Learn with Me: the Microsoft Business Interview

I recently interviewed for a business program manager role at Microsoft focused on diversity and inclusion.

I wanted to share my most important takeaways with you so that you can best prepare yourself for a business role interview at Microsoft or another big tech company.

1)     Build unshakable confidence and data-driven responses to behavioral interview questions with the STAR method.

I learned through practice interviews that I need to spend more time sharing about my actions and the results, as well as the data side of my results. Often, I focus so much on getting through the framework correctly that I spend too much time on scenario and task and not enough time on action or results. I am preparing my STAR responses now to have at least one piece of data in the results, and ideally multiple data points across the action and results sections. I will also practice delivering my answers to these questions more to improve my confidence and execution.

2)     Prepare answers for the less-emphasized job description requirements or smaller items within the job description.

Have these answers ready so that you do not get tripped up when asked a question about them. Go through the job description and make sure you have a strong story for *every* bullet point. Consider which stories provide the most memorable, narrative answers.

3)     Prepare a grid “cheat sheet” of your qualities versus your experience to improve your interview performance.

Thank you to Paul Bauer for this strategy. Prepare a grid where for columns you have the qualities and skills you want to showcase and for the rows, you have the organizations where you worked. This will give you a powerful reference tool when you are preparing for your interviews.

4)     Actively build the best possible version of yourself for before, during, and after the interview.

This is a broader strategy that I think will always matter. Define what you see as the best possible outcome for yourself on every level, and then begin working towards achieving those outcomes. This organization and planning will enable you to speak about yourself more confidently and position you as the best possible candidate.

5)     Have a world-class answer to “what do you like to do in your free time?”

I had a decent answer to this question, as my reply had to do with my physical health and commitment to language learning. In retrospect, I wish I had shown even more self-leadership, like: “I realized that I had a critical health problem and had let myself go. I realized that I had to change my habits immediately or suffer the consequences of life with a lower quality of health and all the associated risks. I built out a plan to lose weight and build strength and muscle over time. Over the following 10 months, I lost 32 pounds and built significant muscle, moving the needle on my goal. Now, I have the confidence and proven strategy to lose my last 10 pounds and achieve my challenging health goal.”

6)     Every question is a narrative question. Prepare your narratives for off-the-cuff answers.

You need to respond to the questions you are not anticipating with the STAR method. Think of multiple uses for your strongest stories and be prepared to tell them in contexts you do not expect.

7)     Close strong with a positive note.

Connect back to something you learned about your interviewers and reiterate your excitement about the role. Leave your interviewers thinking “wow, that candidate showed us so much passion and excitement. Let’s strongly consider them for the role.”

Folks who have had business interviews in tech, what else would you add?

How can you deliver your best interviews?