Microsoft 365 Administrator Interview Questions UK: 8 Real Questions and What Interviewers Want

Before your Microsoft 365 Administrator interview, it helps to see the questions from the interviewer's side. We have picked eight from our set of 12 and added the reason each one gets asked.

Eight Microsoft 365 Administrator interview questions, and what the interviewer is thinking

1. What does a Microsoft 365 Administrator do on a day-to-day basis, and why does the role appeal to you?

Why they ask: They want to check you understand the breadth of the tenant and the balance of support and governance.

2. What are SPF, DKIM and DMARC, and how would you set them up so your organisation's email is trusted and spoofing is reduced?

Why they ask: Email authentication is a core Exchange Online responsibility with real security and deliverability impact.

3. A user says they never received an important email from an external supplier. How do you investigate?

Why they ask: Message tracing is a daily task for an administrator and tests your logical approach.

4. How would you manage Microsoft 365 licensing efficiently, and what is the difference between plans such as Business Premium, E3 and E5?

Why they ask: Licences are a major cost, so they want to see practical, cost-aware administration.

5. How would you control external sharing and permissions in SharePoint Online and OneDrive without blocking collaboration?

Why they ask: Data leakage through oversharing is a major risk, so they test governance understanding.

6. A line manager asks you for access to a leaver's mailbox and OneDrive straight away. How do you handle it?

Why they ask: This tests your handling of privacy, authorisation and process in a common request.

7. How would you set up governance for Microsoft Teams so it does not become a sprawl of duplicate and abandoned teams?

Why they ask: Teams sprawl is a typical administration problem, and they want to see structured policy thinking.

8. Tell me about a time you rolled out a new Microsoft 365 service or feature, such as Teams or multi-factor authentication, to a whole organisation.

Why they ask: They want to see change planning, communication and handling resistance, not just configuration.

A sample answer to question 1

What does a Microsoft 365 Administrator do on a day-to-day basis, and why does the role appeal to you?

Day to day I would manage users and licences through the Microsoft 365 admin centre and PowerShell, look after Exchange Online mailboxes, shared mailboxes and mail flow rules, support Teams and SharePoint, and review the secure score and Defender alerts. I would handle escalations from the service desk, run joiner, mover and leaver processes, and keep an eye on the Message Center for upcoming changes, as Microsoft changes things constantly and I need to warn users and update guidance. Beyond tickets, I would work on governance, such as conditional access, retention, sharing policies and licence optimisation. The role appeals to me because it sits where technology and people meet: almost every colleague uses it, so small improvements have a wide impact. I also enjoy that it demands continuous learning, and that good administration prevents problems rather than just reacting to them.

Common mistake to avoid: Describing it as only password resets; Ignoring change monitoring

Want the rest?

Full model answers, key points and common mistakes for all 12 questions are on the Microsoft 365 Administrator interview questions page. The first five are free, no sign-up needed.