Microsoft Software Developer Mock Interview
Practice 30 Microsoft Software Developer interview questions covering algorithms, system design, and coding assessments.
Question 22 of 30
Can you describe a challenging software development project you recently completed and the results?
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William Swansen has worked in the employment assistance realm since 2007. He is an author, job search strategist, and career advisor who helps individuals worldwide and in various professions to find their ideal careers.
Ideally, you have encountered some of the same challenges that the organization has during your software developer experience. The Microsoft interviewer hopes to confirm this. It demonstrates that you will address the challenges and problems they encounter and help them resolve them quickly. Organizations hire people to either fill a vacant role or expand their team. In either case, they expect the candidate to bring a fresh perspective to the organization and skills, experience, and knowledge they currently don't have on their team. Your answer to this and all the questions they ask should affirm this.
William Swansen has worked in the employment assistance realm since 2007. He is an author, job search strategist, and career advisor who helps individuals worldwide and in various professions to find their ideal careers.
"The most challenging software project I've worked on recently involved an application to allow the company's personnel to self-manage their HR benefits. The challenge was that end-users had to have secure access to their information without the HR staff intervening. This required me to implement several security features, including user authentication, password protection, and the ability for users to access the company's database behind its firewall via VPNs. Recognizing that I did not have recent experience in these technologies, I refreshed my skills by taking a short online course and collaborated with some of the other developers on our team on the project. Together we developed the software on schedule and under budget. I learned to recognize my shortcomings and bring in additional resources when needed."
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The most challenging software project that I've worked on recently involved an application that allowed the company to manage its product offerings with brokers in real time. This required me to implement their unique messaging protocol and create a resilient, distributed system. I recognized that I didn't have recent experience in these technologies, so I collaborated with other developers on our team and reviewed the specifications provided. Together we completed the project and the company saw a reduction in fees due to the improved efficiency.
Marcie's Feedback
Nice! You successfully use the STAR method (situation, task, action, result) here to structure your answer. Was this project challenging for you because you didn't have recent experience in those technologies? Can you talk more about how you emotionally dealt with this challenge and how the collaborative portion of the project went? The more details, the better! Great job.
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