Devanshi Rastogi: Summer Intern at Microsoft India

Devanshi Rastogi, studying in IIT Kanpur as a student in Devanshi Rastogi will do summer internship in Microsoft- Technical Program Manager profile at Microsoft India. Here are some brief insights.

Shortlisted Profiles & Companies:

BCG- Consulting HUL(supply chain) - Techno-managerial Microsoft- Technical Program Manager

Insights on the Selection Process

In BCG, I was asked 2 case questions, one on profitability and another on market-entry. HUL process consisted of 2 rounds. First was a personal video interview on HireView platform where I had to record answers to 2-3 diverse time-bound questions, based on personality, supply chain and fluid mechanics. In the final interview round, they grill you on each point on your resume, testing you on the most miniscule details you’ve mentioned. Microsoft process had 3 rounds (for TPM profile)- One was a product case, wherein we had to submit our presentations on mail. Second and third round(in-person) were a mix of product cases (launch and improvement) and HR questions.

Preparation Resources

1. For consult-prep, I mainly referred the IITB and IIMA casebooks, however they are NOT to be read plainly. Practice them with your friends and specially seniors. 2. For TPM preparation, I personally didn’t find the need to do anything different since it coincided almost wholly with my consult prep. However, if you do not have any prior practice of solving consulting cases, then you should practice cases from product- management-based books and watch product interviews from YouTube.

Advice for students (dos and don’ts)?

1. Prepare a different resume for each target profile. Get them checked by as many seniors as possible (Y21s, Y20s and if possible Y19s also). Keep updating your resumes based on the advice you receive. CV submission is the most important step of this entire process, in my opinion. 2. Do NOT hesitate to contact seniors at all, they are the ones who’ll be able to help you throughout. 3. Be very thorough in each point of your CV and gain in-depth knowledge of the profile you’re preparing for. 4. Make sure you prepare well for HR questions; they are extremely important in deciding whether you’re a good fit for the role and company in general. 5. Be confident and crisp in your responses. Even when you’re not sure of an answer, politely tell the interviewer that you don’t know the answer. 6. One thing that helped me was that I took the learnings of one interview in the next. They maybe tips and insights that the interviewer observed about you or something you realized yourself. This will help you in improving your interview performance drastically.