I applied through college or university. The process took 2 months. I interviewed at Microsoft (Seattle, WA) in Oct 2017
Interview
Total process took about a month and a half. Submitted my resume at a career fair on campus, and was contacted by email 2 months later out of the blue to schedule a phone call within four days. Phone call was meant to gauge what role you're interested in (PM, SDE, SDET), and I was asked several behavioral questions (Name a difficult project you've tackled, what constitutes good code, etc.). I heard back four days later that I was scheduled for an onsite, which I had to schedule within three weeks.
Flights and hotel were booked on my behalf, and I had 5 interviews back to back with a 30 minute lunch break in between (six hours altogether). All questions were design-based, with some light technical aspects, but many PMs will also encounter technicals. Definitely read "Cracking the PM Interview" and "Decode and Conquer" if you have time -- they'll cover all the bases you need.
To my understanding, if you make it to the fifth interview (or fourth), you have a decent shot at landing the job -- especially if the last person you talk to is a senior manager (group or principal PM). Definitely try to explore the Commons if you have the time. The Redmond campus is beautiful!
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
What is your favorite product; how would you improve a product; design a parking lot; general behavioral questions, etc.
I applied online. I interviewed at Microsoft (Hyderabad) in Jan 2026
Interview
Not a great experience with interviews taking 1 month to complete. Despite ongoing communication, the role did not move forward, reportedly due to approval constraints. The overall experience highlights a gap in aligning internal approvals before progressing candidates to advanced stages.
Clearer communication and better alignment internally would improve the candidate experience
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Questions on Project Experience and Thought process
The interview process is grueling and I get why people do it but its more awareness, know that you'll spend an entire day and meet several people, so it's important to be mentally and physically prepared. Eat a good breakfast but not heavy stay hydrated. This was just for a PM role it's their standard process I imagine executive level is another thing altogether
Interview questions [2]
Question 1
Tell me about a time you didn't agree with someone who was a stakeholder on your project and how did you handle that?
Very smooth, thoughtful interview process. It showed the recruiter really cared what I had to contribute and asked great followup clarifying questions. Would definitely recommend everyone try an interview with them even if it doesn't pan out.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Name one project that you have worked on and tell us the outcomes?