Microsoft · Primly Community

Microsoft interview rejection post-mortem, what I'd change if I could do it again

quietquit_quincy · 5 replies

Got the no last Thursday. Taking a day to actually process this instead of immediately shotgunning more applications, which is what my brain wants to do.

I applied for a new grad SWE role (ICT3 in MSFT's leveling), went through the recruiter screen, a 45-minute technical phone screen, and then the full four-round onsite. Made it to debrief and got a no. So here's what I'm pretty sure went wrong.

The coding rounds: I practiced the wrong things. I did a ton of LeetCode mediums. The two problems I got in the actual interview were both mediums, so the difficulty wasn't the problem. What I completely underestimated was the communication standard they hold. My interviewer literally stopped me mid-solution and said "what are you thinking right now?" because I'd gone quiet for like 90 seconds. I was in the zone, but to them it looked like I was stuck. I practiced problems, not the running commentary. Big mistake.

The behavioral rounds: I didn't know MSFT's specific lens. Microsoft behaviorals are heavily oriented around the growth mindset framing. Questions like "tell me about a time you failed and what you learned" or "describe a situation where you had to change your approach based on feedback" show up constantly. I gave decent answers but I framed them wrong. I should have been explicit about the learning arc, not just the outcome. The interviewers there are literally trained to look for that.

The system design round: I was too junior for the conversation they wanted. I'm a new grad. I know that. But I could have compensated better by being more structured about tradeoffs. Instead of diving into one approach, I should have briefly named 2-3 approaches, then picked one with an explicit reason. That demonstrates engineering maturity even when you don't have years of experience.

What I'd do differently: Practice out loud with a timer, not in your head. Record yourself. Painful but worth it. Research MSFT's culture codes before behaviorals. "Growth mindset" isn't marketing at that company. For system design: start with requirements, tradeoffs, then implementation. Always.

I'll re-apply in 6 months. Not giving up, just recalibrating.

5 replies

tired_recruiter

Former big-tech recruiter here. The "what are you thinking right now" question from an interviewer mid-problem is a rescue move, not a gotcha. They're giving you a chance to demonstrate communication. When candidates go quiet the debrief feedback is almost always "unclear communication style" which is a soft reject signal even if the code was correct. The solution you described, practicing the commentary out loud, is exactly right.

qa_quinn

That actually makes me feel a little better about the process, weirdly. They were trying to give me an opening and I didn't take it. Something to fix, not something that was done to me.

staff_steph

The growth mindset behavioral angle is real and I wish someone had told me this explicitly when I was new. Satya Nadella wrote an entire book about it and the company has actually internalized it more than most culture initiatives survive. When they ask about failure they specifically want the learning framing because that's the operating belief inside the company. You can't wing it with generic STAR answers there.

pivot_pat

Thank you for writing this out in detail. The system design advice about naming tradeoffs before picking applies at every level, not just new grad. I've been in loops for senior roles and the interviewers who push back hardest are always the ones who want to see you reject options explicitly, not just pick the one you know.

de_derek

Six months is the right call. Microsoft has a 6-month cooldown after a no, so you'd have to wait anyway in most cases. Use the time well and come back better. This post-mortem alone means you'll do better next time.