Article reading: How to get hired at Microsoft

April 8, 2016

 Doing some research on high-tech companies interview process.

http://landthatinterview.com/microsoft/how-to-get-hired-at-microsoft/

one of the top 100 places to work across all industries.

Understanding how to navigate the screening and hiring process is also important.
1. Apply for jobs that you are qualified for
2. Don't be intimidated by job listings
hired for long-term potential

3. The inside angle 
Microsoft gives a lot of weight to references from current employees. 
not single monoculture, more like a conglomeration of many smaller companies. 

4. Apply for multiple jobs, but keep it targeted. 

Julia's thoughts: 
1. Need to study C++
2. Need to take some crash courses for distributed system, and other areas. 
3. Every month spend 5-10 hours to cover some topics - study and get educated.  

5. Be persistent
6. Make a good first impression 
It's not just about you - team effort, not lone cowboy coder. 
It is about you - be specific about contributions you have personally made toward the success of previous projects. 
7. Understand the interview process

Nov. 24, 2016
1. https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/ericlippert/2004/04/15/writing-code-on-whiteboards-is-hard/

2. http://sellsbrothers.com/tagged/interview

Article reading: Microsoft Interview Process

April 8, 2016

Doing some research. It is fun to write down what you read, and then, come back later to review again and again.

Take some notes from the following articles:

Land that interview
http://landthatinterview.com/microsoft/the-microsoft-interview-process/

Facts:
1. Microsoft is really structured like many small companies internally, each with their own recruiting teams.
2. a screening phone interview, also show that you are better than 90% of the hundreds of others

Advice for phone screen:
1. Talk talk talk in the technical phone interview, keep it on topic and don't try to steer the conversation, verbalize what you are thinking.
2. Second, have fun!
3. Ask a lot of questions and don't make assumptions. If you make assumptions, explicitly state that you are doing so and get the interview to buy in to those assumptions.
4. The hiring manager likes to know that the person will be engaged and productive.

Advice for interview in person:
1. 1 in 10 for a particular position -
2. proactively engage the recruiter
3. business casual attire, not a 3-piece (awkward)
4. first 3 interviews. May be interviewed by a developer, a test manager, a program manager, and the hiring manager. Finish before lunch time.
5. the as-appropriate interview - last regular interview will be over at round 4:00 in the afternoon.

Julia's comment:

 Julia likes to do some research on Microsoft interview process. Now, she knows that Microsoft does not practice interview as Google does, using hiring committee.