I have my Microsoft PM University hire interview in a couple of weeks. I'm reading the cracking the PM interview book. I'm someone with experience and interest in databases / Analytics but I'm not very strong at coding. Can someone suggest me on the topics or things I should be focusing on to do well in my interview? I don't have a degree in computer Science.
Thank you for the inputs@Snut Ella. I'm not sure about the team yet. It's an entry level position. Do you think I can ask my HR about the team?
Yes. And you should. College hires sometimes don’t have a specific role they are hired for, but I think it’s fair game to at least ask what .org/division the interviewers are from. Full disclosure, I’m a former MSFT PM.
What is msft pm university hire? What's your YOE ? Are you coming out of your MBA class?
It's an entry level position for the Program Manager role to hire students or recent graduates. I graduated this May. I have a Master's degree in Management Information Systems
I'll ask my HR for the division. Any suggestions for the reference materials apart from 'Cracking the PM interview'. To be honest I never thought I would come this far and never considered PM as a career option. Now that I'm invited for the final round, I do not want to ruin this opportunity and I want to give my best shot.
I’ve never read it. Think big, think measurable, think about using the resources a company like Microsoft has. Come in with 3 or 4 examples of things that inspire to go into tech. You said you like databases and analytics. Why? Databases are a tool and while useful, they are a means to an end. What do they let you do? What problem do they solve for you that gets you excited? Be creative, be data driven, and try to show you have a passion for follow through. Ideas are the easy part of the PM job. Taking an idea, figuring out how to validate it with data, then being able to tell the story in a way that gathers interest of your peers and finally sticking with it long enough to succeed or fail ... that’s what makes a good pm in my mind. Re: coding. I doubt there will be any. Don’t try to fake it if you don’t code. Most PMs don’t code. I do a little and it’s a great skill for gaining credibility. Do show interest in learning though. Coding is useful to build a POC or otherwise express an idea in a way that your dev peers will understand. So absolutely express an interest (if you have one) but don’t spend any time practicing Leet code or anything. Also, remember that Microsoft makes most of its $ from Enterprise sales rather than consumers. So try to find enterprise scenarios/stories that inspire you rather than consumer ones. Don’t for example try to reinvent a social network that competes with FB. Do explain how LinkedIn can be improved or used in other MSFT products. Good luck.
Great suggestions! These are very helpful. Thank you very much for taking time to explain all this. I'll write down some examples scenarios to show my passion in tech. I was ambiguous about the time I should be spending on practicing coding questions but after reading your comments, I'm switch my focus towards improving my problem solving skills and reading some tech stories that are relevant to MSFT products.
Cracking the PM interview is a good start. You can also go through Decode and Conquer. They may ask you to code; I believe there are some super easy coding questions at the end of the book. On top of all that you should also have good understanding of technology - trends, possibilities, limitations, process of writing and releasing software.
Thank you very much for your suggestions! I'm planning on practicing some easy level programming questions just to be on the safe side.
I got a leetcode medium a few years back. I feel that might've been a fluke
Not sure if I'll be able to code a medium level programming problem but I can at least explain what needs to be done to get the required output
I like Swipe to Unlock for general tech trends
I heard it's good for a non technical person to get a high-level overview of the tech trends with out much technical jargon. I was planning to read that too. Thank you for the suggestion!
Thank you very much for your help pals. I cleared my interview with Microsoft :)
Congratulations! Could you please share the interview process? How did you apply?
Don’t worry about the coding. You need to show broad understanding of technology and how to start with an ambiguous goal and turn it into something real. Focus on measurement, clarification of ambiguity, working across a BIG company, prioritizing things etc. Also focus on big ticket technology areas rather than products. What team?