The short answer: Microsoft’s interviews combine behavioral questions, role-specific exercises (coding and system design for engineers; portfolio reviews or work samples for other roles) and conversations with potential teammates. Microsoft’s own interview tips recommend the STAR(R) model: Situation, Task, Action, Result, plus Reflection on what you learned. For problem-solving questions, Microsoft advises you to “start by asking clarifying questions and stating your assumptions.” Expect questions that test a growth mindset: how you learn, take feedback and recover from failure. Below is what Microsoft says, how the loop usually works, the questions by type and how to prepare.
What Microsoft says about its interviews
From Microsoft’s interview tips page:
- The steps vary by role. “You may meet potential teammates and cross-functional colleagues.”
- Role-specific exercises. “Some roles may include coding exercises, a portfolio review, or presenting other work samples.”
- STAR(R) for behavioral answers: Situation, Task, Action, Result and Reflection.
- Clarify first. “When asked to solve a problem, respond to a scenario or develop code, start by asking clarifying questions and stating your assumptions.”
- Learners. Microsoft describes looking for “true learners who can acquire new skills rapidly and connect with others to help bring big ideas to life.”
How the interview loop usually works
The exact process depends on the team, role and level, and your recruiter will confirm it. A typical path for many roles:
- Recruiter screen: your background and interest in the role.
- A technical or hiring manager screen: for engineers, often a coding problem.
- The loop: several interviews, often on the same day, with team members and colleagues from related teams. Each interview usually mixes behavioral questions with a technical or role-specific exercise.
STAR(R): the Reflection step
The extra R is what makes Microsoft’s model different. After the result, add a sentence or two on what you learned and what you’d do differently. It’s the easiest way to show the growth mindset Microsoft looks for.
An illustration, not a real candidate’s answer:
“Situation: our team’s release pipeline failed about once a week. Task: I volunteered to find out why. Action: I tracked failures for a month, found most came from two flaky tests and a shared test database, rewrote the tests and gave each run its own database. Result: failures dropped to about one a month. Reflection: I learned to measure before fixing; my first instinct was to rewrite the whole pipeline, which would have taken weeks and missed the real cause.”
Behavioral and growth mindset questions
- Tell me about a time you failed. What did you learn? See tell me about a time you failed.
- Tell me about a time you received difficult feedback. See how do you handle criticism.
- Tell me about a time you learned a new technology quickly.
- Tell me about a time you disagreed with a teammate. See handling conflict.
- Tell me about a time you worked across teams to deliver something.
- Tell me about a time you made something more inclusive or accessible.
- Why Microsoft? Why this team?
Coding interviews
For software engineering roles, expect problems on arrays, strings, trees, graphs, hash maps and dynamic programming. Microsoft’s advice applies: ask clarifying questions, state assumptions, talk through your approach, write working code, test it with examples, and discuss complexity. See our guides to HackerRank tests and AI coding interviews.
System design interviews
For experienced engineering roles, expect a design question such as a file-sharing service, a chat system or a notification system. Clarify requirements, estimate scale, sketch a simple design, go deep on the hard parts and discuss trade-offs. See our guide to system design interviews.
Product, design and other roles
Program and product managers can expect product sense, prioritization and execution questions; designers usually present a portfolio; business roles may present work samples or a case. Prepare to explain your decisions, the trade-offs and the results.
How to prepare
- Prepare six to eight STAR(R) stories, each with a reflection.
- Practice coding and design out loud, including clarifying questions.
- Research the team and product you’re interviewing for.
- Prepare questions about the team, its goals and how success is measured. See questions to ask the interviewer.
Frequently asked questions
What is the STAR(R) model Microsoft recommends?
What is the Microsoft interview loop?
What questions does Microsoft ask in behavioral interviews?
How do I approach a Microsoft coding question?
What does growth mindset mean in a Microsoft interview?
Sources
- Microsoft Careers, Interview tips. Read on 1 October 2026.
