Chapter 25 The Microsoft interview mechanism in my eyes

After passing the phone test by the department manager of Microsoft, according to my thinking, it seems that I can go to work in Microsoft's office the next day.But I immediately received an interview notice from the Microsoft Human Resources Department.At that time, I thought that even if it was an interview, it was just going through the motions, because the manager I was talking to on the phone was my direct supervisor after joining Microsoft, and he said that there was no problem. What I didn't expect was that before being interviewed by my future direct supervisor, I went through 7 rounds of very strict interviews. The 7 people are my future colleagues or colleagues in the cooperation department.As long as one of them said that I was no good, I would have no way to go to that manager for an interview again, even if he liked me, it would be useless.This is the Microsoft system.

Microsoft's interview method may seem complicated, but it is actually very simple.When a department wants to recruit people, every employee in the department is naturally an interviewer.Another very unique feature of Microsoft's interviews is that each interviewer has a veto right. If there is a veto, the interview will end.This is a very important point.If you are admitted, it means that your colleagues like you very much, so that the future work will be harmonious. After entering Microsoft, I gradually realized that the interview mechanism adopted by Microsoft is really clever.Otherwise, what kind of people the company recruits is easily influenced by a certain leader’s preference. People he likes can come in, and people he doesn’t like can’t. The employees of this company will always be the same type of people, which is difficult get big.If every company can recruit excellent people like Microsoft, then the starting point of this company is very high.

I said to him, "I don't know if that's a reasonable request, but I'd like to see Gates after the interview." The hiring manager's eyes widened at first, as if he thought I was from Mars.Then he squeezed a smile at me and said, "You are very frank and cute." "We Chinese are very frank, we say what we have." "You know, I've been at Microsoft for almost two years, and I've only seen Gates once, and what I saw was his back." I am a little puzzled.It turns out that Gates is so awesome?Isn't it normal for employees to see their bosses?Before I came here, I even thought that hiring or not is not too important, and if I could meet Gates, it would be a worthwhile trip.But now that the hiring manager here says so, he can only do as he pleases.

The first interviewer seemed to be a manager because he had his own office.He described to me the work of the department I was joining, and he described the future of Windows NT as bright.In fact, I read books and magazines about Windows NT before I came to the interview. I have read everything he said, and I may know a little more than him.But I listened religiously, uttering words like “I just want to do this job,” “I envy your work,” and words like “great,” “exciting,” and “fun.”The second person does not look like a manager, but his status is not low, because he also has his own office.It is difficult to tell whether the third person is a manager based on his appearance, but he still has his own office.By the time I met the third person, I felt that my English had become more and more proficient.

Their questions ranged from professional programming questions to quirky puzzles.One of them asked me how many gas stations there are in the United States.Now I am stupid, how could I know this number?I thought about it, and told him: "The United States has a population of 250 million, and the car ownership rate is 30%, which means that there are 75 million cars in the United States. If every car needs to be refueled once a week, every On average, gas stations service one car every 5 minutes, so there should be about 40,000 gas stations in total.” Looking at his expression, he seemed to be quite satisfied with my answer (I later learned that Microsoft’s interviews don’t care about questions. the answer, but the analytical process to answer the question).

The eighth interviewer, Mr. David McBride, is the person who conducted my initial phone interview and will be my future direct supervisor.He is a tall, thin man with a height of more than 1.9 meters, and he seems to be a rather severe person.The interview with David was more about listening, like a schoolboy (this is sometimes important during interviews).He first talked about how he entered Microsoft, how he loves Microsoft and so on.I said that I also yearned for Microsoft to come here. As for the words that I had to give up my own company to join Microsoft, I didn't dare to say it at all.

After a conversation with me, David congratulated me on the spot: "After reading the opinions of the previous seven colleagues, everyone recognizes your educational background and technical level, and also likes your character. I express my gratitude to you. Agree. Microsoft is the best company in the world, and it needs the best employees, and you are what we hope to find..." In this way, I entered Microsoft. Immediately called home at night, Xiaolan didn't seem to feel any excitement. "For such an important matter, you still have to figure it out..." And I no longer have the slightest hesitation.I said to my wife, "If you come to Microsoft, you'll love it too. It's a great place. I don't have anything to think about, and everything else doesn't matter." I get passionate easily, and it's not instantaneous , I believe this is how I want to feel.

Being interviewed is interviewing someone else In the environment of a mature business society, a person has to go through about 50 interviews on average in his life.In my career, I have not had a single failed interview on record.This time is no exception. When I joined Shanda, many people thought it was an adventure.Why?Because from a multinational company to a private enterprise in China, this span is too large.Why did I take such a big risk? Did I really make a decision on a whim?Actually not.In my professional career over the past ten years, my experience and my ability to judge things, especially people, tell me that I have the ability to make such a choice.In fact, the interview is like this,

The process of being interviewed by others is actually the process of me interviewing others. Through short-term communication, I decide whether to join this company.Understanding this is extremely helpful for improving the success rate of interviews and making correct career choices. For example, the process of communicating with Mr. Chen Tianqiao was actually the process of interviewing him.Do I have this opportunity to work with him?Does the company have room for growth in the future?Has my career been enhanced by it?At that time I made a positive judgment.The following four years proved that my judgment was correct.