The fact that it’s difficult to find someone who hasn’t been influenced, directly or indirectly, by a Microsoft product says a lot about the tech behemoth. It’s no surprise that you’re aiming for the coveted position of Microsoft Program Manager. All you have to do is conduct research, plan ahead of time, and answer the Microsoft project manager interview questions.
Program Managers or PMs are also known as Technical Program Managers or TPMs. At Microsoft, PMs are expected to deep-dive into technical aspects when planning, designing, and outlining the roadmap of a product, in addition to performing all the duties required of a product manager.
In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about the Microsoft Program Manager interview and its hiring process. The points we’ll look at are:
A typical Microsoft Interview Process for a Program Manager can take anywhere between 4-8 weeks to complete. This is because the volume of applicants is vast, and timelines vary with different divisions at Microsoft.
The Microsoft PM interview steps are:
1. Getting the Interview
2. Phone Screening
3. On-site Interviews
3.1. Face-to-Face Technical Interview
3.2. Systems Design Round
3.3. HR Interview
4. Results
The first step in the Microsoft Program Manager interview process is to bag an interview with the company. You will need:
If your resume is shortlisted for a Microsoft PM interview, a recruiter will call you to test the waters and get to know you better. It may or may not include a video call.
A Microsoft Technical Program Manager phone interview is a mix of behavioral questions to see if you are a good culture fit and a product design coding assessment on a remote online editor to gauge your technical skill levels as a software developer. This round lasts for around 45-50 minutes.
Find out how to face phone screen interviews with ease.
Once you pass the phone screening and preliminary technical interview, you get called for an on-site interview. These Microsoft Program Manager on-site interviews are based on product design, technical knowledge, behavioral aspects, and strategy. Each of the rounds lasts about an hour.
In this round of Microsoft PM interviews, you are given a real-life problem that you need to solve with code on a whiteboard. The assignments are usually related to data structures and algorithms. Recruiters want to see how you approach a given problem, how you plan your code, and how you execute your plan.
This round is conducted for more experienced software engineers. You will be asked to build a system design around a given problem. System design interviews test your ability to design large systems with various constraints and requirements.
This round focuses on evaluating whether you are culturally a good fit for Microsoft or not. It involves behavioral questions. Check out the following articles for sample interview questions:
This is the final act! The HR department will contact you with an offer if you have been selected. This time varies, as data aggregation and making the final call take time and depend on several factors.
A program manager is expected to be well-versed in data structures and algorithms as well as systems design. You can plan your prep for Microsoft Project Manager interview questions around the following topics:
Practicing is the key to cracking any interview, and the same goes for Program Manager interviews at Microsoft. In this section, we have listed some of the frequently asked questions at Microsoft TPM interviews. We have categorized them for your convenience.
Most-Asked Program Manager Interview Questions at Microsoft:
General/End-to-End Microsoft TPM Interview Questions:
Microsoft TPM Interview Questions on Prioritization:
Kick-off/Sunset Microsoft TPM Interview Questions:
Microsoft TPM Interview Questions on Planning:
Microsoft TPM Interview Questions on Risk:
Microsoft TPM Interview Questions on Agile Methodologies:
Microsoft TPM Interview Questions on Technical Systems Design:
Microsoft TPM Interview Questions on Explaining Tech Concepts:
Microsoft TPM Coding Interview Questions:
Microsoft TPM Interview Questions on Leadership:
Microsoft Program Managers are responsible for designing and executing end-to-end programs. You must have a knack for planning, prioritizing features, and delivering on time. Program Management will include project kick-off, planning ahead of time, effective execution, monitoring closely, and finally, closing the project properly. Let’s discuss a few points that will help you prepare for the various rounds at the Microsoft PM interview:
In a Microsoft Technical Program Manager interview, you will be expected to demonstrate your technical knowledge. You should be able to explain every aspect of your coding assignment solution. This is also a test of how well you communicate technical details as you will be working closely with designers, engineers, and cross-functional teams.
When practicing, make it a point to think out loud and explain your thought process.
You may be asked standard Microsoft Technical Program Manager interview questions such as describing past experiences of leading a project, collaborating with cross-functional teams, handling difficult associates, and more behavioral questions.
When answering such open-ended questions, use the STAR or CAR method to structure your responses. We have covered these methods in detail in the Amazon Behavioral Interview Questions article.
Systems design interview questions are meant to test your understanding of large distributed systems that are scalable, reliable, and cost-optimal. Questions about systems design can be tricky as they are often ambiguous, and you will have to deal with the unstructured nature of the discussion. While practicing for Microsoft Product Manager interview questions on systems design, follow these steps to ensure you’re covering all ground:
Step 1: Define the key assumptions about the system
Step 2: Define the key features of the system
Step 3: Define the scale of the system
Step 4: Define the data model of the system
Step 5: Design the high-level system
Step 6: Look for bottlenecks in the system
Step 7: Go in-depth on the subsystem
Step 8: Acknowledge the trade-offs
Check out System Design Interview Preparation Tips for more.
To answer the Microsoft Product Manager interview questions suitably and to understand your recruiter’s expectations from this role, we must first look at what a PM at Microsoft is expected to do:
In a Microsoft Program Manager interview, the recruiter is looking for potential associates who bring more to the table than just product management skills. Staying true to their core value of finding excellence in simplicity, Microsoft looks for the following two qualities in their TPMs:
According to Comparably, a Microsoft Program Manager’s average compensation is $145,360 per year. The annual salary can range from $113,000 to $195,000. Your offer, however, will depend on various factors, such as your experience and the value you bring to the organization. How you perform during the Microsoft PM interview and how well you negotiate will decide your final package.
Salary negotiation is a must-have skill. Read The Ultimate Guide to Salary Negotiation at FAANG for Software Engineers to hone your negotiation skills and get an offer that matches your value.
Q1. How to prepare for the Microsoft project manager interview?
Thoroughly research the company. Go over your fundamentals. Come up with a dependable method to answer PM interview questions. Practice as much as you can, by yourself or with your peers.
Q2. How do I prepare for the Microsoft program manager interview?
You can follow an interview prep plan that tackles every TPM recruitment round in detail. Practice as many Microsoft program manager interview questions as you can. You can also go for an interview prep bootcamp like Interview Kickstart that offers a one-of-its-kind, tailor-made prep interview course for Product Managers.
Q3. How many interview rounds are there in Microsoft for TPMs, and how long does it take?
The Microsoft Program Manager hiring process consists of job application, phone screening, coding assignment, and a set of on-site interviews. A typical process can take up to 2 months or more, depending on which Microsoft segment you have applied in.
Q4. What can be expected in a project management interview?
Be prepared to answer questions related to your organizational skills, experience heading projects, familiarity with the required software, and so on.
Q5. How many rounds can you expect in a Microsoft interview?
Typically, you can expect five rounds – 1 screening interview and 4-5 on-site interviews.
Cracking interviews at FAANG and Tier-1 Tech companies like Microsoft require dedicated and strategic prep. Interview Kickstart provides the most comprehensive curriculum and teaching methodologies that have helped over 9,000 engineers crack the most challenging tech interviews.
With IK, you get the unique opportunity to learn from and practice mock interviews with actual hiring managers and tech leads from FAANG+ companies. What’s more? Our programs are tailored to specific domains, including product management, which will help you hone your domain skills further and stand out from the competition.
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