Ali’s Space

I wanted to give people some tips for interviewing at Microsoft (or anywhere else for that matter) in order to help them out.

Phone Interview

• Seclude Yourself. I think it is important to be in a room by yourself without any distractions and little or no noise. If there is anyone else with you in the house, make sure they know not to disturb you.

• Walk Around. I personally can not sit down while conducting a phone interview. I have to be pacing around. It gets the blood pumping and keeps you sharp and alert. It also makes your voice sound more active (rather than relaxed).

• Guide the Conversation. Try to lead the interviewer to your positive traits and the things that you want to emphasize. Try to think of answers to common questions, which you can use to your advantage.

• Be Prepared. Make sure you have a pen and paper handy with you. In a Microsoft phone interview you will more than likely need it in order to do the technical/programming questions. It can’t hurt to have it.

• Prepare Questions Beforehand. If you have any questions that you think you may want to ask, you should have them prepared beforehand on a paper. I recommend you do try to think of some questions and ask them, because at the very least it shows you are interested in the position. Also, you can use the pen and paper you have prepared to write down the responses.

• Sound Passionate. Foremost, Microsoft looks for people who are passionate about technology, programming, and development. I think if you sound passionate, have a good technical background and skills that you stand a good shot at making it. If you act or sound indifferent, you may be giving your interviewers the wrong impression.

This post is pretty long, so I will write more later about how I prepared for my interview and what sources I used.