Interview Questions

Describe a time you approached a problem from a different perspective or creative angle.

created a fridge fund(similar to go fund me)

What was the biggest failure you ever had to deal with/overcome?

As an operations manager it was nothing new to have several projects going on at one time. During that time I had oversight of a soldier that I had tasked to ensure that his portion of the annual inspections were completed. They weren't completed by the deadline I had set out. I took responsibility for the failure because I had not followed up with that soldier as much as I should have to ensure he had all of the tools he had needed to complete his task however we were lucky enough in that I had set our turn-in date one week prior to the actual deadline so we had time to work the issues.

What makes you unique compared to other candidates?

Come up with 2 or 3 different qualities

Questions to as the interviewer

I noticed that you're a support practice manager, how do you feel your past experiences have shaped your ability to manage a technical team? How would you describe the culture at Microsoft and how you learned to fit in with the company's vision? What kind of advice would you give to a new Microsoft employee?

What do you do in your spare time to develop as a professional?

I personally have a personal itch for self improvement. I make it a mission to always improve myself and family in some way or manner. During this course specifically I have used several different lanes to progress. Outside of the classroom I am also enrolled in self paced learning on plural sight and Linda, I have also attended a few social meeting groups like the dot net developers group in Raleigh and I also seek out advice and mentorship from our Microsoft mentors and also a few other contacts I have met thru linked in.

What is your greatest strength? Weakness?

I would say that my biggest strength is my compassion. I am very involved in my community and its improvement. I would say that my greatest weakness is my experience. I'm an open and homes person so i have to be up front. I overcome this by enlisting the help of my teammates to keep me on track as well as using my time management skills.

What accomplishments/experiences are you most proud of?

I would say that what I am most proud of is that I am the first in my family to attend college. I have my associate's am currently working towards my bachelor's degree. I would say that having a family and having served in the Army contributes to this pride. I want to set an example for my younger family members that hard work pays off.

Tell me about a project you supported/led which met with resistance.

In July of 2016 my unit had oversight of the first ever MLB game between the Marlins and Braves. I was in charge of the flag rehearsals for the reveille and retreat which was going to be aired on live tv nationally. That pressure alone should have been enough to deal with. But no, haha i every one of my team members were either the same rank as me or out ranked me. With that naturally i had some type A personalities. Initially i had a lot resistance however i overcame that quickly by being up front and honest with the situation but also by proving my preparation and experience. I was honestly hoping that my actions spoke louder than my words.

What are some traits that managers are looking for.

Open and honest with questions which improves the bottom line. Productiveness. Managers like when you are open to asking questions. Show your passion for the company and technology

Why should we hire you?

Outline summarize qualities. That's a very interesting question. Again I would like to thank you for this opportunity today to sit here and listen to all of my crazy answers. This question is so difficult answer because I have grown so close to the rest of my classmates and come to know them very well. I'm very honored to have been able to work with them each and every one of them. But if I were two give you a few reasons for why I feel that you should hire me I would have to say this. I come from a very diverse family and having to work hard 4 literally everything that I've come to achieve. My family instilled me that no matter what life brings you I must be true and work hard two make my family proud. Professionally wise, prior to enlisting in the military, while paying my way through school and raising a family, I successfully started and ran two companies from the ground up.

Describe a time when you had to handle multiple projects or responsibilities simultaneously.

Situation, Obstacle, Action, Result. That's a great question because without a good workload balancing plan projects can fail quickly. As the Operations Manager, I had several "hats" that I wore everyday. Collectively I was responsible for company safety, training, reporting and overall well-being. Delegating tasks evenly to my team and keeping clear, consistent and open channels of communication I was able to ensure my counseling's, reports, and planning each month were completed on time.

Tell me about a time you had to make a difficult decision that didn't have a clear right or wrong answer.

Situation: Obstacle: Action: Result:

How do you collaborate effectively?

Situation: By building rapport, building respect, and understanding the other persons/teams job. Obstacle: Action: Result:

How do you deal with Ambiguity? The Gray area? Example of doing so?

Situation: I personally don't think there should be any ambiguity. Obstacle: Action: Result:

How do you influence without authority?

Situation: While working with a team during flag rehearsals Obstacle: we had some coworkers that didn't quite work so well together. Action: Result:

What are your short term and long term career goals?

That's funny you ask that because I honestly might be one of the only candidates who plans a little too much. My main short term goals are to absorb as much information/training as I can so that I can become a SME in the TAM role.

Give me an example of a time you had to work under a deadline. How did you manage?

The day I was assigned as an Operations Manager, I was told that I was responsible for an annual report for upper management, due in two weeks. I did not feel that I was not given the tools to handle those responsibilities. I did not even have a login for the computer system and was not trained on any proprietary software. I did not know any of my staff. I gathered my team and went over the timeline and objectives. I then set a standard for my staff and encouraged constant and consistent feedback and progress reports. I made myself available to handle any and all issues. We were able to have our finalized reports to senior management on time, and from this experience I created an excel spreadsheet with a checklist and process improvement measures for future reports and future employees in my position.

Why do you want to work for our company?

There are so many reasons for why I would choose Microsoft but I would have to say the most important reasons would have to be their passion AND drive. Not only their passion for technology but also their passion for their community. The mission alone says it all: To empower every person and every organization in the world. If I could use my experience as a small business owner, passion for helping people improve themselves and drive to make a living in a company that I can align my passions with so closely I would speak on every platform possible to share my experiences.

Why Microsoft?

There are tons of reasons why I would choose Microsoft but probably the most important reason for me would have to be their passion. Not only for technology but also their passion for genuinely helping others. Prior to enrolling in this cohort, I have always been a product user however I did not know very much about the company itself. There would be no greater honor or joy than to work in an environment that I can align my passions more closely with than with Microsoft. It may sound like I am "brown-nosing" but I'll just say this; if I could make a career out of simply helping others be better versions of themselves, I would. That is why I enjoy my volunteering so much.

Team

Empower every person and evert organization! One team one fight, one micrisoft one way

Have you ever had a difficult customer experience and how did you deal with it?

I was in a training exercise in the field, and my team was tasked with creating a full account of assets and capabilities available. The commander asking for the document wanted it in a difficult and lengthy format that my team was not accustomed to, and offered little to no direction.We had a team meeting and combined the known requirements. We divvied the tasks according to ability and expertise. As a result, we were able to create the report on time.

Tell me about yourself

Well, My name is Paul and I'd like to First start off by thanking you for the opportunities that we've been extended thru this cohort and for also inviting me to this interview today. Since I'm a little nervous and am sure you've seen my resume I'll try to highlight my experience if that's ok? I started off my career in 2010 as a small business owner with Coverall Cleaning Concepts, LLC. After successfully building, improving and maintaining 21 local and government facility accounts I was able to sell the company for a profit after two years. Just shy of graduating with my Bachelors degree and with following family tradition, I enlisted with the military. I've served over 5 years now as an Air Traffic Controller joining at the lowest rank possible and working my way up to become a non-commissioned officer. As a controller, I essentially controlled all of the moving parts in my local airspace ensuring that I practiced active listening skills, calm composure and great attention to detail. After receiving my FAA certifications, I was selected to be the operations manager of my company while deployed. In that role, my team and I were responsible for the equipment, training management and overall support of 350 employees which were being tracked on our SharePoint site. One accomplishment that I'm most proud of was that I was able to implement new electronic procedures via tracked spreadsheets for reporting to our leadership which increased the efficiency of our company so much that we were awarded. After the deployment I returned to my technical roots and became a team lead of Air Traffic Controllers that maintained and improved technical aviation systems and training. In this role I was most proud of the fact that I was able to mentor and guide 2 of my employees to both achieve Air Traffic Controller of the quarter awards. Currently I'm trying to be a sponge and absorb as much info as I can in our MSSA class. One point that I would like to point out is that although I may not be the most technically experienced I have proven to be extremely determined and resourceful in finding out how to do just about anything I point my interests.

What are the highlights that we should know about of Microsoft

What do you find different between your position and a TAM role? Is there anything else that I haven't answered clearly or can help emphasize? What excites you about coming to work?

Have you ever had to deal with change (example) and how did you manage?

When I joined the Army, I joined as the lowest rank possible into basic training. I eventually progressed through the ranks and became a noncommissioned officer. I went from reporting directly to someone to having people report to me in addition. I noticed that my responsibilities grew exponentially as they included those of my direct reports, so I had to start changing my habits to become more efficient. I managed this change for the most part through planning. I reserved part of my week solely for planning my week, and from thereon I learned to manage my time efficiently while being able to guide my soldiers.

Describe an accomplishment you are proud of:

While I was attending college in Florida I had to work my way through school, so I took on a sales job selling internet services from Verizon. I learned the product and its functions inside and out, how to sell certain points and identify which selling points would apply to certain customers. I would research my customer base and essentially go door to door creating accounts and bringing in more business. This experience taught me how to interact with customers and gave me the invaluable skill of selling a product. Through my hard work, researching skills, and practicing my sales pitches, I was named seventh in the nation for sales.

Discuss a time when you disagreed with a superior, but still had to support them.

Working within my company operations team. The commander wanted to have everyone zero their weapons and then everyone could qualify. I spoke with the commander and brought about a method that we might be able to use during the next range if we couldn't implement this go around. Later the commander came to me and said that we would implement my process the next time.