Microsoft Mock Interview
Practice 35 Microsoft interview questions covering technical skills, product thinking, and cultural fit.
Question 16 of 35
How do you handle critique, constraints, and new information in the work that you do?
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Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.
This stress-based question is designed to show the interviewers at Microsoft how you approach changing your work at a moment's notice, how you react to tight deadlines, and how you incorporate last-minute information that could potentially change the course of your work. Your ability to be agile in your work is critical for success at Microsoft. If possible as you answer, talk to your interviewer about a time when a significant change occurred on the job for you in the past. Talk about how you handled the situation to keep up with positive results.
Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.
"A couple of years ago, I worked with my VP of Sales and our Marketing Director to craft a strategic national roll-out. Two months later, after working on the strategy each week as a collaborative team, I was informed that we were putting a pause on the project until further notice. The executives thought the company wasn't ready for such big clients yet, so instead, I had to scale the national roll-out back to be a local market strategy. After the initial sting and frustration of pulling out of the project, I was able to use that same framework to plan local market roll-outs in several major cities effectively. It proved to be a good learning experience overall for me. If offered this position at Microsoft, you would be getting an employee who can roll with the punches and is open to feedback at all times. It's how I continue to learn and grow."
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I have mastered giving and receiving feedback without emotion since receiving critical feedback 15 years ago. I can now give and receive constructive feedback and encourage open dialog. All feedback is a gift, even if given poorly. Constraints, COVID-19, deadlines with fewer resources - come up with a workable solution that everyone agrees to. I can receive new information as well as react to change quickly.
Amanda's Feedback
It sounds like you appreciate constructive criticism that helps you improve your performance. Because this is a situational question, it's best answered using an example. Talk about a time when you had to respond to criticism, work within constraints, and adapt based on new information. You can use one example or 3 separate scenarios to make sure you address each aspect of the question. In each scenario, make sure to talk about the skills or tools you used as well as the positive outcome.
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