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My Insights from the Microsoft Interview Process

Nov 24, 2006 Microsoft

It has almost been one year at Microsoft and I wanted to share my interview experience.

When I received that phone call in October of last year I was very surprised. I would have never thought that I would be working for the largest software company in the world. Search Marketing was just a part time hobby of mine. It was an industry that developed entirely through search engines and the “ecosystem” created. This “ecosystem” spawned a new type of marketing that was instantly measurable called pay per click advertising (ppc). Never in the history of marketing could the marketer get measurable results in real time. Direct marketers would have to create an ad, place it in a letter or post card and mail it to tens of thousands of people. They would then wait 6 to 8 weeks for a response. And in order to improve that response, it would take money and time to change the ad and mail it again. Thus, search engine marketing was intriguing to me. Through PPC you are able to communicate with your customer and only pay for the customers who click on your ad.

After attending the 2005 Webmaster World conference in New Orleans I saw that Microsoft was hiring, but never thought of applying because of my average grades in college. Looking for a change, I placed my resume on several online job search engines. One afternoon in October, I received an unexpected phone call. “Hi this is Rick on behalf of the Microsoft Corporation.” This instantly grabbed my attention and I quickly found myself preparing for my first phone interview which would happen a week later. The three phone interviews were very professional and pushed me to the limits. Later, I was offered an opportunity to interview in person at the Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, Washington. This was an unbelievable experience.

I was on an airplane flying 3000 miles to the Seattle Airport. Rental car, meals and hotel accommodations were taken care of. The interviews were challenging and lasted an hour long, six in total. I walked in Friday morning at 8:30 a.m. and walked out a little before 8:30 p.m. This was a not only a test of intelligence and character, but a test of perseverance. Two days later, back home in Florida, I received the call and was offered a position as a Search Media Analyst for the Microsoft Corporation. I literally jumped out of my chair. What was once a part time hobby that I did in my spare time is now a full time career for a multi-billion dollar global corporation.

I am as excited today working at Microsoft, as I was the first day I walked into the office. The caliber of talent and amazing minds keeps me humble, yet motivates me to stretch myself daily. I realize that my perseverance will be challenged and my weaknesses exposed. However, my passion for learning and personal development will motivate me to succeed. As employees we are privy to the best training, education, sharpest minds and latest software. I would like to share a few interview tips that were passed to me by friends, family, recruiters and authors who helped me along. These tips are universal and can be applied anywhere.

Tip 1: Be Over prepared

Do your research. Before the interview I purchased and read every book I could find on search marketing. After devouring the books I contacted each author via email or phone, congratulated them on their great work and requested a brief moment of their time to answer questions and essentially to “pick their brains.” I was surprised to see how many people were willing to help. I prepared a few questions, listened, and learned. Today, those same authors are now friends. We provide each other with a network to share ideas and thoughts.

Tip 2: Be Honest

During one of phone interviews I became quite nervous and it showed. My voice was cracking and I was silent for parts I should have elaborated on. I instantly thought that I blew it. Instead of pretending I was cool, calm, and collective I admitted that I was nervous. The interviewer appreciated my honesty and explained that Microsoft is looking at the quality of my answers and not how I nervous I was. This instantly put me at ease to do well during the second half of the interview and my shaky voice vanished.

Tip 3: Know Your Weaknesses

Know your strengths and weaknesses. This may sound a little cliché but I did not take time to reflect on my past experiences. Plenty of the questions are situational in nature. For example, “Tell me about a time when you and your team came across an adversity and how did you overcome it?” This question reveals your thought process in overcoming failures. Don’t view your weaknesses as negative; they are areas of opportunity for you to grow. If you believe you know everything, you stop your ability to learn.

Tip 4: Take Good Notes

After hours of talking, the last Microsoft interview was at 6:30 p.m. on Friday evening. The final interviewer and decision maker challenged me and dug deeper. After reflecting on this experience it actually helped me to realize my own weaknesses. However, a simple question was asked, but without good notes I would not have been able to answer it. The question was simple, “Who did you meet throughout the day, and what did they ask and why.” Fortunately, instead of trying to remember each person’s name and roles I took copious notes that I could refer to, very detailed, down to their appearance. If an interviewer wore glasses, I would draw a small picture of glasses next to their name. Taking good notes also helped me develop a personalized email to each person after the interview process.

Tip 5: Prepare Insightful Questions

This tip is often overlooked. The questions you ask reveal your concerns, thought process and your knowledge level. Ask about things that you are honestly interested in knowing, items that you cannot easily find on the web or through a book. How does the culture of the company fit with your specific personality? If you are a person who needs constant challenges, ask what the organization does to foster creativity and promote individual growth? If you are concerned about the people in the organization, ask about the management style of the organization and how are decisions made?

I hope this is helpful to your career. Don’t forget to enjoy your experience and be yourself. Your knowledge will automatically shine through. Please add any additional tips or comments. I would love to hear about your experiences or questions in your journey to the top.

To your success!

Bernard

Tags: Microsoft Interview Tips

Laws of Simplicity

Nov 23, 2006 Lectures

Tuesday, I was fortunate to listen to John Maeda speak about “Simplicity.” John is a world-renowned graphic designer, visual artist and computer scientist at the MIT Media Lab.

Maeda discussed a few of his ten laws of simplicity at the Microsoft Lecture Series.

Law 1: Reduce

The Apple Ipod is successful because of its simple navigation. However, it is becoming complicated with all of the applications, games, and video integration. The Ipod shuffle is an popular alternative; it’s smaller and has all the essentials. Maeda states, “The fundamental question remains where is the balance between simplicity and complexity?”

I am looking forward to the day when I don’t have to separately carry a digital camera, my pocket pc, and my mp3 player. I want one device that will give me everything I need without compromising quality.

Law 2: Organize

Organization makes a system of many appear fewer. Maeda used an analogy of the Motorola flip phone. This Star Trek/Captain Kirk style flip phone hides its essential buttons and screen under a clam like protective shell. The flip phone combines a sleek design and essential functionality.

Law 3: Time

No one likes waiting. The graphical progress bar on websites as the application is loading helps users. Less time is felt to elapse. See Maeda’s article “Speed is in the eye of the beholder.”

I wish all restaurants would adopt this “simple” philosophy. There is a gyro shop near my office and the food is good. The shop looks like a fast food restaurant, however, the wait is as long as a sit down restaurant. If the restaurant only provided some munchies or entertainment before the order comes out, the wait would seem shorter. It would attract more repeat customers.

The ten laws are posted on John Maeda’s website. I look forward to reading John Maeda’s new book, The Laws of Simplicity.

Have a happy holiday weekend!

Bernard

Tags: John Maeda, MIT Media Lab

“Art of making the connection”

Nov 22, 2006 Conferences, Networking

Pubcon 2006 was amazing. Brett Tabke of Webmaster World did a wonderful job making this a successful event. Since most of my time is spent making new friends and connecting with people I wanted to post about how to successfully attract the right people in your life, whether for business or other opportunities.

10 tips for successful networking at conferences and industry events:

1. Master the art of small talk. Start by making eye contact, smiling and reaching out your hand to introduce yourself.
2. Bring plenty of business cards and make them personal by writing a note about something you discussed with someone on the back of the card. It could be a book, a movie or restaurant that you recommended.
3. Be a “people connector” by introducing people to one another. Be known as the person who knows everyone.
4. Use questions to break the ice. “What an interesting conference. Tell me about the sessions you attended.” What do you enjoy most about this industry?”
5. Become a good listener. Listen attentively and keep eye contact. The more you are interested in someone the more they find you interesting.
6. Pay a compliment to someone. It could be about their behavior, appearance or profession. However, try not to be too personal.
7. If you are waiting to speak to someone. Stand a little outside the circle and listen in. If an opportunity arises where you can comment do so, or politely tell the person that you would like to speak to him or her before the event is over.
8. Don’t forget to have fun. The more you have fun the more your energy you will have.
9. Each night write down who you met, a brief description of your conversation, how you can help him or her and how they can help you.
10. Follow up and keep in touch. Make the phone call, send a letter or email. The more your network of friends grow the more opportunities arise.

See you at Search Engine Strategies in Chicago!

Best,

Bernard

Tags: Conferences, Networking, PUBCON, SEO

Forget Google Bowling. How Microsoft Rolls…

Nov 19, 2006 Search Engine Marketing

I’ve finally recovered from Pubcon Vegas. Thanks for the beers Ask and Google! After a week of “pubcon’ing” there aren’t many brain cells left, fortunately I took lots of notes to capture all the search gold. This was my first Pubcon so I didn’t know what to expect. I got to see my brother for the first time since my wedding, met a ton of really cool people and walked away with some solid nuggets. Productive trip!

Microsoft wrapped up a kick-butt week of sessions Thursday by rocking out the KingPin Suite at the Palms. I didn’t take many pictures during the conference, but was lucky enough to be at the Microsoft party, so I had to snap some up. Take a look…

Microsoft Bowling. The Kingpin Suite at the Palms

Eytan Bowling a Strike

Tags: MSN, PUBCON, SEO, Vegas