise to the occasion and work their hardest to achieve their goals.

• Customer focus. Microsoft aims to make a product and provide a service that empowers their customers.

• Influencing for impact. Effective communication is highly valued at Microsoft.

• Judgment. Microsoft employees must use great critical thinking skills and understand the scope of complex business decisions.

• Adaptability. Microsoft employees must be agile in the face of inevitable ambiguity.

Microsoft, like many large firms, has a set of values that they unite their employees around. Microsoft calls these their “core competencies”, which help them make sure they obtain their desired work culture.

It is important to know about Microsoft’s core competencies and incorporate them into your answers at the interview. This will show that you have done your research and are the type of person Microsoft wants on their team.

15 Other Microsoft Interview Questions

1. What motivates you as an employee?

2. Why do you want to join Microsoft instead of Google?

3. What is an Internet Information Server (IIS)?

4. Tell me about a challenge you’ve had with a client and how you handled it.

5. What is the Component Object Model (COM)?

6. Can you show me an example of a website that’s designed well?

7. What is your favorite piece of technology? Why is it your favorite?

8. What is a stack in computing?

9. Is there anything else I should know about you?

10. Tell me about a time you recovered from a difficult situation and how you did it.

11. How would you describe cloud computing?

12. How do you build and maintain a positive rapport with your co-workers?

13. What Is Advanced Power Management (APM)?

14. Give me some examples of poorly designed software and how you would improve it.

15. How many times in 24 hours do the hands on a clock overlap?

Why Work at Microsoft

There are many reasons people find a career with Microsoft tempting beyond it being a well-known tech corporation. They present an impressive and attractive company culture that focuses on work-life balance through offers like a robust benefits package and high salary.

Examples of reasons why people want to work at Microsoft include:

• Average employee salary of $120,000

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance for you and your eligible family

• Fitness center reimbursement

• 401(k)

• Loan refinancing

• Education reimbursement

• Employee resources

• Paid time off and flexible schedule availability

• Paid parental leave

While some companies may offer their employees some of the same perks, Microsoft provides a comprehensive series of benefits and salaries to support their team members.

In addition to the contractual benefits you’ll receive from being a Microsoft employee, it also makes your resume look very impressive to any future employer.

Author

Sky Ariella

Sky Ariella is a professional freelance writer, originally from New York. She has been featured on websites and online magazines covering topics in career, travel, and lifestyle. She received her BA in psychology from Hunter College.