Software Development Engineer II Interview Experience - Redmond, Washington
November 1, 2013
Neutral ExperienceGot Offer
Process
The phone interview was pleasant. The questions were mostly related to previous work, with one on C# and one coding question on array manipulation.
The interviewer provided a detailed description of the team and the projects they are working on, and he gave recommendations to the team manager.
He had intended to use an online tool so I could share my screen for the coding question, but the invite was sent too late. I read out my code to him, and he seemed happy with it.
Questions
What can I do to get you in the door?
Why do you want to leave your current job? Why do you think this is a good place to move to?
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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
61%
Pass 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
Positive63%
Neutral24%
Negative13%
Candidates reported having very good feelings for Microsoft's Software Development Engineer II interview process in Redmond, Washington.
Microsoft Work Experiences
3.0
Good place to work
Software Development Engineer II • Current Employee
Redmond, Washington, United States
March 25, 2009
Pros: 1. Cool technologies to develop.
2. Great impact through technologies.
3. Very smart people to work with.
4. Great benefits.
Cons: 1. On average, slow professional growth.
2. Lack of innovations, given the amount of resources available.
3. Less customer focus.
4. Huge project life cycles.
2.0
Good government job
Software Development Engineer II • Former Employee
Redmond, Washington, United States
September 27, 2013
Pros: - 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.
4.0
Smart people and good work/life balance, but unsure of the future
Software Development Engineer II • Current Employee
Redmond, Washington, United States
October 28, 2013
Pros: I almost never work nights or weekends, and on average work 40 hours or less a week.
On an established team, lower management is usually competent.
Perks and compensation are pretty good.
Hard work is usually (but not always) recognized and rewarded.
Workplace environment is quiet and spacious once you have a few years of seniority.
Microsoft isn't afraid to spend money on its employees, unlike some other rival companies.
Cons: Benefits were tripped a bit recently (mostly medical).
Not much faith in upper management and C-level executives.
As with many companies, visibility and loosely defined "impact and influence" are more important for performance reviews than actual performance.
Performance reviews can be interpreted as opaque, unfair, and subjective.
- 3.0Good place to workSoftware Development Engineer II • Current EmployeeRedmond, Washington, United StatesMarch 25, 2009Pros: 1. Cool technologies to develop. 2. Great impact through technologies. 3. Very smart people to work with. 4. Great benefits.Cons: 1. On average, slow professional growth. 2. Lack of innovations, given the amount of resources available. 3. Less customer focus. 4. Huge project life cycles.
- 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.
- 4.0Smart people and good work/life balance, but unsure of the futureSoftware Development Engineer II • Current EmployeeRedmond, Washington, United StatesOctober 28, 2013Pros: I almost never work nights or weekends, and on average work 40 hours or less a week. On an established team, lower management is usually competent. Perks and compensation are pretty good. Hard work is usually (but not always) recognized and rewarded. Workplace environment is quiet and spacious once you have a few years of seniority. Microsoft isn't afraid to spend money on its employees, unlike some other rival companies.Cons: Benefits were tripped a bit recently (mostly medical). Not much faith in upper management and C-level executives. As with many companies, visibility and loosely defined "impact and influence" are more important for performance reviews than actual performance. Performance reviews can be interpreted as opaque, unfair, and subjective.
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