Quick answer: Microsoft's careers site says most interviews include 2-4 conversations with potential teammates and cross-functional colleagues, each lasting up to an hour, by phone, on Microsoft Teams or in person. Technical rounds last about 45 minutes and cover problem solving, design, coding and testing. Microsoft recommends the STAR(R) model for answers: Situation, Task, Action, Result and Reflection. It also asks candidates to show their own skills without outside assistance during assessments and interviews, unless that is explicitly permitted.
This guide summarizes Microsoft's official hiring pages, explains each part of the process and gives a three-week plan. It is written for software engineers applying to Microsoft in any country.
What Microsoft publishes about its hiring process
Microsoft's How we hire page lists the stages from exploring jobs and applying, through application review and interviews, to the offer and onboarding (checked 15 October 2026). It says most interviews include 2-4 conversations with potential teammates and cross-functional colleagues, each up to an hour, held by phone, on Teams or in person. Some roles also ask you to write code, share a portfolio or provide another work sample.
Your recruiter will tell you the format of your own interviews. Ask how many conversations there will be and whether any will be technical.
The technical interview
Microsoft's technical interviewing page (checked 15 October 2026) describes a short, roughly 45-minute round that can test problem solving, design, coding and testing, and may include questions about your past experience. Coding happens in a third-party tool where you can compile and run your code. The page advises:
1. Code in the language you know best, and avoid pseudocode.
2. Ask clarifying questions and plan before you start implementing.
3. Test your solution before you finish, including edge cases, error conditions and security concerns.
4. Know at least one, ideally two, sorting algorithms that run in O(n log n), such as quicksort and merge sort, and be able to explain Big O complexity.
5. Know arrays, strings, lists, linked lists, trees, tries, hash maps, sets and graphs, including when to use each.
6. For system design, review resiliency, high availability, replication, partitioning and the CAP theorem.
Depending on the role, the page also mentions AI and machine learning, data science or networking topics. Time management matters in a 45-minute round, so practice against a timer.
Behavioral questions and the STAR(R) model
Microsoft's interview tips recommend the STAR(R) model: Situation, Task, Action, Result and Reflection (checked 15 October 2026). The extra R means ending each story with what you learned or would do differently. The same page suggests researching the wider industry and what Microsoft does well, preparing questions to ask, and asking clarifying questions and stating your assumptions when you are given a problem.
Example question: "Tell me about a time you made a mistake in production."
"Situation: I owned a configuration change for our payments service. Task: we needed a new timeout value before a partner launch. Action: I tested it in staging, but staging traffic was too light to show that the new value caused retries to pile up under load. When alerts fired after the release, I rolled the change back within minutes, wrote up the incident and added a load test to our release checklist. Result: the rollback limited the impact to a short spike in errors, and the load test caught a similar issue the next quarter. Reflection: I now ask what staging cannot show me before I trust it."
Build six to eight stories like this with our STAR method guide, adding a reflection line to each.
Preparing for a virtual Microsoft interview
Microsoft's virtual interviewing page (checked 15 October 2026) says interviews run on Teams or, for some technical interviews, on a third-party platform. Its checklist:
1. Install the Teams app (preferred over the browser) and test joining, leaving and rejoining a meeting.
2. Check your webcam, microphone, headphones and internet connection beforehand.
3. Choose a quiet, well-lit space and fully charge your devices.
4. Silence other devices, but keep your phone nearby in case the interviewer needs to reach you.
5. If you cannot connect, rejoin, dial in with the phone number in the invite, or contact your recruiter straight away.
Our Microsoft Teams interview guide covers audio and screen-share setup on Windows.
Microsoft's rules on outside assistance
Microsoft's candidate code of conduct, on the same How we hire page, asks you to represent yourself honestly at every stage. It encourages responsible use of AI while you prepare, but says that during assessments and interviews you should demonstrate your own skills without outside assistance unless it is explicitly permitted (checked 15 October 2026).
For a Microsoft interview, that means using AI tools, CrackInterviewAI included, for preparation and mock practice only, unless your recruiter explicitly tells you otherwise.
A three-week preparation plan
1. Week 1: data structures and Big O. Implement merge sort and quicksort from memory and explain their complexity. Solve two problems a day, testing edge cases out loud.
2. Week 2: trees, graphs and hash maps, in timed 45-minute sessions. Practice one system design question focused on availability and partitioning.
3. Week 3: write six to eight STAR(R) stories, research the product area of the team you are joining, prepare your questions and run full mock interviews.
Students and new graduates
For students, Microsoft's student interviewing page describes an initial interview and, if you are selected, a final interview, both virtual, with one-to-one conversations and breaks between them (checked 15 October 2026). Expect both behavioral and technical questions. Our internship interview guide covers student-level questions in detail.
How CrackInterviewAI helps you prepare
CrackInterviewAI is a Windows 10/11 app that turns a spoken, typed or screenshot question into a short answer outline, using your resume, target role and job description as context. New accounts get 30 free minutes; after that, international prices start at $3.99 for one hour, with no subscription or auto-renewal (USD plans).
Add your resume and the Microsoft job description, then practice saying your STAR(R) stories and explaining your approach to coding problems out loud. A free mock interview helps you rehearse timing for a 45-minute round.
Prepare for your Microsoft interview
Download CrackInterviewAI for Windows and use your 30 free minutes to rehearse STAR(R) stories and coding explanations before the day.
Frequently asked questions
How many interviews does Microsoft have?
Microsoft's How we hire page says most interviews include 2-4 conversations with potential teammates and cross-functional colleagues, each up to an hour. Your recruiter will confirm the format for your role.
How long is a Microsoft technical interview?
Microsoft's technical interviewing page describes a short round of about 45 minutes, so practice managing your time.
What is the STAR(R) model?
It is STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) with an added Reflection: what you learned or would do differently. Microsoft recommends it for interview answers.
Can I use AI during a Microsoft interview?
Not unless it is explicitly permitted. Microsoft encourages responsible AI use for preparation, but asks candidates to demonstrate their own skills without outside assistance during assessments and interviews unless explicitly permitted.
Are Microsoft interviews virtual?
They can be by phone, on Teams or in person. For students, Microsoft says interviews are virtual. Some technical interviews use a third-party coding platform.
Keep exploring
Return to the CrackInterviewAI homepage to download the Windows app, or browse all guides on the interview prep blog.
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