My last internship in college involved working on thermostat systems for Honeywell with a bunch of people who had been there their entire professional careers. I didn't have much interest in becoming a lifer and ended up interviewing with a couple other companies, including Microsoft.
I interviewed for a Program Management position in the Visual Studio group. My first interview was with the Design Manager for the VS product line. Her final question for me was about building an effective temperature control system for a new house. I launched into a 5 minute analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of a wide range of HVAC systems, obvious ramifications from open floor plans, and so on.
A month later, we sat down for lunch as co-employees for the first time, and I told her the whole story. She got a big laugh out of it. I guess she didn't realize that's what I'd spent the last few months working on.
I interviewed for a Program Management position in the Visual Studio group. My first interview was with the Design Manager for the VS product line. Her final question for me was about building an effective temperature control system for a new house. I launched into a 5 minute analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of a wide range of HVAC systems, obvious ramifications from open floor plans, and so on.
A month later, we sat down for lunch as co-employees for the first time, and I told her the whole story. She got a big laugh out of it. I guess she didn't realize that's what I'd spent the last few months working on.