本文讲述了Adit Sheth在经历两次微软面试失败后，通过制定详细的自我提升计划，最终成功获得微软工程师职位的故事。他将失败转化为动力，针对面试中的薄弱环节进行针对性训练，包括数据结构与算法、白板编程、系统设计等。通过刻意练习和清晰的思考，Adit Sheth在第三次面试中脱颖而出，证明了持续努力和自我提升的重要性。

💡Adit Sheth在2016年和2017年两次申请微软工程师职位时被拒，但他并未放弃，而是将失败视为自我提升的契机。

📝为了应对第三次面试，Adit Sheth制定了详细的自我提升计划，包括强化数据结构和算法技能，练习白板编程，学习系统设计，以及提升沟通和决策能力。

🎯在准备过程中，Adit Sheth针对面试中的关键环节进行针对性训练，如在时间限制下练习白板编程，学习清晰、精确地解决大规模设计问题。

✅通过充分准备，Adit Sheth在2018年的面试中表现出色，通过了所有轮次的面试，并获得了理想的职位，证明了持续努力和自我提升的重要性。

🌟Adit Sheth强调，失败并非终点，而是提升自我的机会。重要的是从失败中学习，制定计划，刻意练习，并相信自己。

Adit Sheth was rejected by Microsoft twice, and he turned the rejections into his biggest motivator.The senior software engineer at Microsoft built a self-improvement plan to ace his third application.After deliberate prep, he aced seven interviews and landed the role.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Adit Sheth, a senior software engineer at Microsoft. Business Insider has verified his employment. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

While completing my master's in computer science at the University of Texas at Dallas in 2016, I had an opportunity to interview with Microsoft.

I had a 3.9 GPA and was thrilled to get selected for the final round of an on-site interview.

But I quickly realized that real-world success required more than classroom excellence.

I particularly struggled with whiteboarding: data-structured questions where interviewers check your problem-solving abilities. Candidates need to come up with an optimized algorithm solution — it should work and also get translated into real code.

I wasn't very confident, and I tried my best to provide accurate solutions. They were not up to the mark.

Rejection hit hard. It was a mirror showing me what and where I needed to grow.

After gaining experience at Deloitte for slightly over a year, I applied again to Microsoft in 2017. My ultimate goal was to work with a product-based company.

This time, I was better at writing code, but I still lacked structured thinking under time constraints. I couldn't clearly explain my solutions or optimize them on the fly. I was rejected again.

Each rejection became a lesson. I took it personally — not with frustration, but with intention. I asked for feedback from recruiters and targeted those areas to try to be successful.

Building a self-improvement plan

The third time around, I approached everything with intensity.

The bar was much higher when I applied in 2018. The process demanded in-depth system design, real-world problem solving, and the ability to navigate ambiguity with confidence.

I knew that this was coming and actually built a full self-improvement plan.

I refined my data structures and algorithm skills, practiced whiteboarding under time constraints, and learned how to approach large-scale design problems with clarity and precision.

I also worked on expressing trade-offs, justifying my decisions, and communicating impact.

I remember having seven interviews on-site. It was intense, but this time, I walked in with not just technical readiness but also clarity of thought.

I cleared all the rounds and got a much better offer than I wanted. It was the most validating moment of my career.

See rejection not as a 'wall'

Rejection is not a wall. Take it as an opportunity to improve yourself.

Every time I was rejected, I learned something new about myself. What matters is not whether you failed but whether you followed up with focused effort. You need to identify your weak points and target them.

Build a plan, practice deliberately, and get feedback. Most of all, believe in yourself.

Even if the first few doors don't open, your efforts will compound.

Do you have a story to share about navigating a tech career? Contact this reporter at cmlee@insider.com.