I love announcing the hires that this blog produces, and I have a new one that I am so proud to see become part of the Microsoft Family.

Gabe Wishnie is another product of the coding contest (round #3) .  While he wasn’t crowned the “winner” of the contest, his passion won over the excitement of the team (and the hearts of the recruiters who were rooting him on).  When we paired up his completed coding exercise and resume with his raw potential and guts, we decided he was worth placing a bet on.  So, we flew him here from Canada for the interviews and he aced the process.  Now, he has signed his offer letter and is on his way to join the Windows Live Development Team.

Below, Gabe gives us the unedited “fact” and “fiction” of interviewing at Microsoft.  Thanks Gabe, for all your hard work.  We can't wait for you to start!

FACT: Microsoft wants to know how you think and the process you take to solve a problem. 

If you follow JobsBlog you have probably seen this over and over.  So, how can you prepare for this?  Find questions and begin working through them.  Do not do this with the intent to memorize the answers, but instead use them to enhance your problem-solving skills.  Some good sources of questions I used were Chris Sells’ Web site and old college text books – a great one is Schaum’s Outlines Programming with C++.  I just started flipping through and answering the questions at the end of chapters.

FACT:  Knowing your weaknesses will help you to better prepare for your interview.

I know this one seems obvious, but I think it is one of the most important tips.  If you know your areas of weakness you know exactly where to start your preparation.  The best part is that your recruiter can help you with this.  After your phone screen, ask your recruiter in what areas the hiring manager thought you were weak and focus on them.  One great college text book that I would recommend going back through to brush up on general computer science skills, is Introduction to Algorithms.

FICTION:  You need to know someone at Microsoft or have attended an Ivy League school to get recognized out of the hundreds of thousands of resumes Microsoft receives in a year.

I know this one does not fall under preparation exactly, but I see this in a lot of comments and wanted to mention it.  Take it from me, someone who did not know anyone at Microsoft and did not attend an Ivy League school, you still can get your shot.  If you are already reading JobsBlog you are on the right path.  Besides giving great resume and interview advice it also gives you a perfect avenue to get yourself in a much smaller pool of applicants.  How?  The coding contest is what did it for me.  I was shocked that only 25 people completed this as directed - if I remember the numbers correctly.  These coding contests are your chance to shine regardless of whom you know or your background.  Take advantage of them!

As this is already getting longer then I had intended, I will close with one final thought; have fun.  If you love what you do and the job you are interviewing for let it show.  I guarantee the people that interview do, so prove you will make a great addition to the team by showing your natural enthusiasm.  As for the preparation, work hard at it.  Like anything else you get out what you put in.  After all, when you land that job all the hard work will be worth it.

FICTION: If you do not have the perfect skill set match for the job, then you do not have a chance. 

This one rang especially true for me being a long time C# developer interviewing for a C++ job.  How can you assure the recruiter and eventually the hiring manager that you are the one for the job even if your skills do not exactly match?  Fortunately, this one does not really involve any preparation.

As developers we have a true passion for the industry we work in, let it show.  Let them know you enjoy learning, that you are a quick learner, and basically that you welcome the challenge.  Additionally, to really make it ring true start reading up on the skills you are lacking before the interview and speak to the points you learned to demonstrate you have already started ramping up.

FICTION:  Take your chances; You can make it through your entire interview without getting asked a white board problem.

Actually, this may be true, but from my experience out of my five interviews, I was asked five different white board problems (actually one interview did not have any but another had two).  I knew these would be my akilies heal, so to prepare, I just took those questions mentioned previously and began working them on paper rather on the computer.  You will soon realize that writing code on paper or a white board is a lot harder than it seems.  Fortunately, the more you work through, the easier it starts to get. 

Besides practicing, I highly recommend watching the Mock White Boarding Problem on Channel9.  This gives you the inside scoop of exactly what to expect in a typical white boarding question.

- Jenna