Microsoft Interview Questions & Reviews in Washington, DC Area
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Updated May 4, 2012 – Interview questions and reviews posted anonymously by interview candidates.
Ratings are reflective of location and job title.
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Difficulty Rating [?] Based on 6 ratings 
“Average” Interview
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Interview Experience [?] Based on 6 ratings
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| 1–6 of 6 Microsoft Interviews | Sort by |
Technical Account Manager at Microsoft
Posted May 4, 2012
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4.0
Difficult Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Received and Accepted Offer
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Interviewed Apr 2012 in Washington, DC (took 3+ weeks)
I blindly applied to a position in Seattle that sounded interesting. After a week or so, I received an email from a Microsoft Recruiter. The recruiter asked if I would be interested in interviewing for a position local to my area. I agreed. I had the first phone screen with the recruiter and she worked to quickly schedule my technical phone screen. After a successful phone screen, I had a phone interview with another person. Then, two weeks later, I was invited to "Microsoft Day" at their Reston, VA area office.
I arrived on site with three other people and interviewed for the position. I had three sessions, first one was with two individuals, second one with two individuals, and the third with one person. The interviews were all very positive and I enjoyed dealing with the individuals. The interviews were pretty straight forward and because it was a management-type role, I wasn't asked to perform equations or write code or anything like that. The questions were well thought out and I believed that I had answered them well.
Sure enough, that night, I received a call from the recruiter (9pm) who told me that they indeed thought I had done a good job and was preparing to offer me a position.
Interview Questions
Negotiation Details
I received a call the day after my interview day from the person responsible for putting together the offer and he explained "Microsoft's Compensation Philosophy." I was told it would take a few days to get the offer approved and into the system. Terms of the offer were not shared with me at that time. The following Tuesday, I received my initial offer. I had read for three days about negotiating salary and had decided that regardless of offer, I was going to counter. I did, in fact counter. Microsoft is not very flexible with salaries or vacation days offered, but was flexible on signing bonus and stock offerings.
I received a counter-counter-offer three days later that was substantially better in all facets and I accepted. I would recommend understanding your value in the market, understand the compensation philosophy, and take into consideration the long term view as opposed to the short term gain.
Other Details
I Applied Online and the interview consisted of a Phone Interview, a 1:1 Interview, a Group/Panel Interview and a Background Check.
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Solution Sales Professional – Public Sector (Federal) at Microsoft
Posted Feb 1, 2012
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3.0
Average Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Interviewed and No Offer
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Interviewed Jan 2012 in Washington, DC (took a day)
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my interview experience. It was unlike any other interview I had ever done. I was very impressed with the approachability, professionalism and knowledgeability of my interviewers, respective to their job roles.
I arrived in the morning and immediately had my first of there 1:1 interviews. This interview was open ended in nature, the interviewer asked me broad, open ended questions about my career goals, strengths and interest to get a general sense of my "inner workings" as a person. We discussed the requirements of a sales role in great detail and I was asked how I would handle several "real world" sales situations. This interviewer was very open and honest about what the position entails and what was expected of potential hires.
The second 1:1 interview was shorter and a little "drier" that the others. I got the impression that the interviewer was tired from flying in as he wasn't very engaging or enthusiastic. This threw me a little bit, as the previous interviewer was very upbeat and enjoyable to speak with. The interviewer for my second session was very direct, asking me specific, practical questions about my qualifications for the job. He also gave a very candid overview of the position, even outlining some "cons" instead of just "pros".
My last 1:1 interview of the day was genuinely one of the best interviews I've ever had. My interviewer was so engaging and impressive that I felt compelled to keep in touch with him regardless of whether or not I received an offer. This particular interview was different in that the questions were borderline philosophical. We sent very little time talking about the actual position--instead, we had a conversation about my passions, goals in life, early childhood influences (yes!) and how a career at Microsoft fits into my overall life plan. I did receive one question that was a bit of a brain teaser--one of those "if a train leaves the station at X time..." questions, which in all honesty, did throw me off a bit because I was previously answering, broad, philosophical questions. I also learned more about the interviewer's role in the company which was not related to the position I was applying for, but honestly fascinating nonetheless. I cannot say enough good things about this particular interviewer; he even gave me candid feedback and insider "tips" at the end of my interview. He also encouraged me to keep in touch.
Not long after my interview, I was actually surprised to receive an email from the recruiter saying that they had chosen to go with another candidate. What was interesting, however, was that immediately after the "rejection" email, I received another from the Microsoft liaison (not the 3rd party recruiter) saying that I was a "very strong" candidate, that they were "impressed with my interview" and that they desired for me to interview for another position in Seattle where I might be a better fit. Although I was grateful for the offer to interview a second time, I declined because I chose to accept an offer with another company I was dealing with that I honestly believed would be the best for me at this point in my career. All in all, I had a very positive experience with Microsoft and I would absolutely interview with the company again in the future.
Interview Questions
Other Details
The interview consisted of a 1:1 Interview and a Background Check.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Project Manager at Microsoft
Posted Dec 20, 2011
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3.0
Average Interview
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Overall Neutral Experience
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Interviewed and No Offer
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Interviewed Sep 2011 in Washington, DC (took a day)
Contacted by a recruiter and prompted to apply online for project manager-public sector position and schedule a phone interview. Interviewer was senior-level HR and was very straightforward and somewhat abrasive at times. Typical behavioral-type questions with the exception of a few unique questions; asking you to explain a fairly basic technical subject (e.g. the internet, databases) to someone like a "child" or "your grandmother" and asking you to describe yourself (strengths/weaknesses etc..) from the perspective of a prior employer or peer.
Interview Questions
Other Details
The interview consisted of a Phone Interview.
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Sales at Microsoft
Posted Aug 4, 2010 — 1 of 2 people found this helpful
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3.0
Average Interview
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Overall Negative Experience
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Interviewed and No Offer
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Interviewed May 2008 in Washington, DC (took 1 week)
I declined to continue interview process because I received a better job. I thought they were also somewhat arrogant but after all they are Microsoft. They had me wait over an hour to meet with hiring manager while he went out to get coffee at that point I just gave up as I already close to accepting a different position.
Interview Questions
Other Details
I got the interview through a Recruiter and the interview consisted of a Phone Interview and a 1:1 Interview.
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Senior Consultant at Microsoft
Posted Apr 8, 2010 — 2 of 2 people found this helpful
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4.0
Difficult Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Received and Accepted Offer
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Interviewed Mar 2010 in Washington, DC (took 3 months)
The outsourced HR/Recruiting staff is abysmal, committing all sorts of offenses ranging from misspelling of my name to outright failure to communicate interview timing. I was extremely underwhelmed at first, but found that if you can make it past them the Microsoft employees themselves are far more competent. Most interviews (except with the management staff) were very technical in nature. Expect to do some whiteboarding, and also expect that you won't be able to answer every question. One of my interviews seemed to be designed to push and push me to the point where in the last 10 minutes I said a whole lot of "I don't knows," and was absolutely sure I bombed it. To my surprise, I got an offer anyway. So don't get yourself down if you don't know everything.
Interview Questions
Negotiation Details
There was no clear "negotiation" phase, and the process seemed geared toward moving directly from interviewing to an offer. Nobody asked me "what are your salary expectations?" or "what would it take to get you on board?" or any similar questions. Instead, they made an offer, and I negotiated from there. I got the distinct impression that negotiation is something that is rarely accommodated -- either you want to work for Microsoft or you don't. Still, I'm sure if you have a unique skill set and they REALLY want you, there is a little bit of wiggle room.
Other Details
I got the interview through an Employee Referral and the interview consisted of a Phone Interview, a 1:1 Interview and a Background Check.
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Helpful Interview?
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No
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Inappropriate?
Solution Specialist at Microsoft
Posted Mar 14, 2009
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3.0
Average Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Received and Accepted Offer
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Interviewed Aug 2007 in Reston, VA (took 2 days)
This was a great interview process that really allowed me to show my strengths for presentation, technical knowledge, and interpersonal skills. I had heard some nightmare stories about the hiring process, but in reality I received three offers from MSFT before finding the right job and all of my experiences were enjoyable. The best way to describe the process is to say that they are very thorough. MSFT looks for ambition, drive, energy, and expression just as much as thy look for anything else. Your ability to communicate and show excitement/enthusiasm for the position is critical. This is a company full of type-A entrepreneuers, so you really need to be able to express yourself. If you do, then you will find an EXCELLENT place to work that really takes care of their employees.
Interview Questions
Negotiation Details
This depends on the hiring manager and job level, but I wa able to negotiate a signing bonus, office location, teleworking, stock, and salary. Additional vacation is not normally negotiable as a new hire.
Other Details
The interview consisted of a Phone Interview, a 1:1 Interview, a Group/Panel Interview, a Presentation and a Background Check.
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Helpful Interview?
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No
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