Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my interview experience. It was unlike any other interview I had ever done. I was very impressed with the approachability, professionalism and knowledgeability of my interviewers, respective to their job roles.
I arrived in the morning and immediately had my first of there 1:1 interviews. This interview was open ended in nature, the interviewer asked me broad, open ended questions about my career goals, strengths and interest to get a general sense of my "inner workings" as a person. We discussed the requirements of a sales role in great detail and I was asked how I would handle several "real world" sales situations. This interviewer was very open and honest about what the position entails and what was expected of potential hires.
The second 1:1 interview was shorter and a little "drier" that the others. I got the impression that the interviewer was tired from flying in as he wasn't very engaging or enthusiastic. This threw me a little bit, as the previous interviewer was very upbeat and enjoyable to speak with. The interviewer for my second session was very direct, asking me specific, practical questions about my qualifications for the job. He also gave a very candid overview of the position, even outlining some "cons" instead of just "pros".
My last 1:1 interview of the day was genuinely one of the best interviews I've ever had. My interviewer was so engaging and impressive that I felt compelled to keep in touch with him regardless of whether or not I received an offer. This particular interview was different in that the questions were borderline philosophical. We sent very little time talking about the actual position--instead, we had a conversation about my passions, goals in life, early childhood influences (yes!) and how a career at Microsoft fits into my overall life plan. I did receive one question that was a bit of a brain teaser--one of those "if a train leaves the station at X time..." questions, which in all honesty, did throw me off a bit because I was previously answering, broad, philosophical questions. I also learned more about the interviewer's role in the company which was not related to the position I was applying for, but honestly fascinating nonetheless. I cannot say enough good things about this particular interviewer; he even gave me candid feedback and insider "tips" at the end of my interview. He also encouraged me to keep in touch.
Not long after my interview, I was actually surprised to receive an email from the recruiter saying that they had chosen to go with another candidate. What was interesting, however, was that immediately after the "rejection" email, I received another from the Microsoft liaison (not the 3rd party recruiter) saying that I was a "very strong" candidate, that they were "impressed with my interview" and that they desired for me to interview for another position in Seattle where I might be a better fit. Although I was grateful for the offer to interview a second time, I declined because I chose to accept an offer with another company I was dealing with that I honestly believed would be the best for me at this point in my career. All in all, I had a very positive experience with Microsoft and I would absolutely interview with the company again in the future.