I applied through a recruiter. I interviewed at Microsoft (Redmond, WA) in Nov 2016
Interview
I got initially contacted through linkedin by a third party recruiter and scheduled a phone screen and went well. After two or three weeks I was scheduled to speak with the hiring manager, it was a skype interview and we had a nice conversation, the questions were not too difficult and I was quite excited about the role. The next morning I got invited for an onsite interview and I was scheduled to fly to Redmond in about 3 weeks, all the travel logistics were scheduled by Microsoft very efficiently. I prepared for these interviews very well (so I thought) by reading hundreds of blogs, doing more research on the products, coming up with questions, what to wear (don’t wear suit! Business casual is better) and everything you can imagine about interview preparation for your dream job.
I flew the night before and got ready for my 3 scheduled interviews (I was emailed the list of interviewers the night before). The three interviews including lunch went well enough apparently and I was added two more, which according to the internet is a great sign. I completed the full loop and was sent home after 5 interviews and 1 conversation with HR, I felt pretty confident at the end of the day. Flew back home and this is where it got frustrated.
Some people hear about the interview outcome the very next day, I initially sent out an email about two weeks after the onsite and was told to wait, so I did, for 4 months and got rejected in the end. The whole process took half a year to get a pass so it is hard to not feel disappointed. All the interviewers were top notch though and I can say they have been some of the best interviews I have ever had. I wish you all the best of luck but I do believe HR should be more upfront on deadlines and expectations.
I applied online. The process took 6 weeks. I interviewed at Microsoft (New York, NY) in Jan 2017
Interview
Was very difficult and long, but worth it! They asked a lot of skill and experience questions. Defintiely research before. I would look up all the skills and memorize those because that is what they want and are looking for. I think it is a great expereince to go through this interview.
I applied through a staffing agency. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at Microsoft (Singapur)
Interview
My interview was many years ago. 7 rounds including head hunter, HR, hiring manager, peers, director and two colleagues from other team that I will work with.
No particular IQ question but more job related. My hiring manager was try IMG to ask question that I can't answer and monitor my response.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
HR: what will you do when your manager wants you to do something or perform task that you don't agree upon ?