Microsoft Archive

A Look at Interviewing with Microsoft

By
Nick Carson
Published: January 21, 2010
A Look at Interviewing with Microsoft

I was recently notified that I was invited to interview with Microsoft, having sent in my resume a couple weeks back.

The interview was for one of three internship positions they are offering:
- Program Manger (PM)
- Software Development Engineer (SDE)
- Software Development Engineer in Test (SDET)

Being geared toward entrepreneurial activities, I decided that the Program Manger position was the best fit for me. On the Microsoft website they described the Program Manger:

Program Manager (PM)
As a Program Manager intern, you’ll get to help drive the technical vision, design and implementation of next-generation software solutions. You’ll transform the product vision into elegant designs that will ultimately turn into products used by Microsoft customers. The PM intern helps manage feature sets throughout the product lifecycle, and you’ll have the chance to see your design through to completion. You’ll also work directly with other key team members including Software Development Engineers and Software Development Engineers in Test. Program Managers are advocates for end-users, so your passion for anticipating customer needs and creating outside-the-box solutions for them will really help you shine in this role.

Basically the Program Manager deals more with interacting with people. Whether that be the customer to get feedback on what is expected, or the software development engineers to elaborate on what code needs to be written, or the marketing team to see if a particular feature is even worth implementing. I decided to go with this rather than the Software Developer Engineer role. I’m much more comfortable interacting with others and developing a overall design and seeing a product/service implemented. The SDE is undoubtedly more geared towards writing code for various specifications.

It helps that I have a sound understanding of writing code and developing applications that allows me to perform in a role  such as this. I have the technical know how to design the application while taking into consideration what the software developers would ultimately be coding.

So I sent  my response back in, along with an updated version of my resume. They replied  back a couple days later with a time and date for my interview.

The Interview:

They stated to dress casually, as that’s how most Microsoft employees dressed. So instead of suiting up in my jacket and tie, I went with a more casual button up and jeans. As I walked up to my interview location, I noticed a good amount of people were in suits (interviewing with other companies), but my recruiter greeted me sporting a casual attire as well, so all was good.

I sat down with the nice recruiter and we made small talk about how bad parking was, and then we began the interview.

She started off asking why I was going after the Program Manager position. I gave a response similar to what I talked about above in choosing to go for Program Manager. Citing my entrepreneurial nature and experience in designing applications.

She asked a couple more questions about projects I have worked on in the past, examples of how I had worked with a team. I’ve had a lot of technical experience designing software and presenting the finished product to people, so I was able to cite a lot of examples with that. I talked a bit about some of the business ventures I have done, such as designing websites for small businesses and individuals. Also  I talked about the latest SMS service business I have been working on, and how I am going about developing and implementing it.

After the more general questions were asked she tasked me with a few exercises. The first was to design a kiosk that allowed people to create custom wristwatches. I suppose she was testing my ability to design a product/service and how to go about implementing it. So on paper I began plotting out a kiosk centered around creating your own custom wristwatch. While doing this I was speaking aloud to let my interviewer in on my mindset.

The second task involved a recruiting question, wherein I was hypothetically tasked to contact a candidate for interview within the next 10 minutes, but his resume did not supply a phone number. I started listing out all the options of possibly contacting him, like emailing, looking online for any websites that listed a number, contacting his university, or previous employers for a number. I’m guessing this was aimed at seeing how well I could solve a problem, and which routes I would exhaust in trying to achieve my goal.

After this, she asked some questions as to which Microsoft products I was interested in working with. To which I answered about my interests in mobile and web products. She  also asked what was the most innovative software application I had been using lately. Here I talked about how Google Wave was a new and fresh application that I had been using recently, mainly for its collaborative nature. We spoke about how Microsoft would be responding with a competitor to Wave, and then presented me with the question of how I would I go about improving it. For this I spoke about how a collaborative environment could be supplemented by a video conferencing interface so  that you could talk to your peers while working together on a project.

The interview ended with a couple questions I had, such as what a typical day for a PM intern was like, and what projects interns had worked on in the previously. Her answers further confirmed my interest in this particular role as it involved seeing a specific feature through its design and development. She also stated that some interns were given a chance to pitch their ideas for features, which was of particular interest to me.

Final Thoughts:

There weren’t any actual coding problems given in this interview as I thought, instead it was more focused on a design and management point of view. Still, there were quite a bit of technical related questions posed, and I’m sure further interviews will incorporate programming specific questions.

As far as things I missed, I didn’t get a chance to talk about experiences from my Mountain Dew Brand Rep role. I would have liked to highlight my ability in working with people, setting up events, and designing a strategy around what people were likely to respond best to.

Overall I thought the interview went well, I had the opportunity to elaborate on my skills and experience, as well as respond thoroughly to the questions and tasks given to me.

Now all that is left is to wait and see if I stood out enough to get a follow-up interview.

How'd my Microsoft interview go?

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A few links of interests concerning this article:

An inside scoop of what its like to work at Microsoft, interview prepping, and more:
- Microsoft JobsBlog

Information about Microsoft Careers:
-  Microsoft University Careers

Internships offered @ Microsoft:
- Microsoft Internships

Here is a great video highlighting interns at Microsoft:

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The New Wave of Cloud Computing

By
Nick Carson
Published: October 26, 2009
The New Wave of Cloud Computing

Continuing with another article I have written for my bi-weekly column in the Warrington Times (UF student run business newspaper):

The New Wave of Cloud Computing

By Nick Carson - Published Issue 4, 19th Oct’09

The “Cloud” is a metaphor for the internet, and the topic of cloud computing and web based services are quickly becoming a reality. Corporations of all sizes employ a lot of overhead simply to run their IT department. Of course, this is a necessity in order to manage a slew of computers that keep a business on its feet.

From servers to workstations to switches, there is a lot that goes into managing a network within a company. First, there is the initial investment of buying all the hardware and software required, which is followed by the operating costs of employing staff to manage the network and troubleshoot difficulties. Cloud computing alleviates much of the financial strain on companies by providing an external service instead of a dedicated in-house solution.

Currently, computers are purchased and upgraded by physically adding new components to make them faster and installing software locally to make them more usable. With a cloud controlled computing environment, all that would be required is to purchase a sort of terminal, which could be as simple as a monitor attached to a small computer capable of connecting to a network. This terminal connects to a server in the “cloud” and streams an operating system along with its software directly to the user.

With cloud computing, all computation and processing is done remotely on the server, therefore requiring very little processing power on the terminal’s part. Upgrading is simple as requesting more speed and power through the service instead of upgrading hardware locally. Likewise, software is purchased and installed just as easily on that user’s account.

Another beauty of cloud computing is allowing a user access from any terminal. Because terminal requirements are so low, one is just as good as any other. Even computers seen as outdated can utilize the full power of cloud computing, which makes the cost of computing decrease exponentially. The beginnings of the transition to cloud based computing can already be seen through several established and emerging technologies.

Google Docs is a prime example of the transition to cloud computing. If you have not had experience with it already, Google Docs gives you a full featured office suite where you can create and edit word documents, spreadsheets and more. What’s different is that its online and accessed through a web browser. This simplifies the process of moving documents around on disks and flash drives from computer to computer.

Microsoft has taken note of this new wave of web and cloud based services, and is poised to release its flagship Microsoft Office suite as free, web-accessible products. Documents can be created and edited, like Google Docs, and saved on a remote server accessible anywhere. The trend is toward more and more services accessed through the internet.

The infrastructure is not fully there yet to realize cloud computing for everyone. However, it is being slowly implemented within companies to manage the increasing number of computers in a more cost efficient way. Cloud computing is great for business, as it can reduce a lot of the costs in hardware, alleviate data loss problems and provide fewer barriers to entry.

Reading Your Mind, Endless Applications

By
Nick Carson
Published: October 24, 2009
Reading Your Mind, Endless Applications

Continuing with another article I have written for my bi-weekly column in the Warrington Times (UF student run business newspaper):

Reading Your Mind, Endless Applications

By Nick Carson - Published Issue 3, 5th Oct’09

It’s the subject of numerous science fiction movies: the ability for an outside source to access your brain to identify what you are thinking. Scientists, led by Berkeley researchers Jack Gallant and Thomas Naselaris, have developed a method of reconstructing an image produced in your mind purely by tracking neural activity. The method involves using fMRI (Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging), a specialized type of MRI scan that measures blood flow through the brain. The researchers focused on parts of the brain accountable for processing visual information. By monitoring active parts of the brain responsible for visual processing, they were successfully able to identify images within the brain. Currently, the technology allows researchers to pull an image from a large database that represents what a subject has seen– not quite a full reconstruction method. Through development, the technology is expected to make gains towards reconstructing visual images from scratch. That is where applications will really come into play.

Imagine being able to electronically search for pictures by using your mind. Simply thinking of a random object or a friend/acquaintance could one day produce that image on your personal computer. This could have far-reaching applications for new search platforms by, for instance, allowing you to navigate the web based solely on images produced by your brain. The days of simply thinking about what you want to say and seeing the words appear on a computer may quickly become a reality. In fact, the Bing search engine by Microsoft has already launched a new method of search dubbed “Visual Search”. It allows a user to search the internet by presenting them with a grid of images instead of using the typical text option we are all familiar with. Couple this with technology that allows images to be accessed directly from your brain and you have the ability to interact with the internet via your mind.

This technology could be adapted for a variety of uses. For example, consider the impact on the justice system. Investigations might utilize brain scans that depict the very scene of a crime from the point of view of a witness or culprit.

Image reconstruction may even alter the basic methods of computer operation. Identifying spoken words and language could pave the way for computer controlled interactions. In the near future, simply thinking about words and speech could produce them directly to your computer. The keyboard and mouse have been around since the birth of personal computers as our primary method of input. They remain two of the few technologies yet to be completely revolutionized. These devices are simply middle men in our interactions with computers. We think about words and images and rely on our fingers to produce what we were thinking. These technologies aim to cut out that primitive and inefficient process.

Who will be the new companies to emerge into the technology of computer-brain interactions? Although fully developed technologies might be decades away, the right insight and planning for this revolution could prove valuable. It is to be seen whether current leaders in the market will prepare and invest appropriately or if new, up-and-coming companies will seize the opportunity.