Grady Laksmono

Have you ever been wondering on how does the Microsoft interview look like?

Channel 9 did what I was unable to ever get done: filmed some of the interview process (part 1, part 2 and part 3). It’s not an actual interview, but Gretchen Ledgard and Zoe Goldring, both Central Sourcing Consultants at HR for MS, lead you through what to expect at a Microsoft interview, providing a wealth of wonderful tips, e.g.

• MS is casual, so it doesn’t matter so much what you where (i.e. don’t feel you have to wear a suit, but don’t show up in flip-flops and headphones around your neck [still playing!]). Regardless of what you where, it’s what’s in your head that’s important.
• Interact a lot of with the interviewer. Ask questions, think out loud, etc. The questions are meant to be vague and again, it’s about what’s going on in your head, so verbalize it.
• Bring water if you’re thirsty, not coffee, as spilling coffee is going to leave a much more lasting stain/impression.
• MS rarely asks logic/riddle questions anymore. They’re not a good indicator of a good employee.
• Expect coding questions if you’re a dev, testing questions if you’re a tester and passion questions no matter what.
• If an MS recruiter calls, don’t expect them to have a specific job in mind. Instead, expect to be asked what you’d like to do at MS.
• If the first interview doesn’t take, it may well be that you’re right for MS but not right for that job. It can literally take years to find the right job for you at MS.

What’s in the picture?
- On the left side is Bill Gates, and on the right side is Steve Billman in the early days, 1987

Who’s Bill Gates?
- I’ll be surprised if you ask this question, but oh well, he’s the Microsoft Chairman.

Who’s Steve Ballmer?
- He’s Microsoft’s CEO

I hope not!I recently had a great conversation with one of the managers at Microsoft. He was telling me that a certain company had been reaching out to him in regards to applying for some senior positions within their company. As all smart people do, he entertained the offers, seeing what they had to say (side note: I think everyone should always be looking for their next opportunity.  If anything, it’s good interview practice and always nice to see what your market value is).

Anyway, back to the story. So this manager went through the process, and then it came to the time where they asked him to fax over his transcript. He let them know that he did NOT meet the requirement for employment, as it was below a 3.0 (he said it was 2.9999, which I think is what everyone says). The company insisted that he fax a transcript, so he went to his parents house, dug through his old paperwork, and ended up faxing them his report card from 3rd grade instead. I thought that was a great story- the company did appreciate the humor in it as well.

This got me thinking- do the grades you earn in college really matter? I know that there were some classes I slept through in college (I’m talking about Principles of Accounting 210), and there were some I did great in.

Is it fair for this record to follow you all the way through your career? Should there be a cut-off point where it doesn’t matter anymore?

I know Microsoft employees who love to ask about GPA, but to me it doesn’t make an ounce of difference.

What are your thoughts? Do grades even matter?  Should they matter to potential employers as you progress in your career?

- Janelle
Microsoft Jobs Blogger
P.S. In case you were wondering, the manager didn’t take the job.

Statement of Purpose*

Sample Outline

Your Statement of Purpose should be clear, concise, and complete in sentence structure. However, try to be as informative as possible throughout the Statement. Before you submit your Statement of Purpose to the department of your chosen field of interest and/or to the graduate
school, you should ask your advisor of a faculty member to read and comment on your written work. Prior to this, drafts should be shared with your friends and family.

Opening Paragraph. Here, you want to introduce yourself and give your general reasons for pursuing graduate study. Because the selection committee members will read many applications, make your statement relevant by stating your particular talents and individuality.

Qualifications. In this section, the aim is to build a foundation for your forthcoming work. You should discuss your experiences in the following:

1. Explain why you chose this field. What motivated you.
2. Your expertise and accomplishments in your major field, including any research you’ve performed. You should mention the project and the name of the professor who you worked for or under the direction of.
3. Your undergraduate studies in general and how they relate to what you intend to do in graduate school.
4. Your specific experiences that demonstrate your motivation and inspiration for continued study.
5. Other relevant experiences (i.e., jobs, community activities, leadership in school organizations, awards, honors, etc.). Be sure to include names of person/s, names of organizations, and other important details.
6. Explain (briefly) any discrepancies on your transcript which would include having a lower GPA in a particular semester or year. No details are necessary.
7. Mention specific faculty you are interested in working with.

Background. Here, you want to tell the school about yourself. Also, describe your family and your community (or a community in which you once lived). You could include whether your family, a family member in particular, or someone in your community influenced your chosen field of interest. Also, you want to give examples of personal attributes or qualities that you know will help you successfully complete graduate study. For instance, describe your determination to achieve your goals, your initiative and ability to develop ideas, and your capacity to work through problems independently.

Closing Paragraph. Finally, leave the reader with a strong sense that you are qualified and will be successful in graduate or professional school.

The statement should only be 1 to 2 pages long so you need to be concise.

*Thanks to the University of California System for their contribution in writing this sample Statement of Purpose.