Behavioral Question: Contractor vs Full‑Time Experience at Microsoft

Context

You are in a Software Engineer onsite behavioral round. The interviewer wants to understand the nature of your prior Microsoft experience, the degree of ownership you held, how you were evaluated, and the tangible impact of your work.

Prompt

Were your three years at Microsoft as a contractor? If so, clarify the following:

1. Employment arrangement
   • Contract type (e.g., agency/Vendor, W‑2/1099), duration, and team placement.
2. Level of ownership and autonomy
   • Scope of responsibility, decision rights, on‑call/incident roles, and code ownership.
3. Performance evaluation process
   • Who evaluated you, the cadence (e.g., quarterly/biannual), criteria/OKRs, and outcomes (renewals, bonuses, conversions).
4. Differences from a full‑time employee (FTE)
   • Access/permissions, benefits, ability to lead/approve designs, on‑call eligibility, roadmap influence.
5. Concrete projects and measurable impact
   • Provide 2–3 projects you led, your role, key decisions, and quantified outcomes (e.g., latency reduction, cost savings, reliability, adoption).

If you were not a contractor, state that you were an FTE and still cover items 2, 3, and 5, and briefly note how your FTE role differed from contractors you worked with.