Yet Another Tale from an Interview

There seems to be a lot of myths around the interview procedure at Microsoft. I had my interview a little more than a year ago and coming from Sweden it was a big difference to have the interview in the US. The interview is (as described in the myths) basically two parts. First half is number of people asking you to solve a number of programming problems on a white board. Since I flew in the day before and was severely jet-lagged this was a tough start. If the first guys thinks you're good enough you'll spend the second half of the day talking to different managers. At least this is what happens when you're interviewed for a software engineering position.

Another nice thing is that you're pretty good prepared for the interview by the recruiter. And there is no dress code. Actually they stress that since it is a long day of several hard interviews you should come wearing something you feel comfortable in. They're hiring you for your brain, not for what you're wearing. 

So what kind of problems do they make you solve? Personally I prepared going over this list but don't expect to get any of those questions. I did not get a single question on that list. I have also (inspired by that list) added a few personal favorites that I use whenever I have to interview somebody.

Actually there is not much more to be said about the interviewing process I think. You have to experience it to know what's it like. And it is different for every person. Microsoft really tries to give you a challenge during your interview (at least my division does). So one thing I can tell you is that you feel pretty pleased with your self once you pass and get an offer.

So why is this filed under relocate? Well, I thought this would be a good start on a series of stories about my experiences relocating from Sweden to the US...