I'm often told that my interview cycle when joining Microsoft was the most challenging I ever faced, easily beating Accenture. I mean every word of it.

I had to go through HR, my future manager, and my future N+2, but also faced a 2-hour panel interview.

To this end, I was asked to prepare a 30-minute presentation describing a project where my contribution made a difference. No more guidance than that: it was not about picking the most successful project, nor the one I was most proud of, but choosing one where my personal contribution could be clearly established.

For the first hour of the panel review, I delivered my presentation and was asked challenging questions by the interviewers (around five of them). They had received the deck beforehand, and it was obvious that all of them had read it in full and prepared thoroughly.

Then we transitioned to the second part, where I was given 10 minutes to prepare for a C-level conversation about 'how to eradicate Windows XP.' The assignment was to structure the topic into a consultative planning conversation whereby I could convince a decision-maker that I understood the stakes and could be the right person to lead such a transformation.

Needless to say, I knew very little about the technical aspects of a WinXP migration, so I built on my consulting background to focus on methodology, team building, phased approach, and risk management.

They were thrilled, but only after having shot dozens of questions at me!

Overall, this was the best hiring experience, not only because I genuinely enjoyed it but also because I got a first-hand feel of what my future job would be. It is worth mentioning that the atmosphere was very friendly.

The project you selected is obviously not the most successful one. Why did you choose it?