A Program Manager interview at Microsoft Preparing for an interview is stressful and really difficult, on the other hand, I have also also found it to be difficult to prepare and design an interview that is fair, equitable and gets your company or team the type of candidate you need. 50 % Employee Referral. The onsite one was with 5 interviewers includes hire manager, team peers and the their director. It was a university interview where they came to the school to interview us. Program managers must monitor numerous projects at once. In this big tech company, backend engineers quickly develop/ prototype and test new features with live data on the server by some framework, how do you extend a similar framework to mobile app developers as well to … At this point you might be wondering what your chances are. Program managers oversee inter-connected projects (programs) and supervise project managers. That’s where practice comes into play. Microsoft needs more and more PMs every year which might lead you to believe that getting hired isn't that hard. Which is better touchscreen or traditional dials and knobs for a car dash screen? Data-Driven Product Management: Choosing the Right Metrics for Your Product, Learn more and start scheduling sessions today, Resume and cover letter screening / employee referral. Experience. How would you monetize it? There was little downtime in the four hours of interviews, interviewing with program managers, hiring managers, and technical employees. Microsoft has changed how it interviews developers and engineers, and you should really hope it’s the start of a broader trend.. With what it calls an ‘alternative interview framework,’ Microsoft hopes to solve three issues with tech interviews: Tech interview questions are outdated. I will give an overview of the interview structure, dive deep into the 6 evaluation areas and provide resources for mock interviews. As a consequence, you'll typically need to answer a few technical questions during your interview process. I interviewed at Microsoft (Redmond, WA) in February 2020. Two weeks after this "final round", I scheduled my final interview, which was a simple case study about elevators. How would you explain Cloud to your grandmother? It was very simple, just asking about my background. Overview Interview Stages Sample Questions Hiring Decision Tips and Strategies. 50 % Employee Referral. Practice technical program manager and program manager interviews 1-on-1 with ex-FAANG interviewers. Experience 467 Ratings. What is the runtime of merge sort, and why? If you have friends or peers who can do mock interviews with you, that's a great option too. Very well organized, and smooth. At Microsoft, program managers own the product spec. How would you improve it? The campus interview was fairly straight forward. Learn how to enable cookies. For more information, check out our article on how to answer behavioral interview questions and the "Why Microsoft?" Many of our clients have interviewed and received Microsoft job offers. Given an infinite list, how would you find and then remove the second to last element in the list? Positive. This question asks applicants to explain their management style, how to identify project risk and what steps to take to ensure projects are completed successfully. Would you like us to review something? Campus Recruiting. This has been a long time coming… Since I did a fair amount of research before going into the interview, and was helped out a lot by the written experiences of others, I want to add my own experience to the mix. Campus Recruiting. From Windows to Office to Azure to Xbox, program managers at Microsoft drive technologies that impact our everyday lives. - I still don't know what team I ll be a part of! I applied through university and received an invite to interview on campus. 10 % Getting an Interview 516 Interview Reviews. t: Microsoft Program Manager Interview Questions. Here is what you can expect: In most cases, the Microsoft interview process starts with an HR recruiter call. This is a great opportunity to gain some practice for your Microsoft PM interviews. We've already made the connections for you. e. Program managers shape a program and manage its delivery to meet strategic business goals and objectives. 0 Answers. How do you know what your customers want? In your interviews you'll therefore be given strategic questions to discuss with your interviewer. You want to switch which side of the road everyone is driving on. The process took 3 weeks. We've grouped them in five buckets and analyzed how frequently they were asked by Microsoft interviewers using questions reported by former candidates on Glassdoor.com. Learn how designers from across the company get to revolutionize the user experience. Tell me about your past history at X job, I'd loved to learn more about your day-to-day responsibilities. We’ve created a coaching service where you can practice 1-on-1 with ex-interviewers from leading tech companies like Microsoft, how to answer technical interview questions, how to answer strategy interview questions. They can help you get an interview at the beginning but that's about it. 215 reviews from Microsoft employees about working as a Program Manager at Microsoft. I interviewed at Microsoft. I applied through college or university. They lied and said that getting three of four was random. Exercise: Pick one of the questions above and answer it in the comments section below, without looking at other people's answers. Walk through your thoughts and pitch it. What to look for in an answer: Applicant's management style and communication skills One production design question. So, let's take a look at the different types of questions Microsoft will ask you. 659 Microsoft Program Manager interview questions and 518 interview reviews. Your trust is our top concern, so companies can't alter or remove reviews. Had a first round interview at my university, resume walk through and coding/design questions. I mentioned one from a previous job and he grilled me on my design choices in the project (though it was a basic intern project with the design choices already made for me so he asked me how I would have designed it). You can also find peers to practice with on our new PM mock interview platform. The main difficulty with PM interviews at Microsoft is that you will be asked a wide range of questions. Learn about Microsoft culture, salaries, benefits, work-life balance, management, job security, and more. ; Candidates don’t thrive in fast-paced, high-pressure scenarios. ), 7 of the Best Situational Interview Questions. Design a 3 button remote for a television, Thinking of a product you’ve started using a lot lately and considering how to improve the user experience, draw out a new UI/UX, Design the UI/UX for Disney’s new streaming platform, Design the most engaging user interface for a music app that you can think of. The door is closed and all bulbs are switched off. Practice TPM and PM interviews 1-on-1 with ex-FAANG interviewers. Here is a list of our free guides on different types of PM interview questions to help you prepare: BUT, having a method for solving PM interview questions isn’t enough by itself. Program Manager Interview Questions. Microsoft places a heavy emphasis in this area, and the questions asked tend to fall into three categories: These questions aren't particularly hard compared to some of the others listed in this article and are sometimes overlooked by candidates. Found the job opportunity and asked for a referral from one MSFT friend. Program Manager Interview 1. The process took 4+ months. What was a technical project you worked on that you and how was it impactful/what did you do on it? Copyright © 2008–2020, Glassdoor, Inc. "Glassdoor" and logo are registered trademarks of Glassdoor, Inc. Find a Great First Job to Jumpstart Your Career, Stand Out From the Crowd With the Perfect Cover Letter, How to Prepare for Your Interview and Land the Job. For more information check out our articles on how to answer product design questions, product improvement questions and the favorite product question in PM interviews. It was not. You'll therefore need to do some homework before your interviews. There were no coding questions unless you were coming from a non-computing major (I chatted with a bunch of the other interviewees and that's the conclusion we'd come to since the only two non-computing were the only two who got technical questions).My first round asked me about any projects I've worked on. The Final Round During the on-site, interviewers will make recommendation notes to hire you or not, and each interviewer will be able to see all the notes from previous interviews. http://glassdoor.com/slink.htm?key=vIWkn. First, it's important that you understand the different stages of your interview process with Microsoft. How would you design an elevator system for a building with x amount of floors? What's included in the purchase Apply for a role you're interested in, then create a profile to help us steer you in the right direction and give our recruiters insight into your interests and experiences. He had me try to improve the product coming up with three new features. Positive. It's worth spending time to prepare answers for them to build a small edge against other applicants. On average it takes four to eight weeks to get an offer, but it can sometimes take longer. To ace your program manager interview, you need to have more than just experience. Keep reading: product manager interview articles. I interviewed at Microsoft (Reston, VA). 14 % system architecture, cloud computing, security questions). But this actually isn't the case. Walter Sun, whose job was to make sure Bing gave users the most up-to-the-minute information about current events, was seeing a big spike in the number of people searching for facts about some type of plane incident on the Hudson River. Luckily, this interviewer decided to go off the original problem my project was solving and asked for a larger scope how would I solve the problems.My fourth round was the most fun. The process took 3 weeks. Here's the good news. Do your due diligence. Please describe the problem with this {0} and we will look into it. You have nine balls of equal size and weight — except for one, which is a little heavier than the rest. We've already made the connections for you. Now what? These questions assess your customer empathy, creativity, and ability to use a structured approach to design products. Your recruiter is leading the process and taking you from one stage to the next. Skills and confidence are very important when you appear for an interview. Since program managers are... 2. This can be especially helpful if your friend has experience with PM interviews, or is at least familiar with the process. In my opinion, this is the easier part of the interview. They are centered on whether or not you understand and can offer simple explanations of certain technical concepts — especially algorithms. Free interview details posted anonymously by Microsoft interview candidates. 20 % Negative. Meet the man behind Bing Predicts and see how machine learning is forecasting the future: http://glassdoor.com/slink.htm?key=vIMWe, Microsoft’s designers approach their products from their own unique angles. Refrigerator, Microwave oven, tape dispenser. He then asked for a big new change for Spotify. 657 Microsoft Program Manager interview questions and 516 interview reviews. Recruiter. Practicing by yourself will help you perfect your step-by-step approach for each question type. On average it takes four to eight weeks to get an offer, but it can sometimes take longer. The objective of this conversation is to understand more about your background and to confirm that you've got a chance of getting the job at all. One soft skills question. I interviewed at Microsoft (Redmond, WA) in December 2019. Microsoft. After being contacted by a third party recruiter through LinkedIn, my resume was submitted for a few positions. Here's what happens at each of the stages described above: It's also important to note that recruiters and people who refer you have little influence on the overall process. I applied through a recruiter. Very well organized, and smooth. The second one was a case, where I was asked questions about how I would make an app better (I chose to talk about Yelp). Let's step through each type of question, discuss why Microsoft asks these questions, and take a look at a few examples in each category. One algorithm question. Here are the five most important things you can do to get an offer as a Microsoft program manager. Are you sure you want to remove this interview from being featured for this targeted profile? Practice product manager interviews 1-on-1 with ex-FAANG interviewers. Everything moved along very quickly, which was great!The first interview took roughly 30 minutes and the interviewer asked very relevant questions about my experience and did not focus on traditional "basic" questions which helped with a more organic conversation. You are king of an island. One HR phone interview for basic questions and then one onsite interview with the hiring team. He then asked me some general questions about if I were given a product and a team what would I do. Getting an Interview. PMs are responsible for setting the product vision and roadmap to deliver it. What Are Your Problem Solving Techniques? I applied online. Practice product manager interviews with other FAANG candidates for free. In our experience, practicing by yourself is a great way to prepare for PM interviews. I wanted if it's a norm to ask coding questions in interviews, and if so what advice would you give me to prep for it considering i have just a week left! Referred by the hiring manager for role as a SPM on a BI team, leading the platform integration effort across the company. In the world of projects, scope creep is … When interviewing with Microsoft, future program manager Tyler Butler went through seven interviews during the course of a single day before being offered a position. They asked me a something that tested data... 2. Your interview process may start with an in-person or phone interview with human resources to evaluate whether or not to continue pursuing you as a candidate. Interview process and timeline ↑ What's the Microsoft PM interview process and timeline? How would you track user engagement in an app and what KPIs would you use to improve it? You can ask and answer questions out loud, to help you get a feel for the different types of PM interview questions. Microsoft Program Manager Interview Questions. Hi all, I have a Microsoft Program manager interview coming up. The process took 1 day. The success rate is therefore 0.35% and the company is one of the toughest employers to break into in the world. In most cases you will be interviewed by your future PM peers, a senior PM, and a senior executive who is likely the hiring manager leading your recruitment. SEE ALSO: How to Ace the Microsoft Program Manager Interview, How to Ace the Software Engineering Interview Here’s a list of Microsoft interview questions. I interviewed at Microsoft (Reston, VA). As you've probably figured out from the example questions listed above, you can't become a PM at Microsoft without being familiar with the company's products and its organization. Microsoft received 2m applications in 2018 across all its departments but only ended up hiring 7k employees in the same year. A little background, I recently had a University campus interview for the IT tech roles. The whole process was very well planned and everything went very smoothly. And it might also be difficult to practice multiple hours with that person unless you know them really well. A few months later had my on site final round. Hello everyone! After the phone screen, your recruiter decides to move you to the on-site interviews or not, depending on how well you've done in relation to the criteria provided to them by the hiring manager. I applied in-person. What metrics would you use to measure success for Microsoft Outlook? You can expect a lot of behavioral questions (more on that below), but there will be plenty of technical, design, strategy, estimation, analysis, and puzzle questions as well. Tell me about a time when you faced conflict within a team, and how you dealt with it, Tell me about a product you lead from idea to launch. How do you go about doing it? But for most of us, it's tough to find the right connections to make this happen. Top 3 Program Manager Interview Questions 1. The questions are difficult, specific to Microsoft, and cover a wide range of topics. If recommended by the majority, at the end of the day you’ll be invited to what Microsoft commonly calls the “as appropriate” interview (given it is only scheduled if you have enough positive recommendations at that point). During the day long loop (5 1 hour interviews), it was decided that I … What is your favorite product and why? Final round was 4 interviews back to back, an hour+ each. A few weeks after my recruiter told me I go the offer. In other words, they're in charge of product strategy. Now that you know what questions to expect, let's focus on a few key preparation steps. The process took a week. Here’s Exactly What to Write to Get Top Dollar, How To Follow Up After an Interview (With Templates! You'll typically spend a full day at one of Microsoft’s offices and participate in four to five interviews. Using the number of employees listed in Microsoft’s annual reports, data available from LinkedIn, and industry averages, we estimate that the number of PMs at Microsoft grew from about 4,000 to 9,000 between 2005 and 2019. If the majority of all interviewers recommend you, the hiring team will make you an offer usually within a week. Thinking through all these aspects requires creativity and a structured approach. Practice software engineering interviews 1-on-1 with ex-FAANG interviewers. There was little downtime in the four hours of interviews, interviewing with program managers, hiring managers, and technical employees. Here are some resources to help you get started with this: If you're already an experienced PM then this step doesn't apply to you. The best place to start is here. Microsoft PM (Program Manager) Interview Guide. The Final RoundThe final round consisted of four interviews each around 45 minutes. Design a Microwave oven that could be used by everyone in the house, 9 Attention-Grabbing Cover Letter Examples, McKinsey & Company Program Manager Reviews, 10 of the Best Companies for Working From Home, The Top 20 Jobs With the Highest Satisfaction, 12 Companies That Will Pay You to Travel the World, 7 Types of Companies You Should Never Work For, How to Become the Candidate Recruiters Can’t Resist, Program Manager Salaries in San Francisco, Program Manager Salaries in Mountain View, 11 Words and Phrases to Use in Salary Negotiations, 10 High-Paying Jobs With Tons of Open Positions, Negotiating Over Email? How do you get people to agree with your point of view? How would you design an alarm clock for the blind? The whole process was very well planned and everything went very smoothly. When you’re overseeing multiple projects, how do you determine which is a priority? Answer: Every project, be it large or small … The following interview questions are appropriate for a program manager role in a large organization. He then asked me how I felt about the Tesla touchscreen displays in the cars and asked me to why touchscreen or traditional knobs might be better or worse.2. Microsoft Program Manager Questions (Interview) Hi Everyone, I'm an Information Systems major and have a few questions about the Program Manager at Microsoft. How much money do Americans spend on cat food every year? If you have any questions about Microsoft PM interviews, do not hesitate to ask them below and we will be more than happy to answer them. It's a uniquely Microsoft role that is a combination of product management + project management + user interface design. Imagine you’re a PM at a startup that works with big data. Question: TPM interview question. These questions assess if you're comfortable thinking about the wide range of aspects good PMs need to take into account when making product decisions. Then, when it comes time for your interviews, these habits will reduce your stress and help you to make a great impression. Take any production chain, how can you optimize the production process. 70 % Neutral. How would you motivate users to use your app every single day for a month? Note: the total number of employees at Microsoft decreased in 2010, 2015, and 2016, which explains the dip you can see in the number of PMs at the company for these years. I interviewed at Microsoft (Redmond, WA) in January 2020. But if you're more junior or if you're trying to break into product management then it's worth spending some time refreshing your memory about basic product management concepts. I have a program manager interview with microsoft next week and looking for some recommendations on how best to prepare. Interview. As in most interview processes you'll need to answer behavioral interview questions. The morning of, one interview was canceled, but I continued with the two other scheduled interviews (with different PMs on Azure teams). Interview. How would you identify the heavier ball using balance scales only twice? The first one was behavioral, asking about experiences on my resume. The program management team bridges the technical and business worlds, as they guide ideas from conception to launch. All questions are good questions, so go ahead! I interviewed at Microsoft (Redmond, WA (US)) in December 2019. Good PMs are critical thinkers and can make confident and swift decisions. What steps do you take to avoid scope creep? Why do you want this job and what can you bring that we don't already have? 1 day to apply, 1 day to phone screen, 2 days to in person interview. I received my full time offer in mid-November. He asked about an app I use a lot. Behind the idea for any new piece of technology is a question: How do designers at the front end translate hunks of metal, plastic, wires, pixels and bits into a new human experience? Here's the announcement about a special offer - learn more here. Note that at Microsoft PMs are referred to as Program Managers and usually have more responsibilities in execution and delivery than Product Managers at other companies such as Google or Facebook. I’ve been studying ‘cracking the pm interview’ book and some other resources but just wondering if anyone is willing to share any insight Thanks in advance ! What distinguishes the top 1% of product managers from the top 10%? The goal of this post is to explain how to prepare for Technical Program Manager (TPM) interviews. PM interviews are really challenging. I applied through college or university. Experience 467 Ratings. The questions may also be applicable to executive and management roles that include program management responsibilities. You also need to be able to communicate your answers clearly, under the pressure of interview conditions. I interviewed at Microsoft (Bellevue, WA) in January 2020. The good news is that cracking PM interviews is actually really manageable once you know how to prepare. What is the difference between C++ and Java? 10 % Getting an Interview 516 Interview Reviews. What’s your favorite Microsoft product, and how would you improve it? The good news is that Microsoft hires an increasing number of engineers and PMs every year. Design a method that removes every other node from a linked list. Microsoft Program Manager Interview Questions | Glassdoor Now www.glassdoor.com Phone interview first round where I talked to a current Program Manager , onsite interview (1st round from a PM from a different team, 2nd round was a lunch interview with a Principal PM, 3rd round with my future manager, 4th round with a Group Program Manager ) 16 % Applied Online. For more information, check out our article on how to answer strategy interview questions. 16 % Applied Online. If you were a PM on Microsoft Surface and Delta asked you to design the perfect airline entertainment system, what would you do? Mix of behavioral and technical questions based on my resume (e.g. How to Answer: What Are Your Strengths and Weaknesses? Then, I was contacted at the end of October for my final round, which was 3 virtual interviews back to back. Your feedback has been sent to the team and we'll look into it. The Campus Interview Design a lightbulb. Microsoft expects a fair amount of technical knowledge from candidates. The interview was also more difficult than expected. Experience. Are you sure you want to replace it? Microsoft PMs tend to be more technical than average, usually having a degree in computer science or significant previous experience with software and engineering. I interviewed at Microsoft in March 2020. Glassdoor will not work properly unless browser cookie support is enabled. Learn more and start scheduling sessions today. I am happy to say that it went reasonably well, since I did get an offer. They asked me a something that tested data structures. Really smooth process, I met with multiple program managers on the team and they each asked me how I would design different things. Free interview details posted anonymously by Microsoft interview candidates. How would you go about estimating the number of gas stations in the USA? You can expect behavioral questions such as, "Tell me about yourself," "Why Microsoft?" If you know a PM who can help you, that's fantastic! #pm #microsoft #programmanager #programminginterviewprep The Campus InterviewThe campus interview was fairly straight forward. 516 Interview Reviews. Here are a few questions Microsoft has asked in the past. We’ve created a coaching service where you can practice 1-on-1 with ex-interviewers from leading tech companies like Microsoft. The process took 3 weeks. 1. Interviews at Microsoft. The interesting thing is they did not ask me to design software but rather different things in day to day life. Approaching each question with a predefined method will enable you to build strong interview habits. Application. I've worked at Microsoft for 13 years, with most of that time as a Program Manager, and I've both interviewed and conducted interviews throughout my years. or, "Tell me about a product or feature you launched from start to finish." Here’s an overview of what we will cover: What's the Microsoft PM interview process and timeline? I had multiple interviews at the Redmond HQ with Program Managers and Engineering Manager. 20 % Negative. I received a notification that my resume was pushed through to the hiring manager and they wanted to schedule an interview with me. A windowless room has three identical light bulbs connected to one of three switches outside the room. As you can see below these questions are not a test of coding expertise in a particular language. The program manager has to make sure that all the projects within a program are aligned and follow the same strategic goal. Each interview will last about 45 to 60mins and be a one-on-one with a mix of other folks from the PM team. What's something product managers know that others don't? This course helps the student get ready for the Microsoft Program Manager (PM) interview. The Ultimate Job Interview Preparation Guide. At first, it sounded like a disaster. I didn't actually catch on the the interviewer wanted me to use a hash table for a bit but he was really patient with me and encouraging. He narrowed the question down as I asked clarifying questions.My second round interviewer began by pointing out the same project on my resume from my previous job and asked about the design choices again.My third round began by saying she spoke to my previous interviewer and wanted to hear about my project from my previous job (tbh at this point I really wish I could have talked about something else). If you get past this HR screen the recruiter will then organize on-site interviews. I applied online. Then around one weeks later I heard that I was waitlisted for interview spots, but eventually (maybe two more weeks later) they offered to fly me out to a final interview in Washington.1. 14 % More. How can you tell which switch goes to which light? You can also find peers to practice with on, Here's the good news. All you need to do is have 5 to 8 different stories/project ready which you can use for various questions. It also gives you time to correct your early mistakes. I applied in-person. question. 0 7. Finally, you should also try to practice with experienced PM interviewers as they’ll be able to give you much more accurate feedback than friends and peers. Here, interviewers are looking for you to talk about … The interview process was chaotic and was not streamlined. I mentioned Spotify. Here is a list of free resources to give you a starting point: As mentioned previously, Microsoft will ask you questions that fall into certain categories: design, strategy, estimation, behavioral, technical, and data analysis. Your response will be removed from the review – this cannot be undone. Interviews at Microsoft. Overall, it was a great experience while still being challenging! To begin with, clear milestones for each project have to be identified and plotted out in a single space to make sure that all key elements of a program are covered. Interview. For more information, check out our articles on how to answer metric questions and estimation questions in PM interviews. The process took 1 day. 516 Interview Reviews. This includes competition, pricing, marketing, time to market, etc. your motivation to work at Microsoft and as a PM, your understanding of what good PMs do and don't do. There were four interview blocks. Phone interview first round where I talked to a current Program Manager, onsite interview (1st round from a PM from a different team, 2nd round was a lunch interview with a Principal PM, 3rd round with my future manager, 4th round with a Group Program Manager) Before opening the door you can flip the switches as much as you want but once you open the door, you may no longer touch the switches. My interviewer was a Software Engineer and told me upfront he did not know much about Program Management. It's a challenging role that demands a challenging interview. The above program manager interview questions can help you. A core task for PMs is to help design new product features and improve existing ones. How to improve a current product that you're working on? Recruiter. Contact us for a free 15 minute interview analysis before your Microsoft interview. I applied online. This will replace the current featured interview for this targeted profile. For more information, check out our article on how to answer technical interview questions. I applied online. I interviewed at Microsoft (Redmond, WA) in November 2020. I applied online. First you should apply. One important part of Interview Questions For A Technical Program Manager is to prepare well for behavioral interview questions. Early last week I went through a Program Manager interview at Microsoft. Glassdoor has millions of jobs plus salary information, company reviews, and interview questions from people on the inside making it easy to find a job that’s right for you. 70 % Neutral. 14 % More. I applied in mid-August 2020 and was contacted at the end of September for an interview. Getting an Interview. It includes a detailed overview of what Microsoft is looking for along with real interview questions and answers from Microsoft PM interviews. While the technical aspects are left to the project managers, a program manager has a more strategic role and ensures the program … The Microsoft PM interview steps: Resume, cover letter, and referrals; Phone screen (one interview) On-site (four to five interviews) Hiring committee review; You get an offer! 8 Questions You Should Absolutely Ask An Interviewer, Software Development Engineer In Test (SDET), Software Development Engineer In Test (SDET) II. At the time of writing this article, Microsoft hires about 400 to 500 new PMs per year. Really smooth process, I met with multiple program managers on the team and they each asked me how I would design different things. Onsite interview. 14 % Making these decisions often requires analytical and estimation skills which Microsoft will test you on in the recruiting process. This interview is an opportunity to ask intelligent questions about the organization and show off your passion for Microsoft, the department, and the industry. The trick is to ask questions about the lightbulb. And you should also be prepared for a couple questions around general product thinking like, “What’s your favorite Microsoft product and how would you improve it?”. Points To Be Considered In Monitoring Project Process? It's therefore not surprising that design questions are a part of Microsoft PM interviews. We have put together the ultimate guide below to help you maximize your chances of success. Top interview tips for getting hired at Microsoft. Explain the PM position to someone that doesn't get it. The good news is that the right preparation can make a big difference and help you land a PM job at Microsoft.