Ask yourself, are you the "token external candidate"? I was.

• Applied online and had a recruiter contact me two weeks later for a screening.
• The next step was a 20-minute "informational" call with the hiring manager. This step determines fit and if you should go on to the loop. The call was very positive and friendly with good synergies in my experience.
• VERY poor communication by the recruiter throughout the entire process who handed off the loop scheduling to another team, which took over two weeks to make contact (red flag).
• The loop itself was three interviews, not terribly difficult. Themes included conflict, diversity/inclusion, coach/model/care, and management style. The hiring manager session was extremely light, which was a big red flag. The others seemed to take the process more seriously.
• It took over FOUR WEEKS to hear back after the loop with several update requests (red flag #3).
• I received another offer and simply wanted closer here.

As I suspected early on, they chose an internal candidate. I never had a chance. I was simply the HR-required token external candidate, so this entire process was a sham. Look for the red flags. If you are interviewing for a leadership role, there are probably internal people they are targeting and they just need you for the process charade.

Over eight weeks of mental turmoil for me here. Very disappointed with MSFT. If this was a sneak preview of the culture, I'm glad I didn't sell my soul to be here anyway!

Talk about a time you had to deal with conflict on your team.

What does diversity and inclusion (D&I) mean to you?

Talk about your management style.