Now that your resume has a caught a recruiter’s eye, it’s time for the tough part: interviewing. Whether it’s over the phone or face-to-face, many would agree that interviews can be the most nerve-wracking part of the job application process. What should I bring? How should I dress? What if they ask something I don’t know the answer to? Luckily, as recruiters, we've seen it all - and we're happy to help you in this crucial part of starting a career. Visit the links below for some vital interview advice that could help you seal the deal.

Interviewing zen

Take a cue from your interviewer

Question authority

A common interview mistake to avoid

Get a sneak peek into what it's like to interview at our headquarters in the Seattle area ...

My Microsoft Interview Experience

I recently participated in a job group panel and was asked for my interview tips. As I answered the question, I realized that I've come up with a whole bunch of additional suggestions since I last wrote about interviews for JobsBlog.

The first thing isn't a tip, so much as a philosophy of interviews: when faced with an interview, it is important to recognize that the process serves a dual purpose.

1) Interviews gives us a chance to find out whether or not you can contribute to the company, add value to your team and do the duties that are listed in the job description. This is the obvious purpose of an interview.

2) An interview is also a chance for YOU to interview the team to find out if it is a place where you want to work, a role that you want to take and a manager and team with whom you will "fit in."

It is imperative that you remember this second purpose. Interviewers will almost always open the floor to the interviewee at the end of the session to ask THEM questions. So be prepared!

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All recruiters have different theories on how much to “prepare” their candidates the morning of the interview. There’s only one tip I like to give candidates when they come in, and it’s really more common sense than inside information: Question us.

As Kenji pointed out, most of those pesky Microsoft logic questions have been retired. That being said, it’s important to realize every candidate will absolutely get questions to which they don't know the answer. This is intentional and speaks to one of the constant challenges Microsoft employees face: dealing with ambiguity. On a daily basis as an employee, you’ll be put in spots where you don’t know the answer (or maybe there isn’t even a right answer).

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If you haven’t seen our candidate experience lobby in Building 111, you’re going to want to come check it out.

We’ve had quite a few recent additions to our lounge including the newest games, Modern Warfare 2 controllers (for the serious gamer) and a sweet new Rockband set up - complete with ACDC “Back in the Black” drum sticks!

We’re also setting up some Zunes and (soon) Windows 7 Phones at the bar so candidates can explore the great variety of Microsoft devices while waiting for their interviews…

Our updated lobby creates the ultimate Microsoft experience for candidates while they’re here visiting us. It’s an awesome place to start the Microsoft journey, rock out, or just relax!

Who knows, soon you may be able to play Kinect in the lobby too.

-Kelly

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This article was originally posted in August 2008 and remains both a popular post and a poignant question.

Does a failed startup on your resume count against you?
This is a great question. In classic recruiter style, I’m going to be very definitive and say: I think that it depends. :-)

Startups are great because they force people to wear multiple hats, work in a resource-constrained environment, and think about how what they work on interacts with other pieces of the puzzle rather than of owning a very narrow project or piece of code. While that entrepreneurial flexibility is highly desirable in any size org, a pattern of several in a row might unfairly brand someone as a serial startup person, likely to bolt every year or so.

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Part II: The Day of the Interview (read Part I here)

I got to the Microsoft lobby about 10 minutes early. After a somewhat anxious period of waiting in the reception room, I began the interview loop.  I ended up interviewing with five people - some were managers, some were peers and some were dotted-line managers with whom I'd be working with as part of a matrixed organization.

All of the interviews were interesting, collegial and detailed. Only one interviewer really grilled me - but that was because I didn't pick up on his copious hints and blew a question. Luckily, he gave me a second chance and I did much better, although not great, with that answer. Except for that one tough question, the day felt more like the interviewers were trying to see if I'd fit into their organization, not wondering whether I could do the job. The presumption seemed to be that if I had made it this far, then I could probably do the job.

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Microsoft has a legendary reputation as a difficult place to interview, but a great place to work.

Some months back, I was pleasantly surprised to receive an email from a Microsoft recruiter requesting an interview for what sounded like an interesting pre-sales position. The next day, the recruiter called me and spent some 30 minutes digging into my background and resume - asking questions and listening to my answers. It felt more like a conversation than a traditional interview. Based on our talk, she scheduled a phone interview with one of the hiring managers for the very next day.

The hiring manager called at the appointed time and we spent approximately an hour going through my background in greater detail. He also focused on trying to understand how I work, my pre-sales experience and how I would interact with other members of a sales org, clients, etc. He asked a few questions about my technical knowledge, but, again, the whole exchange felt closer to a casual conversation than a high-stakes do-or-die interview. He used up very little time telling me about Microsoft, and – when he did discuss the company – he highlighted its opportunities and its responsibilities.

The interview went well enough for me to pass to the next level - the dreaded technical interview.

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This article was originally posted in January 2009 and continues to be one of our most read pieces.

Understanding that every recruiter conducts initial candidate screens differently, I wanted to share some of the themes that come up with candidates I don’t end up moving forward with. JobsBlog has lots of great tips for ways to improve your phone screen, but here are some things to avoid.

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JobsBlog Rewind: this is one of our most populars posts and was originally written in 2005.

First of all, I hate this term …. “HR Interview.”  I hate it when candidates say it.  I hate it when Hiring Managers say it.  I hate it when Scoble says it. I hate it.

Why, you may ask, do I hate that term so much?  Well, besides the fact I despise being called anything HR (I know, I know – I work in HR, so I should get over it), I resent the connotation that comes long with it.  And I resent the way people say it … as if it is beneath them or just a silly, meaningless hoop they must jump through.  (“Oooh, it was just the HR Interview.  I thought you were talking about a real interview!”)

I HATE it!  And now I digress …  The HR Interview (which I will henceforth refer to as the Core Competency Interview) is the Achilles heel of many a potential job seeker.  You’ve submitted a great resume and received a call from a recruiter.  Now you must face the next challenge.

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This posting details a candidate´s experience interviewing with Microsoft. Our guest poster, Joe, has further recorded his insights at his blog My Technical Interview Experience, where he offers advice on how to be successful in the programming technical interview/recruiting process. Take it away, Joe...

Much has been made of how generous Microsoft is to its employees and how it´s consistently ranked as one of the best companies to work for. What a lot of people don’t know is how well Microsoft treats its interview candidates. During my programming job search, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to interview with many companies. Below, I’ve listed some ways that Microsoft stood out from the rest with its generosity:

Information Sessions
Microsoft information sessions are very well thought out and usually feature 2-3 employees on hand to sell the company and answer questions. Free food is served and at the end of the presentation, expensive prizes like Zunes and Xboxes are raffled off to the audience.

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Today's guest post is from Microsoft's Student Audience Marketing digital team, a group who reaches out to all students who use and are interested in Microsoft products and technologies - not just those who want to work here. The team manages our student digital outreach efforts such as the Microsoft Student Experience site,  Microsoft Student Lounge site, Microsoft Student Facebook and Twitter sites, and Mobile Student Experience site. They engage students through social causes, videos, and content that spans from career to learning to fun stuff to software and technology.

Hi all,
I’m Amy – I've been with Microsoft over 10 years but have a unique work history here.  About 4 years ago, I left to be a “bigger fish in a smaller pond” (so to speak) but realized that my heart and passion is with Microsoft.  So, after 6 months of being away, I interviewed with Microsoft and was re-hired.  

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CNN and CareerBuilder recently published a list of the 43 weirdest things said in job interviews, and we asked for your stories. We also asked our JobsBloggers. Here is Matt's answer.

I knew this interview was going to be a memorable one when I picked the candidate up in the lobby and he had his sunglasses (Yes, even in Seattle!)  resting on the top of his head.

I always encourage my candidates to stay comfortable and relaxed, but when we got back to my office his posture in the chair was more appropriate for a day of couch surfing instead of intense interviews.

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CNN and CareerBuilder recently published a list of the 43 weirdest things said in job interviews, and we asked for your stories. We also asked our JobsBloggers. Here is Lisa's answer.

 I actually had to think hard about this one because I block those crazy memories from my head.  :)

A few years ago, I was interviewing someone onsite for a Software Development Engineer (SDE) role for Messenger.  The last question I asked him was “Why are you interested in working at Microsoft?”  I thought it was a pretty easy question to ask.

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CNN and CareerBuilder recently published a list of the 43 weirdest things said in job interviews, and we asked for your stories. We also asked our JobsBloggers. Here is Anne's answer.

My best stories are from the students I interviewed for our high school internship program a few years back. The stories still make me smile to this day!

1.  During an interview, I asked the candidate, "What is your favorite Microsoft product?"

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Congratulations!  So you’ve made it past the initial resume review and you’re being called in for those important next steps. There are a few days between now and then, and anxiety is building in anticipation. You want to do well in your interview, and in this economy you know that it’s tougher than ever to stand out amongst the crowd. So what do you do? Time to channel that energy into something productive!

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CareerBuilder and CNN recently published the 43 weirdest things said in job interviews. If you've interviewed many people yourself, what are some funny responses you've heard?

We've sure heard our fair share of odd comments around here, too. The JobsBloggers will chime in with our war stories, too. And a few of our favorites from CareerBuilder and CNN's list after the jump.
 

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Now that you’ve seen where I’m coming from in terms of tips and advice, I feel it’s time to introduce my top six pieces of Kenji® branded recruiter advice. Handle with care!

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Dear JobsBlog: I've never done a lunch interview before, but I've heard horror stories about candidates being so nervous they forget basic table manners or get a huge chunk of broccoli stuck in their teeth. How can I enjoy my meal and still impress a hiring manager? Any suggestions on what to order and how to avoid awkwardness?

-Apprehensive Appetite

Dear Apprehensive Appetite: You've probably seen us mention on this blog that answers to many questions we receive vary from recruiter to recruiter. That said, we decided to take some bites of advice from several JobsBloggers on this topic. Put your headphones on and get your elbows off the table for podcasts from Matt, Lisa and Janelle that will help improve your lunch interview techniques!

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As you’ve probably seen in the headlines today, there are changes happening at Microsoft including some job eliminations. 

In case you are wondering … Yes, Microsoft is still hiring with a focus on our most important business priorities and areas of opportunity and growth.  We continually update our careers website to reflect the most current available jobs.

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It’s the night before your interview and being the conscientious candidate that you are, you’re reviewing your check list to be sure you’re prepared for the big day:

• Interview day schedule – check!
• Confidence – check!
• Classy yet casual outfit – question mark?

When you pair a laid-back dress code with the high expectations of a competitive tech company, knowing how to dress to impress can be tough. But now, Softwear might just be your ticket.

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Preparing for an interview can be daunting -- and James McNaul would know. The University of Miami senior came all the way from Florida to Washington for an internship interview at the Microsoft HQ last spring.

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