Office 2007 Professional blog q-a-with-program-man

As promised, here's my Q&A with Austin Lin, an Information Science major and a Program Manager summer intern with the Mobile team. Q: Hi Austin! Now that you’ve gone through our PM interview process, tell us your experience (the good, bad and ugly). Were you surprised by the questions asked by the interviewers? What’s one piece of advice you would give students who are about to go through interviews themselves? A: The PM interview process is a unique experience that tests your design skills, communication skills and problem solving skills.
The good: I really enjoyed doing some of the design questions that tested how familiar you are with the market as well as how creative you are in creating a solution to a problem. I was surprised by the how open-ended the questions were. Ask follow up questions!
The bad: I didn’t leave enough time to visit Seattle after my final round interview. If you can, plan an extra day either before or after your interview so you can sightsee.
The ugly: I thought I botched my first round interview and I was 90% sure I would not make it to the next round. Interviewers know that you are under a lot of stress during interviews so if you mess up don’t worry too much about it. It is more important that you learn from your mistakes and move on.
Advice: The more you can show you want the position and can perform well, the easier it is to get a job. Q: You didn’t choose to go into the CS program but rather the Information Science program. What is it and why did you choose it? A: The Information Science program at Cornell is a more holistic way of looking at Internet and technology and how it impacts society. It draws parts from Computer Science, Human Computer Interaction, and Social Sciences. Personally I think it is a great fit for the Program Manager role at Microsoft. The moral of the story is that you don’t need to be a Computer Science major to explore opportunities at Microsoft. Q: Given program management is about software design, customer empathy and project management,Office 2007 Professional, what did you do to prepare for this role? Were there any non-CS classes that were useful? A: One unique characteristic of the PM role is that there are some skills that cannot be learned within the confines of a classroom. Leadership roles in student organizations or in project-based classes can hone your project management skills. If your major is not Computer Science and you are interested in software, try to supplement your classes with outside research projects or jobs that give you hands-on experience. Understanding the market and the keeping up with tech trends is also a large part of it. A passion for technology is a definite must. Q: What was your overall experience with our recruiting process? Were there any areas that you thought helped you prepare for the interview process or anything you'd suggest our readers should ask their recruiters? A: Microsoft’s recruiting process is definitely both fun and educational. An interview process does give the company to get a better sense of your skills and interests. However, more importantly, it allows you to gauge the type of work you will be doing and what kind of environment you will be in. If you find the interview questions challenging and fun, the position is probably a good fit. If the questions are not challenging or not what you were looking for, shop around for other positions. To prepare for the PM interview process, brush up on basic computer science skills. Read up a little about user centered design and the software development life cycle. Be comfortable thinking out loud and sketching out ideas on a whiteboard. Keep in touch with your college recruiter and try to set yourself apart at recruiting events. They are there to help you get hired so send them emails and talk to them if they come to your campus.