Microsoft Program manager Interview Questions & Experience Guide

Interview Preparation
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Microsoft Program manager Interview Questions & Experience Guide

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Company Name: Microsoft
Position: Program Manager
Location: Hyderabad (via Indian School of Business - ISB)
Application Process: Applied through campus placement at ISB Hyderabad.

Interview Rounds:

  • Round 1 - Product Management Round:

    • Questions Asked:
      1. Design a News App for the younger generation.
    • Your Approach: Focused on user-centric design, considering features like personalized content, gamification, and social sharing.
    • Outcome: Advanced to the next round.

  • Round 2 - Product Management Round:

    • Questions Asked:
      1. Resume walkthrough in depth.
      2. One big feature I don’t like in Ola and why?
      3. One big feature I’d like to add to Ola?
    • Your Approach: For the Ola questions, I highlighted pain points like surge pricing and suggested features like ride-sharing incentives.
    • Outcome: Moved forward to Round 3.

  • Round 3 - Product Management Round:

    • Questions Asked:
      1. Design Bing for Kids and follow-up questions.
      2. Product strategy discussion for Bing and competitor Google Search.
      3. One product I like – reasons for liking it, what feature would I add to it?
      4. Product strategy discussion between Paytm and Google Pay.
    • Your Approach: For Bing for Kids, emphasized safety and simplicity. For Paytm vs. Google Pay, discussed localization and user trust.
    • Outcome: Progressed to the final round.

  • Round 4 - Product Management Round:

    • Questions Asked:
      1. Designing related product recommendations in Bing Shopping.
      2. Why Microsoft? Follow-up: Most used/favorite product of Microsoft.
      3. Difference between a good team and a bad team. Personal experiences around it.
      4. What else should Microsoft do?
    • Your Approach: For Bing Shopping, suggested AI-driven recommendations. Shared personal admiration for Microsoft Teams and discussed team dynamics.
    • Outcome: Awaiting results.

Preparation Tips:

  • For group rounds, practice articulating ideas clearly in one-on-one discussions.
  • For product design questions, focus on user needs and simplicity.
  • Be prepared for deep dives into your resume and personal experiences.

Conclusion:
Overall, the interview process was rigorous but insightful. I could have prepared more case studies beforehand. My advice: practice product thinking and be ready to defend your ideas with data and logic.

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Company Name: Microsoft

Position: Program Manager

Application Process: I applied via LinkedIn and was interviewed before October 2022.

Interview Rounds:

  • Round 1 - Resume Shortlist:

  • Questions Asked: N/A (Resume screening)

  • Your Approach: Ensured my resume was crisp and highlighted relevant skills and experiences.

  • Outcome: Shortlisted for further rounds.

  • Round 2 - One-on-one Round:

  • Questions Asked: “Tell me about yourself.”

  • Your Approach: Gave a concise overview of my background, skills, and why I was interested in the role.

  • Outcome: Advanced to the next round.

  • Round 3 - One-on-one Round:

  • Questions Asked: “Talk about an interesting project you worked on.”

  • Your Approach: Shared details of a relevant project, focusing on my role, challenges, and outcomes.

  • Outcome: Progressed to the next stage.

  • Round 4 - One-on-one Round:

  • Questions Asked: “Case study on pricing of dishes in a QSR (Quick Service Restaurant) model.”

  • Your Approach: Analyzed the problem, considered factors like demand, competition, and cost, and proposed a pricing strategy.

  • Outcome: Moved to the final round.

  • Round 5 - One-on-one Round:

  • Questions Asked: “Why Microsoft? Why this profile?”

  • Your Approach: Highlighted my alignment with Microsoft’s values and how my skills fit the Program Manager role.

  • Outcome: Final evaluation pending.

Preparation Tips:

  • Focus on crafting a clear and concise resume.
  • Prepare for behavioral and case study questions, especially those relevant to the role.
  • Research the company and role thoroughly to answer “Why Microsoft?” convincingly.

Conclusion:
The interview process was structured and tested both technical and behavioral aspects. I felt well-prepared for most rounds, but I could have practiced more case studies to improve my responses. For future candidates, I recommend thorough preparation and confidence in articulating your experiences and motivations.

4

Company Name: Microsoft

Position: Program Manager

Location: Not specified

Application Process: Not specified

Interview Rounds:

  • Round 1 - Assignment:

  • Questions Asked:

    • Tell me about your projects.
    • Show me how Binary search works.
    • What is its complexity?
    • When a sorted array is ‘Rotated’, its last element becomes the first element and the remaining elements shift to the right. Write a function which takes an input array and returns the no. of times an array has been rotated.
    • Implement the above with logarithmic complexity.
    • Write code for Binary Search.
    • Write test cases for your function and Binary Search.

  • Your Approach: Not specified.

  • Outcome: Not specified.

  • Round 2 - Technical Interview:

  • Questions Asked:

    • Design an Offline Browsing Experience.
    • How will you implement an N-ary tree (N has no limit) and write code for BFS on that N-ary tree based on the implementation.
    • Write code for the node of the tree and the above BFS.
    • The weight of the node is given as Value of node * level of node. Write a function which returns the address of a node with the MAXWEIGHT in a binary tree.
    • Given an array of n elements which have numbers in the range of 0 to n-1, find if the array has any duplicate elements.
    • Write code to return the position of the duplicate element.

  • Your Approach: Not specified.

  • Outcome: Not specified.

  • Round 3 - Problem Statement:

  • Questions Asked:

    • There are two given sorted Linked lists. Merge them to form a single sorted Linked list. In case of duplicates, delete copies.

  • Your Approach: Finished coding around 12 minutes before others and avoided common mistakes like not freeing memory for duplicate nodes and modularizing the code.

  • Outcome: Cleared the round due to speed, accuracy, and efficient coding.

  • Round 4 - Final Interview:

  • Questions Asked:

    • Why do you want to be a PM?
    • If you are selected, what would you want to work on at Microsoft and why?
    • Design the Navigation system (Forward and Back Buttons) of a Net Browser with Data Structures.
    • Design a remote of 5 keys, what would you do?
    • Write an API for a button.

  • Your Approach: Not specified.

  • Outcome: Not specified.

Preparation Tips:

  1. Focus on speed, accuracy, and covering edge cases in coding.
  2. Accuracy is not very important initially; approach matters more. Be open to corrections.
  3. Write efficient and tight code, including freeing memory and using structs for better organization.
  4. For PM roles, demonstrate keenness to learn and ask genuine questions during the “Do you have a question for me?” segment.
  5. Read extensively (newspapers, tech blogs, etc.) and think critically to prepare for PM interviews.

Conclusion:

The Microsoft interview process was meticulous and enjoyable for someone who loves solving puzzles. The key to success was a combination of technical proficiency, efficient coding, and demonstrating a genuine interest in the role. For future candidates, focus on understanding the problem deeply, writing clean code, and showcasing your passion for the role.

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Company Name: Microsoft

Position: Program Manager

Location: Hyderabad (via Indian School of Business - ISB)

Application Process: Applied through campus placement at ISB, Hyderabad.

Interview Rounds:

  • Round 1 - Product Management Round:

    • Questions Asked:
      • Design a news app for the younger generation.
    • Your Approach: Focused on user-centric design, considering features like personalized content, gamification, and social sharing.
    • Outcome: Advanced to the next round.

  • Round 2 - Case Study Round:

    • Questions Asked:
      • Resume walkthrough in brief.
      • Algorithm and data structure to reverse a string converted into text by Cortana (assuming a separate engine records the speech).
      • Challenges in reversing the string.
      • Suggest new use cases for Cortana on a laptop (without dictation).
    • Your Approach:
      • For the algorithm, discussed using a stack or recursion.
      • Highlighted potential challenges like speech recognition errors.
      • Proposed simple use cases like setting reminders or launching apps.
    • Outcome: Progressed to the next round.

  • Round 3 - Product Management Round:

    • Questions Asked:
      • Discussed the experience behind the MS PM Challenge.
      • Launch Bing for France (Market Entry): Factors to consider, data sources, and target market segment.
      • Design the user experience for the selected business category based on a query.
    • Your Approach:
      • For Bing launch, analyzed market research, competition, and localization needs.
      • For UX design, focused on simplicity and relevance to the query.
    • Outcome: Moved to the final round.

  • Round 4 - Product Management Round:

    • Questions Asked:
      • Discussion about case competitions and why PM/why Microsoft.
      • Design an attendance feature for WhatsApp for SME businesses using registers.
      • Redesign the checkout experience for any e-commerce platform.
    • Your Approach:
      • For WhatsApp, identified pain points of manual registers and proposed a digital solution.
      • For checkout, streamlined the process with fewer steps and better UI.
    • Outcome: Successfully cleared all rounds.

Preparation Tips:

  • Round 1: 75 minutes.
  • Round 2: 60 minutes.
  • Round 3: 75 minutes.
  • Round 4: 60 minutes.
  • Focus on product thinking, case studies, and user-centric design. Practice structuring answers clearly and logically.

Conclusion:
Overall, the interview process was rigorous but rewarding. The key was to stay structured and user-focused in responses. Practicing case studies and product design scenarios beforehand helped a lot. For future candidates, I’d recommend brushing up on algorithms, market entry strategies, and UX principles.

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Company Name: Microsoft

Position: Program Manager

Location: Hyderabad (via Indian School of Business - ISB)

Application Process: Applied through campus placement at Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad.

Interview Rounds:

  • Round 1 - Technical Round:

    • Questions Asked:
      1. Tell me about yourself.
      2. Tell me about your work. Explain some technical architecture of any project on your resume.
      3. How would you go about building a crowd-sourced knowledge management portal?
      4. Technical architecture for the same knowledge management portal.
    • Your Approach:
      • For the “Tell me about yourself” question, I focused on my background, key projects, and why I was interested in the role.
      • For the technical architecture questions, I walked through a project from my resume, explaining the design choices and trade-offs.
      • For the crowd-sourced portal, I outlined a high-level approach, considering scalability, user contributions, and moderation.
    • Outcome: Passed this round.

  • Round 2 - Product Management Round:

    • Questions Asked:
      1. Walk me through your resume.
      2. There are a ton of applications targeting the music industry. I think there is still some gap in the industry that is not yet fulfilled. Can you create something in this space which could be viable?
      3. How would you build a text editor kind of application, which had to read a 3 TB file, how much of the file would you display (classic scrolling/pre-fetch problem)?
    • Your Approach:
      • For the resume walkthrough, I highlighted my relevant experiences and how they prepared me for a PM role.
      • For the music industry gap, I brainstormed a niche idea, focusing on user pain points and feasibility.
      • For the text editor problem, I discussed chunking the file, lazy loading, and optimizing for performance.
    • Outcome: Passed this round.

  • Round 3 - Product Management Round:

    • Questions Asked:
      1. Why PM? Why Microsoft?
      2. Build a web-scraper for a search engine.
      3. I (interviewer) am an engineer. Tell me what I need to do. Where do I start?
    • Your Approach:
      • For “Why PM? Why Microsoft?” I tied my passion for product management to Microsoft’s mission and culture.
      • For the web-scraper, I outlined a step-by-step plan, including data extraction, storage, and ethical considerations.
      • For the engineer question, I provided a structured approach, starting with problem definition and requirements gathering.
    • Outcome: Passed this round.

Preparation Tips:

  • Play to your strengths and steer the conversation toward areas you are confident about.
  • Be context-aware (e.g., priorities of a startup vs. a large company like Microsoft).
  • Think beyond the obvious solutions—consider edge cases and alternative angles.

Conclusion:
Overall, the interview process was challenging but rewarding. I felt well-prepared for the technical and product management aspects, though I could have been more concise in some answers. My advice to future candidates is to thoroughly understand your resume, practice articulating your thought process, and stay calm under pressure. Good luck!

7

Company Name: Microsoft

Position: Program Manager

Location: Not specified

Application Process: Applied via LinkedIn and was interviewed before October 2022.

Interview Rounds:

  • Round 1 - Resume Shortlist:

  • Questions Asked: N/A (Resume screening)

  • Your Approach: Ensured my resume was crisp and highlighted relevant skills and experiences.

  • Outcome: Advanced to the next round.

  • Round 2 - One-on-one Round:

  • Questions Asked: “Tell me about yourself.”

  • Your Approach: Gave a concise overview of my background, focusing on relevant experiences and skills for the role.

  • Outcome: Successfully moved to the next round.

  • Round 3 - One-on-one Round:

  • Questions Asked: “Interesting project I worked on.”

  • Your Approach: Described a project that showcased my problem-solving and leadership skills, aligning it with the role’s requirements.

  • Outcome: Progressed further in the process.

  • Round 4 - One-on-one Round:

  • Questions Asked: “Case study on pricing of dishes in a QSR model.”

  • Your Approach: Analyzed the problem, considered factors like cost, demand, and competition, and proposed a structured pricing strategy.

  • Outcome: Advanced to the final round.

  • Round 5 - One-on-one Round:

  • Questions Asked: “Why Microsoft? Why this profile?”

  • Your Approach: Highlighted my passion for the company’s mission and how my skills align with the Program Manager role.

  • Outcome: Awaiting final results.

Preparation Tips:

  • Focus on crafting a clear and concise resume.
  • Practice behavioral and case study questions to articulate your thoughts effectively.
  • Research the company and role thoroughly to answer “Why Microsoft?” convincingly.

Conclusion:
The interview process was structured and insightful. I felt well-prepared for the behavioral and case study rounds, but I could have practiced more case studies to refine my approach. For future candidates, I recommend thorough preparation and aligning your answers with the company’s values and role requirements.

8

Company Name: Microsoft
Position: Program Manager
Location: Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad
Application Process: Applied via campus placement at ISB, Hyderabad.

Interview Rounds:

  • Round 1 - Product Management Round:

    • Questions Asked:
      1. Design a News App for the younger generation.
    • Your Approach: Focused on user-centric design, highlighting features like personalized content, interactive elements, and gamification to engage younger users.
    • Outcome: Advanced to the next round.

  • Round 2 - Product Management Round:

    • Questions Asked:
      1. Resume walkthrough in depth.
      2. One big feature I don’t like in Ola and why?
      3. One big feature I’d like to add to Ola?
    • Your Approach: For the Ola questions, I analyzed user pain points and suggested improvements like better ride cancellation policies and loyalty programs.
    • Outcome: Cleared this round successfully.

  • Round 3 - Product Management Round:

    • Questions Asked:
      1. Design Bing for Kids and follow-up questions.
      2. Product strategy discussion for Bing and competitor Google Search.
      3. One product I like – reasons for liking it, what feature would I add to it?
      4. Product strategy discussion between Paytm and Google Pay.
    • Your Approach: For Bing for Kids, I emphasized safety, simplicity, and educational value. For strategy discussions, I compared strengths and weaknesses of the products.
    • Outcome: Progressed to the final round.

  • Round 4 - Product Management Round:

    • Questions Asked:
      1. Designing related product recommendations in Bing Shopping.
      2. Why Microsoft? Follow-up question: Most used/favorite product of Microsoft.
      3. Difference between a good team and a bad team. Personal experiences around it.
      4. What else should Microsoft do?
    • Your Approach: For Bing Shopping, I suggested AI-driven recommendations. For the team question, I shared experiences highlighting collaboration and communication.
    • Outcome: Received positive feedback and moved forward in the process.

Preparation Tips:

  • For group rounds, practice one-to-one discussions even if the setting is group-based.
  • Focus on user-centric design and product strategy for PM roles.
  • Be prepared to discuss your resume in detail and justify your opinions on existing products.

Conclusion:
Overall, the interview process was rigorous but rewarding. The key was to stay structured and user-focused in my responses. I could have prepared more case studies beforehand. For future candidates, practice articulating your thoughts clearly and be ready for deep dives into product design and strategy.

9

Company Name: Microsoft

Position: Program Manager

Location: Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad

Application Process: Applied via campus placement at Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad.

Interview Rounds:

  • Round 1 - Product Management Round:

  • Questions Asked:

    • Design an app for attractions in a city.

  • Your Approach: Focused on user personas, key features like real-time updates, and integration with local services.

  • Outcome: Passed to the next round.

  • Round 2 - Product Management Round:

  • Questions Asked:

    • Reverse a Linked list using only two pointers.
    • Design a drone-based solution for farmers.
    • Design an editor for very large files (in terabytes).

  • Your Approach:

    • For the Linked List question, initially stumbled but corrected my approach.
    • For the drone solution, tailored it for large land-holding farmers, highlighting benefits like pest detection and crop monitoring.
    • For the large file editor, proposed caching and indexing for efficient navigation.

  • Outcome: Advanced to the next round.

  • Round 3 - Product Management Round:

  • Questions Asked:

    • What next are you looking for in your career? What direction is it going in?
    • How will you detect and remove fake news on Facebook?

  • Your Approach:

    • Shared my career aspirations and alignment with product management.
    • Suggested AI-based detection and community reporting for fake news.

  • Outcome: Progressed to the final round.

  • Round 4 - Product Management Round:

  • Questions Asked:

    • Design a voice assistant for elderly folks.
    • Why Microsoft? What are your goals out of your next job? What sort of products are you targeting?

  • Your Approach:

    • Designed the voice assistant with simplicity and accessibility in mind.
    • Expressed enthusiasm for Microsoft’s impact and my alignment with their product vision.

  • Outcome: Successfully cleared all rounds.

Preparation Tips:

  • For technical questions like reversing a Linked List, practice coding problems to build confidence.
  • For product design questions, focus on user personas and real-world applicability.
  • Research the company’s products and align your answers with their vision.

Conclusion:
Overall, the interview process was challenging but rewarding. I learned the importance of staying calm under pressure and adapting quickly. For future candidates, I’d recommend thorough preparation on both technical and product management concepts, as well as practicing clear communication of your ideas.

10

Company Name: Microsoft

Position: Program Manager

Location: Hyderabad (via Indian School of Business - ISB)

Application Process: Applied through campus placement at ISB Hyderabad.

Interview Rounds:

  • Round 1 - Technical Round:

    • Questions Asked:
      1. Tell me about yourself.
      2. Tell me about your work. Explain some technical architecture of any project on your resume.
      3. How would you go about building a crowd-sourced knowledge management portal?
      4. Technical architecture for the same knowledge management portal.
    • Your Approach:
      • For the “Tell me about yourself” question, I focused on my background, key projects, and why I was interested in the role.
      • For the technical architecture questions, I walked through a project from my resume, explaining the tech stack, design decisions, and challenges faced.
      • For the knowledge management portal, I outlined a high-level plan, including user roles, data flow, and scalability considerations.
    • Outcome: Cleared this round successfully.

  • Round 2 - Product Management Round:

    • Questions Asked:
      1. Walk me through your resume.
      2. There are a ton of applications targeting the music industry. I think there is still some gap in the industry that is not yet fulfilled. Can you create something in this space which could be viable?
      3. How would you build a text editor kind of application, which had to read a 3 TB file? How much of the file would you display (classic scrolling/pre-fetch problem)?
    • Your Approach:
      • For the resume walkthrough, I highlighted my relevant experiences and how they prepared me for a PM role.
      • For the music industry gap, I brainstormed potential pain points (e.g., artist-fan engagement) and proposed a solution.
      • For the text editor question, I discussed chunking the file, lazy loading, and optimizing for performance.
    • Outcome: Advanced to the next round.

  • Round 3 - Product Management Round:

    • Questions Asked:
      1. Why PM? Why Microsoft?
      2. Build a web-scraper for a search engine.
      3. I (interviewer) am an engineer. Tell me what I need to do. Where do I start?
    • Your Approach:
      • For “Why PM? Why Microsoft?”, I tied my passion for product management to Microsoft’s mission and culture.
      • For the web-scraper, I outlined the steps: defining scope, choosing tools, handling data storage, and ensuring compliance.
      • For the engineer question, I provided a structured approach: understanding requirements, breaking down tasks, and iterating.
    • Outcome: Successfully cleared this round as well.

Preparation Tips:

  • Play to your strengths and steer the conversation toward topics you’re comfortable with.
  • Be context-aware; understand the priorities of the company (e.g., startup vs. Google).
  • Always think of edge cases or alternative angles beyond the obvious solutions.

Conclusion:
Overall, the interview process was challenging but rewarding. I felt well-prepared for the technical and product management aspects, but I could have been more concise in some answers. My advice to future candidates is to practice articulating your thoughts clearly and to thoroughly research the company and role beforehand.

11

Company Name: Microsoft

Position: Program Manager

Location: Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad

Application Process: Applied via campus placement at ISB, Hyderabad.

Interview Rounds:

  • Round 1 - Case Study Round:

    • Questions Asked:
      1. How would you integrate tech to improve customer experience at public places like amusement parks, sporting events, or historical sites?
      2. Design Bing for kids (up to 10 years).
    • Your Approach:
      • For the first question, I used the CIRCLES framework to define customer personas, identify pain points, and propose solutions like a customized app for Universal Studios with features like real-time ride wait times and personalized routes.
      • For the second question, I applied the same framework to design a kid-friendly Bing with features like colorful UI, language support, and parental controls.
    • Outcome: Successfully passed the round with positive feedback on my structured approach.

  • Round 2 - Case Study Round:

    • Questions Asked:
      • How can you use mobile phones for quality control in a bottle-making plant?
    • Your Approach:
      • Proposed using mobile cameras (“hawk-eye” process) to capture 3D images of bottles for quality checks, aligning them with reference images, and automating the rejection process.
    • Outcome: Advanced to the next round after demonstrating a practical and cost-effective solution.

  • Round 3 - Product Management Round:

    • Questions Asked:
      • Reiterated the question: Design Bing for kids (up to 10 years).
    • Your Approach:
      • Expanded on the previous solution, emphasizing fun elements like games and audio features while addressing risks like regional language support.
    • Outcome: Moved forward to the final round.

  • Round 4 - Case Study Round:

    • Questions Asked:
      1. Behavioral questions about leadership learnings from cricket.
      2. Should Microsoft incorporate a speech-bot for movie booking on Bing?
    • Your Approach:
      • Discussed leadership and teamwork insights from cricket.
      • Analyzed pros (ease of use, innovation) and cons (privacy, language barriers) of the speech-bot, concluding against its immediate implementation.
    • Outcome: Offered the Program Manager (PM2) role at Microsoft.

Preparation Tips:

  • Practice case studies using frameworks like CIRCLES for structured problem-solving.
  • Be prepared to discuss behavioral questions with real-life examples.
  • Stay updated on tech trends and Microsoft products.

Conclusion:
The interview process was rigorous but rewarding. My structured approach to case studies and ability to think critically about product decisions stood out. For future candidates, I recommend practicing case studies thoroughly and being confident in your problem-solving abilities.

12

Company Name: Microsoft
Position: Program Manager
Location: [Not specified]

Application Process: Applied online while in college. The process began with a phone screen with a recruiter, followed by an initial phone screen with the Senior PM responsible for hiring. The conversation was informal, covering my experience, understanding of the PM role, and why I was interested in Microsoft. It also included some design questions like “design a smart clock,” focusing on my design thinking and thought process.

Interview Rounds:

  • Round 1 - Phone Screen (Recruiter):

    • Questions Asked: General questions about my background, experience, and interest in the PM role.
    • Your Approach: I kept my responses concise and aligned them with the qualities Microsoft looks for in a PM.
    • Outcome: Advanced to the next round.

  • Round 2 - Phone Screen (Senior PM):

    • Questions Asked: Discussed my understanding of the PM role, why I liked Microsoft, and a design question (“design a smart clock”).
    • Your Approach: I focused on demonstrating my thought process, asking clarifying questions, and methodically breaking down the problem.
    • Outcome: Invited to the onsite interview.

  • Round 3 - Onsite Interviews (4 rounds with PMs of varying seniority):

    • Questions Asked: Behavioral questions (e.g., “Tell me about a time you showed leadership/resolved a conflict”) and design challenges (e.g., “Design a smart cupboard/an app for the elderly/a smart car entertainment system”).
    • Your Approach: For behavioral questions, I used the STAR method. For design challenges, I emphasized asking questions first, identifying constraints, and wireframing on the whiteboard. I also engaged the interviewer throughout the process.
    • Outcome: The interviews were repetitive but thorough. The younger interviewers were more engaging, while the senior ones were harder to impress.

Preparation Tips:

  • Practice behavioral questions using the STAR method.
  • Familiarize yourself with design thinking frameworks.
  • Work on wireframing and whiteboarding skills.
  • Prepare to ask clarifying questions during design challenges.
  • Stay hydrated and eat beforehand—onsite interviews are long and tiring.

Conclusion:
The overall process was structured but repetitive. The key to success was demonstrating a methodical approach to problem-solving and engaging the interviewer throughout. While some interviewers were more approachable than others, staying calm and focused helped. For future candidates, I’d recommend thorough preparation for both behavioral and design rounds, as well as taking care of yourself physically during the onsite interviews.

13

Company Name: Microsoft

Position: Program Manager

Location: [Location not specified]

Application Process: [Application process details not provided]

Interview Rounds:

  • Round 1 - Interview:

  • Questions Asked: The interviewer was very friendly and discussed the company culture and the tasks associated with the Program Manager role.

  • Your Approach: I engaged in a conversational manner, asking questions to understand the role and company better.

  • Outcome: Positive experience; gained insights into the company and role.

Conclusion:

Overall, it was a great experience. The interviewer was approachable, and I learned a lot about Microsoft and the Program Manager role. It seems like a fantastic company to work for!

14

Company Name: Microsoft

Position: Program Manager

Location: Not specified

Application Process:
I found the job opportunity and asked for a referral from a friend at Microsoft. The process started with an HR phone interview, followed by an onsite interview with the hiring team.

Interview Rounds:

  • Round 1 - HR Phone Interview:

    • Questions Asked: Basic questions about my background, why I was interested in the role, and my understanding of the Program Manager position at Microsoft.
    • Your Approach: I kept my answers concise and aligned them with the role’s responsibilities and my relevant experience.
    • Outcome: Passed this round and was invited for the onsite interview.

  • Round 2 - Onsite Interview (5 Sessions):

    • Questions Asked:
      • Behavioral questions like “Tell me about a time you led a project under tight deadlines.”
      • Scenario-based questions such as “How would you prioritize features for a new product launch?”
      • Technical questions about my familiarity with project management tools and methodologies.
      • Questions about teamwork and conflict resolution.
    • Your Approach: I used the STAR method for behavioral questions, focused on user impact for prioritization questions, and emphasized collaboration for teamwork-related queries.
    • Outcome: The feedback was positive, and I felt confident about my performance.

Preparation Tips:

  • Practice using the STAR method for behavioral questions.
  • Brush up on project management frameworks and tools.
  • Research Microsoft’s culture and values to align your answers.

Conclusion:
Overall, it was a great experience. The interviewers were friendly and focused on understanding my thought process. I could have prepared more case studies beforehand to better illustrate my points. My advice for future candidates is to be clear about your thought process and stay calm during the interviews.

15

Company Name: Microsoft

Position: Program Manager

Location: Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad

Application Process: Applied via campus placement at Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad.

Interview Rounds:

  • Round 1 - Product Management Round:

    • Questions Asked:
      1. Design a news app for youngsters.
      2. How would the backend of the news app look like?
    • Your Approach: This was a one-on-one interview despite being a GD round. I focused on user-centric design for the news app and discussed the backend architecture, including data sources and APIs.
    • Outcome: The round lasted around 35 minutes, and I advanced to the next round.

  • Round 2 - Product Management Round:

    • Questions Asked:
      1. Design a platform to show relationships between celebrities (like Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon).
      2. What is a database? How is it different from a data warehouse?
      3. What is Business Intelligence? What is predictive analytics? Provide examples.
      4. How would you implement predictive analytics to improve the platform?
      5. Draw the UI of the platform. Questions on Amazon Redshift (what it is, uniqueness, competitors, etc.).
    • Your Approach: I structured the celebrity relationship platform with a focus on scalability. For technical questions, I explained concepts clearly and provided real-world examples. For the UI, I sketched a simple, intuitive interface.
    • Outcome: Successfully answered all questions and moved forward.

  • Round 3 - Product Management Round:

    • Questions Asked:
      1. Design a platform for wedding planners in India.
    • Your Approach: I started by understanding the problem context and then outlined features like vendor management, budgeting tools, and guest coordination.
    • Outcome: The interviewer seemed satisfied with my solution.

  • Round 4 - Product Management Round:

    • Questions Asked:
      1. Design a personal assistant for a physical shoe store to eliminate the need for a salesman.
      2. Define the target customer and explain how the assistant would work. Also, identify which Microsoft team would be best suited for this project.
      3. What should Microsoft focus on in the near future and why?
    • Your Approach: I proposed a voice-activated assistant with AR features for trying shoes virtually. I also discussed Microsoft Teams integration for customer support. For the future focus, I highlighted AI and cloud computing.
    • Outcome: The round went well, and I received positive feedback.

Preparation Tips:

  • Focus on product design frameworks like PRD (Product Requirements Document).
  • Brush up on technical concepts like databases, BI, and predictive analytics.
  • Practice sketching UI/UX designs for hypothetical products.

Conclusion:
Overall, the interview process was rigorous but rewarding. I felt well-prepared for the product management questions, but I could have practiced more on specific technical tools like Amazon Redshift. My advice for future candidates is to think aloud during problem-solving and stay updated on Microsoft’s latest technologies and focus areas.

16

Company Name: Microsoft

Position: Program Manager

Location: Hyderabad (via Indian School of Business - ISB)

Application Process: Applied through campus placement at ISB Hyderabad.

Interview Rounds:

  • Round 1 - Product Management Round:

    • Questions Asked:
      1. Design a news app for the younger generation.
    • Your Approach: Focused on user-centric design, considering features like personalized content, gamification, and social sharing.
    • Outcome: Advanced to the next round.

  • Round 2 - Case Study Round:

    • Questions Asked:
      1. Resume walkthrough in brief.
      2. Algorithm and data structure to reverse a string converted into text by Cortana (assuming a separate engine records the speech).
      3. Challenges in reversing the string.
      4. Suggest new use cases for Cortana on a laptop (without dictation).
    • Your Approach:
      • For the algorithm, discussed using a stack or recursion.
      • Highlighted challenges like handling errors in speech-to-text conversion.
      • Proposed simple use cases like setting reminders or opening apps via voice commands.
    • Outcome: Progressed to the next round.

  • Round 3 - Product Management Round:

    • Questions Asked:
      1. Discussed the experience behind the MS PM Challenge for 10 minutes.
      2. Launch Bing for France (Market Entry):
        • Factors to consider.
        • Data sources (existing and new).
        • Market segment to target.
      3. Design the user experience for the selected business category based on a query.
    • Your Approach:
      • For Bing launch, analyzed cultural, legal, and competitive factors.
      • Suggested targeting tech-savvy users first.
      • For UX design, focused on simplicity and local preferences.
    • Outcome: Moved to the final round.

  • Round 4 - Product Management Round:

    • Questions Asked:
      1. Discussion about case competitions and motivations for PM and Microsoft.
      2. Design an attendance feature for WhatsApp for SMEs:
        • Problems with using a register.
        • Feature design.
      3. Redesign the checkout experience for any e-commerce platform.
    • Your Approach:
      • For WhatsApp, highlighted inefficiencies of manual registers and proposed a simple in-app solution.
      • For checkout, emphasized reducing steps and adding payment options.
    • Outcome: Successfully cleared all rounds.

Preparation Tips:

  • Round 1: 75 minutes.
  • Round 2: 60 minutes.
  • Round 3: 75 minutes.
  • Round 4: 60 minutes.

Conclusion:
Overall, the interview process was thorough and tested both technical and product thinking skills. Preparing for case studies and practicing product design questions helped a lot. For future candidates, focus on clarity, structure, and user-centric solutions.

17

Company Name: Microsoft

Position: Program Manager

Location: Not specified

Application Process: The candidate applied through the campus placement process at Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI), Mumbai.

Interview Rounds:

  • Round 1 - Assignment (Technical Aptitude Test):

    • Questions Asked:
      1. Tell me about your projects.
      2. Show me how Binary search works.
      3. What is its complexity?
      4. Given a rotated sorted array, write a function to determine how many times it has been rotated.
      5. Implement the above with logarithmic complexity.
      6. Write code for Binary Search.
      7. Write test cases for your function and Binary Search.
    • Your Approach: The candidate focused on explaining the logic behind Binary Search, its time complexity (O(log n)), and demonstrated problem-solving skills for the rotated array question.
    • Outcome: Passed to the next round.

  • Round 2 - Problem Statement (Screening Test):

    • Questions Asked:
      • Merge two sorted linked lists into a single sorted linked list, ensuring duplicates are removed.
      • Write test cases for the solution.
    • Your Approach: The candidate prioritized speed and accuracy, ensuring memory was freed for duplicate nodes and modularizing the code for efficiency.
    • Outcome: Cleared the round due to completing the task ahead of time and avoiding common mistakes.

  • Round 3 - Technical Interview:

    • Questions Asked:
      1. Design an offline browsing experience, including UI, block diagrams, and data structures.
      2. Implement an N-ary tree and write BFS code for it.
      3. Given a binary tree, find the node with maximum weight (value * level).
      4. Detect duplicates in an array of elements (0 to n-1) and return their positions.
    • Your Approach: The candidate demonstrated strong problem-solving skills, provided both recursive and non-recursive solutions, and engaged in detailed discussions about design choices.
    • Outcome: Advanced to the next round.

  • Round 4 - Final Interview:

    • Questions Asked:
      1. Why do you want to be a Program Manager?
      2. What would you want to work on at Microsoft and why?
      3. Design the navigation system (forward and back buttons) of a web browser using data structures.
      4. Design a remote with 5 keys.
      5. Write an API for a button.
    • Your Approach: The candidate articulated their passion for the role, proposed innovative features, and showcased their ability to think critically about design and functionality.
    • Outcome: Successfully cleared the interview.

Preparation Tips:

  • Focus on accuracy and approach during coding rounds. Interviewers value the ability to self-correct.
  • Write efficient and modular code, paying attention to details like memory management.
  • For Program Manager roles, stay updated with tech trends and think critically about product design.
  • Ask insightful questions during the “Do you have any questions for me?” segment to demonstrate curiosity and enthusiasm.

Conclusion:
The interview process at Microsoft was thorough and enjoyable, especially for those who love problem-solving. The candidate emphasized the importance of preparation, clarity of thought, and the ability to engage in meaningful discussions. For future candidates, they recommend staying curious, practicing coding rigorously, and being genuine in interactions.

18

Company Name: Microsoft

Position: Program Manager

Application Process: I initially filled out a questionnaire as part of the application process. Several weeks later, a phone interview was scheduled.

Interview Rounds:

  • Round 1 - Phone Interview:
    • Questions Asked: The interviewer did not ask specific technical or behavioral questions. Instead, they mentioned that there was an internal candidate already performing the tasks for the role.
    • Your Approach: I tried to stay professional and engaged despite the interviewer’s apparent disinterest. I asked clarifying questions about the role and the team to show my enthusiasm.
    • Outcome: The interview felt discouraging, and I did not progress to further rounds.

Conclusion:
The experience was disappointing, especially given the lack of engagement from the interviewer. It might have helped to research more about the team or role specifics beforehand to steer the conversation more effectively. For future candidates, I’d advise preparing for all scenarios, even if the interviewer seems uninterested, and to remain proactive in showcasing your skills and interest in the role.

19

Company Name: Microsoft

Position: Program Manager

Location: Hyderabad (via Indian School of Business - ISB)

Application Process: Applied through campus placement at ISB Hyderabad.

Interview Rounds:

  • Round 1 - Product Management Round:

    • Questions Asked:
      1. Design an app for attractions in a city.
    • Your Approach: Focused on user personas, key features like real-time updates, and integration with local businesses.
    • Outcome: Advanced to the next round.

  • Round 2 - Product Management Round:

    • Questions Asked:
      1. Reverse a Linked list using only two pointers.
      2. Design a drone-based solution for farmers.
      3. Design an editor for very large files (in terabytes).
    • Your Approach:
      • For the LinkedList question, initially stumbled but corrected my approach after a prompt.
      • For the drone solution, tailored it for large land holdings, highlighting benefits like pest detection and crop monitoring.
      • For the large file editor, proposed caching, indexing, and thumbnail previews, differentiating between heavy and light editing needs.
    • Outcome: Successfully advanced to the next round.

  • Round 3 - Product Management Round:

    • Questions Asked:
      1. What next are you looking for in your career? What direction is it going in?
      2. How will you detect and remove fake news on Facebook?
    • Your Approach:
      • Discussed career aspirations and alignment with Microsoft’s goals.
      • Proposed a multi-faceted approach for fake news, including AI detection and user reporting.
    • Outcome: Moved to the final round.

  • Round 4 - Product Management Round:

    • Questions Asked:
      1. Design a voice assistant for elderly folks.
      2. Why Microsoft? What are your goals out of your next job? What sort of products are you targeting?
    • Your Approach:
      • Designed the voice assistant with accessibility and simplicity in mind.
      • Highlighted passion for Microsoft’s mission and specific product interests.
    • Outcome: Received positive feedback and an offer.

Preparation Tips:

  • For technical rounds, practice data structures like LinkedLists even if they seem unexpected.
  • For product design questions, focus on user personas and real-world applicability.
  • Be prepared to pivot your approach based on interviewer feedback.

Conclusion:
Overall, the interview process was rigorous but rewarding. I learned the importance of adaptability and clarity in communication. My advice for future candidates is to thoroughly prepare for both technical and product-oriented questions, and to always tie solutions back to user needs.

20

Company Name: Microsoft

Position: Program Manager

Location: [Location not specified]

Application Process: [Application process details not provided]

Interview Rounds:

  • Round 1 - Technical/Behavioral Interview:
    • Questions Asked: The interviewer tailored the questions to my Computer Science background, focusing on problem-solving and behavioral aspects relevant to the Program Manager role.
    • Your Approach: I leveraged my technical knowledge to address the problem-solving questions and emphasized my ability to collaborate and communicate effectively, which are key for a Program Manager.
    • Outcome: The interviewer was very supportive and understanding of my background. The round went well, but further details about the outcome were not provided.

Preparation Tips:

  • Brush up on problem-solving skills, especially those relevant to program management.
  • Practice behavioral questions to highlight collaboration and communication skills.
  • Research the role of a Program Manager to align your answers with the job expectations.

Conclusion:
The interview was a positive experience, and the interviewer was accommodating of my background. I would advise future candidates to focus on showcasing their problem-solving abilities and soft skills, even if they come from a non-traditional background for the role.