My Microsoft Leap Apprenticeship Program Application and Interview Process for UX design

I wrote about my first week experience in the Microsoft Leap Apprenticeship Program in a previous post. I promised to write a post on the application and interview process to provide some context especially for anyone considering applying when the next cohort opens up. So here it is, in this post, I will talk about the whole process for me, from hearing about it to getting accepted and also a few tips when applying.

About the Leap Program

Leap is a 16-week immersive apprenticeship program that gives people with non-traditional backgrounds the opportunity to enter the TECH space. It comprises of 4 weeks of classroom learning where we get to learn new skills, ramp up our current skills and then 12 weeks of working with a sponsor team on real projects within Microsoft. Each person is considered a Microsoft contractor and is paid hourly.

It was started by William Adams and Chun Lu in 2015. I was excited when I heard about Leap because from my experiences of applying and interviewing for jobs in the TECH space, it can be super hard especially with little to no experience or college degree in the field. Also, there are companies that would not hire bootcamp graduates. Leap focuses on helping people that have made career transitions or…