Software Development Engineer In Test (SDET) Interview Experience - Redmond, Washington
Process
I applied through a campus recruiter, passed a phone interview, and then took a trip to Redmond for an all-day interview. While the people I met seemed nice, the company as a whole rubbed me the wrong way. The phone interview did not feel very welcoming, and after talking to various employees during the on-site interview, I got the feeling that Microsoft was a bit too paranoid.
Developers only got to see fragments of a system at a time (in this case, Windows 8 during its development), and annual performance reviews ensured that, no matter what, a percentage of the lowest performing engineers would be laid off. This was true even if those lowest performing engineers were in fact well above average compared to those at other companies.
None of the interviewers seemed happy with where they were, and they gave off a vibe that conducting an interview was almost not worth their time. The overall environment felt a bit too competitive and hostile for my taste.
I ended up goofing on the on-site interview itself due to nervousness and being intimidated. It was not until a few days after that I realized those emotions were red flags.
Questions
These are pretty standard questions. The first interview is designed to be easy (e.g., Fibonacci sequence). Throughout the day, questions will get more complicated, mostly involving one or more data structures.
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Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 128 interview experiences for the Microsoft Software Development Engineer In Test (SDET) role in Redmond, Washington.
Success Rate
Microsoft's interview process for their Software Development Engineer In Test (SDET) roles in Redmond, Washington is fairly selective, failing a large portion of engineers who go through it.
Experience Rating
Candidates reported having very good feelings for Microsoft's Software Development Engineer In Test (SDET) interview process in Redmond, Washington.
Microsoft Work Experiences
- 1.0Learn good software engineering practices, and then rethink your careerSoftware Development Engineer In Test (SDET) • Former EmployeeRedmond, Washington, United StatesNovember 19, 2012Pros: You will be working with some of the smartest people if you are in the right group here. You will have an opportunity to learn so much about software engineering. Good facilities and perks.Cons: Too big a company and too many re-orgs. It hampers an individual contributor's growth. You will be learning Microsoft technologies a lot. These don't help if you look for opportunities outside Microsoft. You will basically be a person who knows only about Microsoft technologies and nothing about open-source technology stacks. A Microsoft engineer might not be that highly regarded in other big companies simply because of the technologies learned while in Microsoft. Another issue is that you will be as good as your lead projects you in front of everyone else. So if your lead doesn't like you, you are screwed. This lead might not be the one who interviewed you and hired you because of a re-org. So basically, it is something like you interviewed for team A, but when you join, because of re-orgs, you end up working for team B and a totally different person who you did not meet during the interview time. Another thing is SDET careers are not good at all. Anyone who joins as SDET is just wasting their career here.
- 1.0Management culture at MS makes for caustic work environmentsSoftware Development Engineer In Test (SDET) • Current EmployeeRedmond, Washington, United StatesSeptember 8, 2011Pros: Some genuinely interesting technology, and most ICs I work with want to make the best product they can. Great benefits package, pay is average.Cons: Management (in general) can make for some truly caustic work environments, sucking all the joy and morale out of groups. I've seen some talented people in management who strive to improve their groups, but they are the exception, not the rule. Yeah, this sounds cliché, but areas of MS can make Dilbert look prophetic.
- 4.0Good, but has room for improvementsSoftware Development Engineer In Test (SDET) • Current EmployeeRedmond, Washington, United StatesJuly 5, 2012Pros: 1. Has great benefits: health care, trainings, 401k, stock offers. 2. Work/life balance is so much better than startups, Google, or Amazon. 3. In general, career development goals are clear from the management level.Cons: 1. Might have too much process for product design. 2. In general, product design teams are less agile.
Microsoft Interview Questions
