I was referred by a friend who had started four months prior. I applied for the CSA position on careers.microsoft.com. Having an internal referral seemed to help me get my foot in the door. Once referred, a recruiter contacted me to ensure my information was up to date and to offer assistance if there were other jobs for which I'd like to apply.

Soon thereafter, the hiring manager contacted me to chat about the position and to confirm I was still interested. He also mentioned another position that was similar but not yet posted. I was interested in both positions after the conversation.

A couple of weeks later, I spoke with an interview scheduler who wanted to confirm my availability for an upcoming Friday. They were planning to conduct the interview at their regional office, which is about three hours from my home. I was available, and they said they would get back to me in a day or two. About a week passed until I heard back that they had decided to hold the interviews in my city after all. I was scheduled for an interview on a Friday in late April.

I arrived for the interview early, wearing a suit with no tie. All the posts I'd read suggested that they don't care a whole lot about what you wear, but to dress nicely and be comfortable. I did not feel underdressed during the process, and I was more comfortable sans tie.

I met with four individuals, including the hiring manager, a technical resource, a sales representative, and another individual. My last interviewer told me to wait around because the hiring manager wanted to speak with me again. I think some wires were crossed because I waited forty-five minutes and was about to leave when I happened to see the hiring manager in the hall and was able to ask him if he still wanted to chat. He seemed surprised but obliged, and we talked for a bit longer. They were all obviously interested in discussing the two roles (one of which I had formally applied for and one that was not "yet" posted). Overall, I had a really good feeling about it all and was optimistic that I would hear back from them with good news. After all, I had essentially interviewed for two positions at once, and all feedback so far was great.

I was told at the start of this process that I'd hear back from the recruiter(s) within ten business days after the interviews, one way or another. I had two contacts who were given to me earlier and expected to hear from one of them. After seven days, I was getting a bit impatient and reached out via email. I did not hear back, which was fine since I still had a few days to go. I emailed the recruiters periodically over the next two to three weeks. The two recruiters did not get back to me, but the interview scheduler was responsive and was working on my behalf to get the recruiters to call me. I appreciated her very much during this process.

Four weeks after the interview, I had still not heard back from anyone. I was getting a little frustrated by this time and decided it wouldn't hurt to contact the hiring manager directly. We had talked on the phone and emailed before the interview, so I didn't feel like this was a huge breach of protocol. I emailed the hiring manager and the recruiters separately on the same day, for what I assumed would be the last time. I didn't plan on drawing the process out any further at this time.

I heard back from the recruiter the next day with his sincerest apologies for how long this had taken. He scheduled a phone call to discuss my interview and application process for the next day. We had the phone call, and it was helpful, but he was unable to tell me if I was moving forward or not. He told me all the feedback was positive and that he was going to reach out to the hiring manager to get more information.

The next morning, the hiring manager emailed me back, apologizing as well for the slow turnaround, but he alluded to the recruiting team dropping the ball. He asked if I wanted to have a phone call later that day or the next morning. I emailed him back immediately, stating I was free after one o'clock that day or could open up my morning the next day. I never heard back from him.

I reached out to the recruiter a week later since he had still not contacted me as promised. No reply. I reached out to the hiring manager one last time three weeks later to no avail.

A few days ago (two and a half months since my interview), the friend who originally referred me contacted me to tell me he had just heard the position was filled by an internal candidate. By this time, I was just glad to get some closure.

Overall, leading up to and including the interview was very positive. After the interview, the lack of feedback and letting me hang in the wind was pretty unprofessional, especially since they stated several times that I'd hear back either way. Thankfully, I am employed. I would be very upset had I continued to hold out hope for this position while between jobs.

Could you walk me through and draw out a sketch of a recent architecture project you completed?