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Microsoft Product Manager (PM) Interview Guide

Learn how to prepare for the Microsoft Product Manager interview and get a job at Microsoft with this in-depth guide.

Connecting people through compelling and effective products is the top priority at Microsoft, one of the most recognized names in tech. Its mission, after all, is to “empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.” From the Microsoft 365 productivity suite to the Windows operating system to Azure and more, product managers contribute to this mission by driving innovative developments in the company’s product roadmap.

If you’re interested in building complex products in a data-driven, customer-obsessed environment, working as a product manager (PM) at Microsoft might be a great fit. Below, we explain how to prepare for a product manager interview at Microsoft.

This guide was written with the help of a product manager at Microsoft.

What does a Microsoft PM do?

Product management at Microsoft is a diverse field that varies depending on your prospective team. However, regardless of role, there are a handful of similarities between PM positions. In general, all Microsoft PMs spend their time:

  • Managing a primary long-term project
  • Analyzing data
  • Engaging with and assessing customer experience
  • Syncing with internal stakeholders
  • Speaking to colleagues in both casual settings and formal conference environments

Check out Microsoft’s job board for recent product manager listings.

Product management represents a fusion of the hard skills of business and technology with the soft skills of leadership and community-building. Microsoft PMs work not only for the goals and needs of their product’s customers but also within the larger product ecosystem of the company and the needs of stakeholders. As a prospective PM, think about your own passion for leadership and how you can articulate this throughout the application and interview process.

What are the typical job requirements for a Microsoft PM?

Education: Very few Microsoft PM roles require more than a Bachelor’s Degree. In general, Microsoft’s hiring managers are more interested in the specific experience you bring to your prospective product ecosystem. As a result, your degree is not as important as your ability to share your previous experiences, although a business or technology-related field is always a plus.

Many roles have qualifications for competency with certain platforms, business practices, and/or software. A Master of Business Administration (MBA) or a Master’s in Computer Science (MSCS) can help your application, especially if your undergraduate degree is in a nontechnical field.

Experience: Previous examples of leadership and strong communication, particularly in technology, are always a plus when applying to PM jobs. Additionally, Microsoft highly prioritizes specific competencies that relate to the role itself.

Depending on the level of seniority, Microsoft PM roles generally seek 5-10+ years of previous experience in product/service/project/program management, or software development. This makes it a great mid-career opportunity or career transition out of a technical individual contributor role, although there are also opportunities for younger candidates.

Since every role has unique requirements, we have included two examples for different PM positions. Here are the requirements for a PM working on the Azure Artificial Intelligence team working on LLMs and Generative AI tools:

  • Comprehensive understanding of Generative AI and LLMs both from the hypothetical lens of a data scientist and a developer
  • Well-versed with the latest GenAI tools such as LangCHain
  • Bachelor’s Degree (no major preference)
  • 2+ years experience in product/service/project/program management
  • (alternatively) 2+ years experience in software development
  • 5+ years of experience designing and shipping ML products
  • Experience using Azure, AWS, or Google Cloud
  • Fluent in Python (particularly for machine learning), or familiar with how Python works
  • Ability to drive complex multi-stakeholder processes and cross-team programs
  • Ease with ML platforms
  • Effective relationship-building
  • Polished verbal and written communication skills for a global audience
  • General business acumen: analytical thinking and detail-oriented

Here are the requirements for a principal product manager working on the responsible AI team:

  • Bachelor’s Degree (no major preference)
  • 10+ years in product/service/project/program management
  • (alternatively) 10+ years experience in software development
  • 5+ years of experience designing and shipping ML products
  • 3+ years of experience in ML/AI

Microsoft PM salaries range from $194-285K per year, including bonus and stock.

Recommendations before you apply for Microsoft PM roles

  • Know Microsoft’s various offerings. A strong working knowledge of Microsoft products can set you apart in a pool of applicants. Brush up on Microsoft’s ventures (particularly regarding your prospective team’s product ecosystem) so that you can quickly and efficiently describe how Microsoft products interact with one another. This helps to demonstrate your interest in the company.
  • Look for potential connections to get a referral. According to a Microsoft PM, referrals go a long way in moving forward in the hiring process. After all, Microsoft recruiters hear from hundreds of prospective candidates on the regular. Consider reaching out to someone at Microsoft through your alumni network, LinkedIn, or Exponent to ask for a referral. Be respectful and polite, and understand that many people might not have time to give a referral.
  • Emphasize relevant skills gained from non-traditional experience. Microsoft’s hiring managers are open to unconventional backgrounds. In other words, your unique skill set and previous experiences can count just as much as your educational background—and help you stand out. Look for ways to demonstrate how any unusual experiences have prepared you for the PM role.

Practice your communication skills with a mock interview before applying.

Interview Process

Microsoft’s PM interview process consists of three phases:

  • An initial screening call with a recruiter.
  • A phone screen with a hiring manager.
  • An onsite loop consisting of 4-6 interviews that blend behavioral and product questions.

All Microsoft interviews are virtual (with some exceptions such as university recruiting events), and take place on Microsoft Teams unless another software is needed. However, the 4-6 mixed interviews are often done as a batch in one day to streamline the speed of the candidate’s assessment, like an onsite interview loop would traditionally be structured.

Recruiter Screening

The first stage of the Microsoft PM interview process is a standard recruiter call (roughly 30 minutes) to see if you’re a good fit for the company. Expect a mix of behavioral questions, alongside preliminary product tests.

Try a peer mock interview! There are options to strengthen your interview skills in product design, system design, and behavioral.

Prepare to explain why you would be a good culture fit at Microsoft, and express interest and knowledge in the company’s product ecosystem whenever possible. From here, your recruiter will share additional insights on how the next interviews are structured. If there are any concepts that the recruiter mentions that you aren’t super confident in, try to brush up on them.

Some behavioral questions worth practicing include:

Hiring Manager Screening

After the recruiter screening is a brief 30-minute first round that consists largely of behavioral questions.

Below are a few questions you can expect at this stage:

According to a current Microsoft PM, it’s best to avoid generic answers. For example, when asked, “What’s your favorite product and why?” many candidates typically respond with an app. To stand out, consider offering a more creative and memorable answer, like a shopping bag. However, before answering, you can also double-check with the hiring manager by asking if they’re looking specifically for answers about a Microsoft product, another app, etc.

Onsite Interview Loop

Microsoft’s onsite loop, scheduled to take place over one day, includes 4-6 sessions with prospective colleagues and stakeholders. Each session runs between 45-50 minutes and involves only one interviewer. Interviewers generally ask a mix of technical and behavioral questions, which we cover in more depth below.

If the role you’re applying for requires a technical competency, make sure to brush up on that coding language or ML skill before your interview loop. Though it isn’t common, some candidates take a programming quiz but this requirement ultimately depends on the PM role.

Product Design

Product design questions intend to assess your skills in analytics, execution, and product strategy. Microsoft seeks prospective PMs who have a strong sense of both technical and creative vision, and are excited by the possibility of working in Microsoft’s product ecosystem.

Before interviewing, consider researching some interview frameworks to ensure you can answer the interview questions in a timely and effective manner.

Learn more with the Complete PM Interview Course.

With these questions, Microsoft is looking for:

  • Dedication to customer experience and stakeholder communication
  • Fast and efficient problem-solving
  • Understanding of product life cycle complexity and planning through development, release, and end of life
  • Strong background in technology and business domains
  • Passion for the company’s mission and vision, as well as current ventures

Learn about Microsoft's latest AI innovations through on-demand session recordings from Ignite, its annual global conference for developers and IT professionals.

If there are any technical competencies required for your role, be prepared to incorporate them into your answers. Showing your passion and interest in Microsoft’s product ecosystem is a great way to strengthen your interview presence and make connections with your interviewer(s).

Here are some product management fundamentals questions you can expect:

Behavioral

Although data analytics, product design, and business strategy are a huge aspect of Microsoft PMs roles, leadership and communication are key to overall success. As a prospective PM, it’s essential to articulate creative product thinking to a variety of stakeholders and customers at different levels of technical competencies.

During the onsite loop, expect to get lots of behavioral questions. Microsoft’s team uses them to identify:

  • Ability to promote Microsoft technology through public speaking skills and creating blogs/demos/etc
  • Passion and care for excellent customer user experience
  • Strong communication for technical and non-technical audiences
  • Comfort working with fast-paced, multi-functional teams
  • Embodiment of innovation and a mix of data- and people-driven decision-making

Many behavioral questions might resemble more complex versions of possible recruiter screen questions. Below are some behavioral questions commonly asked at Microsoft:

Check out Exponent’s in-depth behavioral interview course.

Tips and Strategies

  • Emphasize a growth mindset. No matter what phase you’re at in your career, Microsoft looks for candidates interested in building their skills, connections, and aspirations. Prepare to share about a good book on leadership you’ve recently read, a skill you’ve acquired, or a recent experience you’ve learned from. Microsoft values growth mindsets so much that it even highlights this trait as one of its core cultural attributes.
  • Know the product. Microsoft is a huge company with many products, so while it’s important to have a general interest in the company’s ventures, get familiar with the specific product your PM role focuses on and the ecosystem around it. Don’t be afraid to ask questions as this shows curiosity and interest, but also do research to be as informed as possible.
  • Stay customer-centric. At the end of the day, Microsoft is a company centered around making customer user experience as efficient as possible. From Windows to 365 to Azure, every Microsoft product is designed for daily use by customers. During your interviews, try to connect your responses to customer experience.

As a massive company with years of experience interviewing and onboarding hundreds of thousands of candidates, Microsoft has shared many of its own hiring tips and what stands out in a candidate.

Microsoft prides itself on a strong sense of culture and achievement, and encourages prospective hires to engage with the product ecosystems before applying to develop a passion for and literacy in Microsoft products. Additionally, Microsoft also lists a set of core competencies that drive its product vision:

  • Collaboration. Communicating effectively within the team and across teams.
  • Drive for results. Working tenaciously to deliver on commitments, constantly seeking bigger challenges, holding yourself and others accountable.
  • Customer focus. Our mission at Microsoft is to empower every person and every organization to achieve more.
  • Influencing for impact. Successfully persuading and influencing others with effective communication.
  • Judgment. Effectively scoping complex problems and using business acumen to make knowledge-based decisions.
  • Adaptability. Ability to deal with ambiguous and uncertain situations or problems with agility.

Product vision is important, but Microsoft also seeks candidates who are driven by a desire to build a strong internal company culture. Below are its organizational values:

  • Growth mindset. True learners who can acquire new skills rapidly and connect with others to help bring big ideas to life.
  • Diverse and inclusive. Being open to learning about your own biases and changing behaviors accordingly. Value differences, seek them out, and invite them in.
  • One Microsoft. Actively seeks collaboration with others and looks for common ground across differences, contributes to and builds on success of others, and prioritizes for customer and team within their role.
  • Customer obsession. The ability to learn about customers' perspectives, show empathy to their experiences, and incorporate these insights into their decisions and deliverables.
  • Values. When we come together, we treat each other with respect, we act with integrity, and we are accountable to one another for our words and actions.
  • Manager expectations. Our managers help bring our culture to life. As they model, coach, and care, they help reinforce our culture and create an environment where everyone can do their best work.

Check out Microsoft’s Hiring Tips for more insights on the hiring process.

Additional Resources

FAQs

  • Are Microsoft interviews in person or virtual? All Microsoft interviews are virtual and held on Microsoft Teams. If Teams doesn’t have the capabilities needed for a technical interview, it may be held on a third-party platform, but generally, the interviews are done through Microsoft products.
  • Can I interview again if I’m rejected? Yes, Microsoft encourages candidates to reapply a minimum of 6 months after their rejection if they see a different position that is a good potential fit for them.
  • Does Microsoft offer internships? Yes! Microsoft offers internships for undergraduates and PhDs. Many interns go on to full-time roles after graduation.
  • What is the difference between project, product, and program managers? While this ranges depending on team, company, and more, the general role delineation between project/product/program managers in tech (including at Microsoft) is:
    • Project managers facilitate and manage teams working on short-term projects. They often work on many projects within a larger ecosystem, and generally are under product/program managers. They might be managed by a program manager and are often indirectly junior to a product manager.
    • Product managers are generally responsible for a larger individual product, such as a new industry venture or emerging technology. They work with this product long-term throughout its entire life cycle, and do not manage other team members directly though they often collaborate across multi-functional teams. They might be managed by a program manager and often work with project managers who are facilitating projects associated with their overarching product.
    • Program managers can be seen as a more senior mix of both a project and product manager, as they develop program plans for longer product roadmaps and experiences. Multiple products might be under their leadership umbrella, making them direct or indirect managers to many people in PjM/PdM roles. Their skill sets are a fusion of both product design and project management.

Learn everything you need to ace your Product Manager interviews.

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