Q&A with Program Manager Intern Austin Lin
As promised, here's my Q&A with Austin Lin, an Information Science major and a Program Manager summer intern with the Mobile team.
Q: Hi Austin! Now that you’ve gone through our PM interview process, tell us your experience (the good, bad and ugly). Were you surprised by the questions asked by the interviewers? What’s one piece of advice you would give students who are about to go through interviews themselves?
A: The PM interview process is a unique experience that tests your design skills, communication skills and problem solving skills.
The good: I really enjoyed doing some of the design questions that tested how familiar you are with the market as well as how creative you are in creating a solution to a problem. I was surprised by the how open-ended the questions were. Ask follow up questions!
The bad: I didn’t leave enough time to visit Seattle after my final round interview. If you can, plan an extra day either before or after your interview so you can sightsee.
The ugly: I thought I botched my first round interview and I was 90% sure I would not make it to the next round. Interviewers know that you are under a lot of stress during interviews so if you mess up don’t worry too much about it. It is more important that you learn from your mistakes and move on.
Advice: The more you can show you want the position and can perform well, the easier it is to get a job.
Q: You didn’t choose to go into the CS program but rather the Information Science program. What is it and why did you choose it?
A: The Information Science program at Cornell is a more holistic way of looking at Internet and technology and how it impacts society. It draws parts from Computer Science, Human Computer Interaction, and Social Sciences. Personally I think it is a great fit for the Program Manager role at Microsoft. The moral of the story is that you don’t need to be a Computer Science major to explore opportunities at Microsoft.
Q: Given program management is about software design, customer empathy and project management, what did you do to prepare for this role? Were there any non-CS classes that were useful?
A: One unique characteristic of the PM role is that there are some skills that cannot be learned within the confines of a classroom. Leadership roles in student organizations or in project-based classes can hone your project management skills. If your major is not Computer Science and you are interested in software, try to supplement your classes with outside research projects or jobs that give you hands-on experience. Understanding the market and the keeping up with tech trends is also a large part of it. A passion for technology is a definite must.
Q: What was your overall experience with our recruiting process? Were there any areas that you thought helped you prepare for the interview process or anything you'd suggest our readers should ask their recruiters?
A: Microsoft’s recruiting process is definitely both fun and educational. An interview process does give the company to get a better sense of your skills and interests. However, more importantly, it allows you to gauge the type of work you will be doing and what kind of environment you will be in. If you find the interview questions challenging and fun, the position is probably a good fit. If the questions are not challenging or not what you were looking for, shop around for other positions.
To prepare for the PM interview process, brush up on basic computer science skills. Read up a little about user centered design and the software development life cycle. Be comfortable thinking out loud and sketching out ideas on a whiteboard. Keep in touch with your college recruiter and try to set yourself apart at recruiting events. They are there to help you get hired so send them emails and talk to them if they come to your campus.
6 Comments
Airline Travel » Q&A with Program Manager Intern Austin Lin said:
PingBack from <a rel="nofollow" target="_new" href="http://www.travel-hilarity.com/airline_travel/?p=4505">http://www.travel-hilarity.com/airline_travel/?p=4505</a>
Francesco said:
Something i've always wondered about the PM position is, do you have to be proficent in a programing language to get through the interview (and do the job well)? Or are the questions you white board simply design questions that do not require you to "code" out something in a specific language?
Ginny said:
Francesco,
Generally, your coding skills does not have to as efficient as somone that is applying for a developer internship (even at that level, the expectations for a SDE internship is that you would have at least another school year where you will get the opportunity to improve the coding skills -- so we do focus on potential during that internship interview).
Also, there are what I consider more UI PM roles vs more "technical" PM ones, where often the latter require you are comfortable with coding already but that you simply chose the PM route due to your interests or your strengths in designing.
Francesco said:
Ginny -
So would you say then that the safer, or more appropriate route, for a non-CS/Math/Information major (Like a Business Major) that is interested in the business and design side of Application Development (Working with the customer, Designing or helping to collect requirements, managing the project from a customer side, evangelizing the project during and after dev) would most likely be the Product Management position in the Marketing organization?
Though I have already chosen my route into the organization (Sales), in many ways I felt during my time researching the company and during the initial recruitment process like I fell into the above described scenario, as someone with technical and project management experience but a Business major with no refined specific experience developing in a specific language. That left me unsure as to the best position to take advantage of my technical skills and business acumen, but deal with the disadvantage of no fluent hold on a single programming language. I only ask because I know some other people who are business majors who are considering Microsoft and have the same question about the PM position, and have seen many varying answers online and here on JB.
Deepak said:
Hi,
I am an Information Science Major as well and I too am interested in the Program Manager Position. How did you prepare for the design questions. Could you share any tips/techniques about how to handle such questions ?
Thanks
Ginny said:
Fancesco,
Yes, based on your interest, you probably would be a better fit for the product manager (marketing) roles.
Deepak,
Austin gave some of his tips but a good book to read is "The Art of Project Management" -- The "project" in the title may be misleading but this book covers both the program/design skills you need as well as the project planning side.