Software Development Engineer II Interview Experience - Redmond, Washington
Process
I was contacted by a recruiter from Microsoft, who found my profile on LinkedIn.
He sent me an online test to take, which I passed.
Then his colleagues scheduled the on-site interview in Redmond, Washington.
The interviews went well. I had a good rapport with the four interviewers.
Each interview consisted of a few minutes of informational questions, followed by a coding question that you had to do on a whiteboard.
I answered all but one of the coding questions correctly, as far as I could tell.
No matter how much you prepare, a lot of it comes down to luck. You never know how much a question can stump you, even if the interviewer is helping you.
I did study and practice some questions before the interview, but I can't say that it really made much difference.
Questions
I was asked a question about hashing that required a clever solution using bit shifting.
I think the interviewer may have realized that it was too hard to give candidates a chance to demonstrate their skills.
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Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 38 interview experiences for the Microsoft Software Development Engineer II role in Redmond, Washington.
Success Rate
Microsoft's interview process for their Software Development Engineer II roles in Redmond, Washington is on the easier side as most engineers get an offer after going through it.
Experience Rating
Candidates reported having very good feelings for Microsoft's Software Development Engineer II interview process in Redmond, Washington.
Microsoft Work Experiences
- 4.0It's been a great experienceSoftware Development Engineer II • Current EmployeeRedmond, Washington, United StatesSeptember 14, 2011Pros: Get to work mostly on what I want. Microsoft paid for all my tuition for my computer science degree. Satisfied with promotion rate. Get to work with really smart people.Cons: Performance reviews are based on a curve; they have you competing against individuals on your own team as well as the org you're in. So, it's sort of a dog-eat-dog world.
- 4.0Internal transfer and Re-OrgSoftware Development Engineer II • Current EmployeeRedmond, Washington, United StatesJune 7, 2015Pros: Nice place to work. Once you start working as an FTE at Microsoft, it's very hard to leave and work for other companies. I love working at Microsoft. * Benefits are great * Salary is greatCons: - Internal transfers (except for company re-organizations) are based on network. If a manager moves to a new team, most people under them also move to that team. If you don't have a network, it's very difficult to get a new job on another team. - If you are non-Asian or non-Indian, it's very difficult to get a job on another team. - Managers often form teams with people from the same ethnic group. If the manager is Asian, you'll see most people reporting to them are Asian, and the same applies to Indians. - Due to re-organizations, you may end up joining a team that you have no passion for and no interest in. - It's strange that for re-organizations, there's no interview to transfer into a new team, but if you want to find a new job yourself, there is an interview (some teams still require a 4-5 person loop).
- 2.0Good government jobSoftware Development Engineer II • Former EmployeeRedmond, Washington, United StatesSeptember 27, 2013Pros: - Good salary and benefits. - Good opportunity to learn about how large-scale software is built. - Puget Sound is a great place to live, very green, with beautiful lakes around. - Good opportunity to learn about code written during the "glory days" that shaped today's history of computing.Cons: - Very political. - Unskilled people all over the place, which can be frustrating at times. - Overall, people have low morale.
Microsoft Interview Questions
