Microsoft behavioural & leadership interview questions

Sample questions with short answers

Tap a question to reveal the short answer and key points.

1. 1Microsoft values growth mindset. Tell me about feedback that changed how you work.MediumMicrosoft-specificShow short answer

   Short answer

   Choose feedback that was genuinely hard to hear, describe how you initially reacted and then what you did to act on it — a concrete habit or process change. Show the before/after with an example and how you later sought more feedback. This maps directly to the 'learn-it-all' culture Microsoft screens for.

   Interviewers listen for

   • hard feedback and initial reaction
   • concrete habit change
   • seeking more feedback later
2. 2Describe a time you worked with another team that had different priorities.MediumMicrosoft-specificShow short answer

   Short answer

   Set up the conflict of priorities, then show how you found shared goals, negotiated scope, and made commitments explicit. Mention the communication cadence you set up and how you escalated respectfully when needed. End with the delivered outcome and the relationship afterward.

   Interviewers listen for

   • find shared goals
   • negotiate explicit scope and commitments
   • outcome and relationship afterward
3. 3Tell me about a time you disagreed with a teammate or manager. What happened?EasyAsked everywhereShow short answer

   Short answer

   Use STAR: set the situation briefly, state what you disagreed about and why it mattered, describe the actions you took — gathering data, proposing an experiment, listening to the other view — and end with the result and what you learned. Interviewers want respectful escalation and evidence-based persuasion, not a story where you were simply right.

   Interviewers listen for

   • STAR structure
   • data or experiment to resolve the disagreement
   • result and what you learned
4. 4Describe a project that failed or missed its goal. What would you do differently?MediumAsked everywhereShow short answer

   Short answer

   Pick a real miss, own your part of it without blaming others, and be specific about the root cause — unclear scope, late risk discovery, missing tests. Then show the change you actually made afterward (earlier check-ins, smaller milestones, a pre-mortem). Keep the result honest: what was salvaged and what the team learned.

   Interviewers listen for

   • own your part without blame
   • specific root cause
   • concrete change made afterward
5. 5Tell me about a time you had to make a decision with incomplete information.MediumAsked everywhereShow short answer

   Short answer

   Describe the ambiguity, the deadline, and the cost of waiting. Explain how you reduced uncertainty quickly — talking to users, a spike, a reversible decision — and the principle you used to decide. Close with the outcome and how you monitored for being wrong. Shows bias for action balanced with judgement.

   Interviewers listen for

   • reduce uncertainty quickly
   • reversible decision or experiment
   • monitor the outcome