🛣️ Roadmap to Get Placed at Microsoft

📘 Table of Contents
1.​ Hiring Process at Microsoft​

2.​ Phase 1: Build Strong Fundamentals (3–4 Months)​

3.​ Phase 2: DSA Mastery & Problem Solving (4–6 Months)​

4.​ Phase 3: Development & Projects (2–3 Months)​

5.​ Phase 4: Resume, LinkedIn & GitHub (Ongoing)​

6.​ Phase 5: Interview Prep & Strategy (2–3 Months)​

7.​ Bonus Tips​

🔍 Hiring Process at Microsoft

Stage What to Expect

Online Assessment 2–3 medium/hard coding problems + CS MCQs (OOP, DBMS,

OS)

Technical Rounds 2–3 live DSA questions + low-level/system design (for L3+)

Hiring Manager Deep dive on your projects, role fit, and collaboration style
Round

HR Round Culture-fit, behavioral questions, compensation discussion

🚀 Phase 1: Build Strong Fundamentals (3–4 Months)​

Focus:​
Lay your CS groundwork—syntax, core concepts, and theory in your chosen language.

Topics to Cover:

●​ Data Structures: Arrays, Linked Lists, Stacks, Queues, HashMaps, Heaps, Trees,
Graphs, Tries​

●​ Algorithms: Sorting (Merge, Quick, Heap), Searching (Binary Search), Recursion,

Greedy, Backtracking, Dynamic Programming​

●​ Object-Oriented Programming (OOP): Classes, Objects, Inheritance, Polymorphism,

Encapsulation, Abstraction​
 ●​ Operating Systems: Processes & Threads, Scheduling Algorithms, Deadlock,
Memory Management​

●​ Databases (DBMS): SQL Queries & Joins, Normalization, Transactions, Indexing​

●​ Computer Networks: TCP/IP, HTTP/HTTPS, DNS, OSI Model, Firewalls, Load

Balancing​

Resources:

●​ Video Tutorials: Gate Smashers, Neso Academy, Jenny’s Lectures​

●​ Online Courses: CS50x (Harvard), Microsoft Learn (Fundamentals), Coding Ninjas

(Java/C++)​

●​ Books:​

○​ Cracking the Coding Interview – Gayle Laakmann McDowell​

○​ Operating System Concepts – Silberschatz Galvin​

○​ Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach – Kurose Ross​

●​ Practice Platforms: HackerRank – 30 Days of Code, LeetCode (Easy),

GeeksforGeeks​

Action Step:​
Watch 1–2 topic videos daily, then solve 3–5 related coding/theory problems in your chosen
language.

📍 Phase 2: DSA Mastery & Problem Solving (4–6 Months)​

Focus:​
Become fluent in solving medium-to-hard DSA problems under time pressure.

Topics to Cover:

●​ Arrays & Strings: Two Pointers, Sliding Window, Prefix Sum, Kadane’s​

●​ Linked Lists: Reverse, Merge, Cycle Detection​

●​ Stacks & Queues: Monotonic Stack, Min-Stack, LRU Cache​

●​ Trees & Binary Trees: DFS/BFS, Traversals, BST Ops, Diameter​

●​ Graphs: DFS/BFS, Topological Sort, Dijkstra’s, Union-Find​

 ●​ Heaps & Tries: Priority Queue, Trie Autocomplete​

●​ Recursion & Backtracking: Permutations, Subsets, N-Queens​

●​ Dynamic Programming: 1D/2D DP, Memoization, Knapsack, LIS, LCS​

●​ Greedy & Bit Manipulation​

Resources:

●​ YouTube Playlists: Striver’s DSA Sheet, NeetCode 150​

●​ Practice Sheets: Striver’s A2Z DSA, Love Babbar 450, LeetCode “Microsoft” tag​

●​ Online Judges: LeetCode, InterviewBit, Codeforces (contests)​

●​ Books (Optional): Elements of Programming Interviews, CLRS​

Action Step:​
Solve 2–3 problems/day. Cycle through topics each week. Log solutions on GitHub and
track your LeetCode streak.

🧠 Phase 3: Development & Projects (2–3 Months)​

Focus:​
Build real-world applications to showcase coding style, architecture, and collaboration.

Tracks & Tech Stacks:

●​ Web Dev: HTML/CSS, JavaScript/TypeScript, React.js, Node.js, MongoDB​

●​ App Dev: Flutter or Kotlin/Swift​

●​ ML: Python, pandas, scikit-learn, TensorFlow​

●​ Microsoft Stack: C#, .NET Core, Azure Functions, Azure Cosmos DB​

Project Ideas:

●​ Task Manager with user auth & Azure backend​

●​ File Explorer UI Clone (React + Electron)​

●​ Real-time Chat App (Socket.io + Firebase)​

●​ Azure-Hosted Todo App with Serverless Functions​

Resources:

●​ Courses & Docs: freeCodeCamp Full-Stack, The Odin Project, Microsoft Learn
(Azure)​

●​ YouTube: JavaScript Mastery, Fireship, CodeWithHarry​

●​ Hosting/CI: GitHub + Actions, Netlify/Vercel, Firebase, Azure Web Apps​

Action Step:​
Complete 2–3 medium-scope projects. Host each live, write detailed READMEs
(screenshots, tech, setup), and link code on your resume/GitHub.

🧱 Phase 4: Resume, LinkedIn & GitHub (Ongoing)​

Focus:​
Craft a compelling profile to get interviews and referrals.

Resume Guidelines:

●​ One page, action-oriented bullets (“Reduced API latency by 30%...”)​

●​ Sections: Education, Skills, Projects (with links), DSA stats, Internships​

LinkedIn Optimization:

●​ Strong headline (e.g. “SDE Aspirant | C# | DSA Enthusiast”)​

●​ About section: your story, strengths, goals​

●​ Regular posts: project demos, milestones​

●​ Network: connect with Microsoft engineers & recruiters​

GitHub Strategy:

●​ Pin top 4–6 repos with detailed READMEs​

●​ Meaningful commit history & a consistent activity graph​

●​ Showcase CI/CD (GitHub Actions or Azure Pipelines)​

Action Step:​
Update resume monthly; post project updates on LinkedIn; keep GitHub fresh after each
project.
💻 Phase 5: Interview Prep & Strategy (2–3 Months)​
Focus:​
Polish coding reflexes, system design intuition, and behavioral storytelling.

Interview Structure:

1.​ Online Assessment: DSA + MCQs​

2.​ Technical Rounds: Live coding + Low-Level/System Design (for L3+)​

3.​ Hiring Manager Round: Project deep dive + teamwork​

4.​ HR Round: Behavioral & offer negotiation​

Prep Areas:

●​ Coding: 2–3 LeetCode medium/hard per session​

●​ System Design: Grokking the System Design Interview, Designing Data-Intensive

Apps​

●​ Behavioral: STAR method; rehearse core “Tell me about a time…” stories​

●​ Mock Interviews: Pramp, Interviewing.io, Exponent​

Action Step:​
Schedule 3–4 mock interviews weekly. Record, review, and refine. Write & polish 10 key
STAR stories.

🎁 Bonus Tips:
●​ Learn C#/.NET basics & Azure fundamentals to stand out.​

●​ Write clean, readable code in interview sessions.​

●​ Seek employee referrals on LinkedIn.​

●​ Be consistent: 6–12 months of steady effort is normal.​

●​ Practice whiteboard/mock environment for your coding rounds.​