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.
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:
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.
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:
Here are the requirements for a principal product manager working on the responsible AI team:
Microsoft PM salaries range from $194-285K per year, including bonus and stock.
Practice your communication skills with a mock interview before applying.
Microsoft’s PM interview process consists of three phases:
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.
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:
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.
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 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:
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:
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:
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.
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:
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:
Check out Microsoft’s Hiring Tips for more insights on the hiring process.
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