Microsoft Interview Guide

Growth Mindset

All Levels

5 Values

15-20 min read

Practice Available

Interview Style

Microsoft interviews heavily emphasize Growth Mindset - your ability to learn, adapt, and improve. Expect questions about failures, feedback, and how you've grown. They want to see intellectual curiosity and a collaborative approach.

Growth Mindset

Embracing challenges, learning from failure, and continuous improvement.

What interviewers look for:

Show you learn from mistakes and seek feedback.

Customer Obsession

Deep empathy for customer needs and experiences.

What interviewers look for:

Demonstrate you put customers at the center of decisions.

Diversity & Inclusion

Valuing different perspectives and creating belonging.

What interviewers look for:

Show you actively include diverse viewpoints.

One Microsoft

Collaborating across teams and organizations.

What interviewers look for:

Demonstrate cross-team partnership and shared goals.

Making a Difference

Creating positive impact in the world.

What interviewers look for:

Connect your work to broader mission and impact.

Sample Questions

"Tell me about a time you failed. What did you learn?"

Tests: Growth Mindset

💡 Tip: Be genuine about the failure, focus on learning and how you applied it.

"Describe a time you received difficult feedback."

Tests: Growth Mindset

💡 Tip: Show you sought feedback, reflected honestly, and made changes.

"Tell me about a time you collaborated with a team very different from yours."

Tests: One Microsoft

💡 Tip: Emphasize building bridges, finding common ground, and shared outcomes.

Tips for Success

Prepare stories about learning from failure - this is critical
Show genuine intellectual curiosity and desire to grow
Demonstrate collaboration across teams and orgs
Connect your work to customer and societal impact
Research Satya Nadella's culture transformation

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Not having good "failure" stories prepared
Appearing defensive about mistakes
Focusing only on individual achievement
Not demonstrating learning and growth
Missing the customer/impact connection

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Microsoft's Growth Mindset culture?

Microsoft's Growth Mindset culture, championed by CEO Satya Nadella, emphasizes learning from failures, embracing challenges, and continuous improvement. Interviewers look for candidates who demonstrate curiosity, resilience, and a willingness to learn rather than a fixed 'know-it-all' mentality.

How does Microsoft evaluate collaboration?

Microsoft heavily emphasizes 'One Microsoft'—the ability to work across teams and break down silos. They look for examples of cross-functional collaboration, helping others succeed, and putting company goals above individual or team wins.