Interviewing for a Microsoft Dynamics CRM Solutions Architect or Developer position

Now that I decided to move out and find a new job position as a Microsoft Dynamics CRM Solutions Architect, I encounter some interesting interview experiences and want to pass it along to everyone.

Interview Common Questions

These are the some of the most common interview questions I encounter.
Difference between Plug in and Workflow
Difference between Security Roles and Field Level Security Profile
When you create a Sync plugin or an Async?
When you will use a plugin and when you will use a workflow? Give real-life scenario
How you send and receive Email on CRM? Describe the scenarios for Outlook connection and E-Mail router
What are the services running on Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011?
What type of relationships you can create between 2 entities?
What is the difference between N:N in 2011 and 4.0? when you can recreate a N:N in 2011?
What type of integrations you can use with CRM? SDK, SSIS, other 3rd party applications (Scrybe, Informatica, …)
Can you modify the name for the Root Business Unit?
How do you configure the SharePoint connection with CRM 2011?
What limitations does the sandbox have on plugins on the cloud?
Do you create a WF custom workflow or create a custom workflow action?
When you will use a Option Set and when you will use a Lookup entity?
Demonstrate your Skills

One of the Consulting firms that I interviewed asked me to do a pre-test or present my skills to them; this was not a common request and a little intimidating, however a good opportunity to present the value I will bring to the table when measuring among other candidates

How to be prepared to show your skills:

* Have an Online tenant that you can demonstrate your demo or POC (Proof Of Concept)


Sample 1: Create an Un-manage Solution that you will include your design and the customizations

Sample 2: Create an Entity that you will track information

Sample 3: Create an Entity that you will track all error information and trace details

Sample 4: Create a plugging that will have a sum of the amount of records created on sample 2, every time a Contact/Account is viewed by every User

Sample 5: Demonstrate how to register the plugging using the Registration Tool or by creating a
Developer Toolkit package project

Sample 6: Demonstrate how to debug your plugging using the Registration Tool and Profiling the plugging Context

Sample 7: Demonstrate how to use Web Resources with JQuery, JQuery UI, Json, REST, oData creating a deployment package using the Developer Toolkit

Sample 8: Create views on the entities you created on sample 2 and 3, show the most updated records sorted on created on desc.

Sample 9: Create dashboards and add charts for the information by user, by account and by contact

The last step will be to create a Power Point presentation where you will take the presentation and arrange as a project review process and demonstrate every interaction and details on the solution design.

Be prepare to take questions regarding your design and the solution details, this is the part you need to shine on the presentation.

Interviewed by other developers 

This is where I don’t like the process, but is a good part where you can identify your strong and weak areas.

The developer will ask you for some of these types of questions
o  Customizations questions
o  JavaScript frameworks you have used and some sample on how you use them
o  Plugins and workflows you created and the requirements for the solution
o  What was the most difficult project you worked on and the outcome for the project, (look for a good sample and shine as the team player and contributor for the solution)

  Academic questions, these questions will be more into the Patterns and practices.  I will be adding blogs related to these questions and how they apply to the CRM Development life cycle.

o   Do you know what is the Gang of Four?
o   Do you know what is the SOLID methodology for solution development?
o   How to use Dependency Injection and How can be applied in CRM?
o   How to implement Publisher/Subscriber pattern to a CRM solution?
o   Have you been part of a SCRUM Agile development methodology, and what role you had participated?
o   What is the difference between Agile and Waterfall methodology?

o  Web Development and web methodologies.
o   Have you developed integrations with Web Portals (public, custom or commercial web portals)?
o   ASP.net, WCF, SOAP and REST experience
o   MVC, MVVM, MVP development experience
o  SQL server questions
o   What is the difference between clustered and non-clustered indexes?
o   What’s the difference between an Inner and Left Join?

Know your limitations

This section is not part of the interview process, but most of the time the interviewer will look and ask you for more information about areas or technologies in your resume that you presented as a subject matter expert, I recommend to mention your expertise and also the areas you are not an expert, and areas you would like to learn next.



Hope this will help you get to your next interview.

Abe Saldana