Software Development Engineer In Test (SDET) Interview Experience - Redmond, Washington
June 1, 2008
Positive ExperienceGot Offer
Process
Initially, I had been working on the team I was applying for as a contractor. A full-time position opened up, and the team asked me if I'd be interested in taking it. The interview process consisted of four 1:1s and a lot of whiteboard questions.
Questions
I was asked to write a method that takes an integer as an input parameter and returns a string as the output variable. The string's value was to be the written format of the integer.
For example, if the input was "1,550,225", the output was "One million, five hundred and fifty thousand, two hundred and twenty-five."
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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
49%
Pass 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
Positive66%
Neutral23%
Negative12%
Candidates reported having very good feelings for Microsoft's Software Development Engineer In Test (SDET) interview process in Redmond, Washington.
Microsoft Work Experiences
4.0
Great Team, Corporate Bureaucracy
Software Development Engineer In Test (SDET) • Former Employee
Redmond, Washington, United States
August 27, 2015
Pros: I was lucky enough to mainly work with really good, hardworking people. The managers that I reported to directly were very cool, and when I showed that I wanted more responsibility, they had no trouble trusting me and gave it to me with little oversight aside from key milestones, etc.
Cons: It is a massive global corporation, which means there is no real heart when it comes to the big decisions to cut or to keep.
Also, all too often upper management is pushing to get things done that can't get done, at least not well. That goes against my drive to do things correctly.
It is exceedingly difficult to go from contractor to FTE.
3.0
Microsoft - some good and some bad
Software Development Engineer In Test (SDET) • Current Employee
Redmond, Washington, United States
August 31, 2010
Pros: The work environment is wonderful, with lots of perks like access to on-campus training, books and journals, and lectures.
The people are great, friendly, highly intelligent, skilled, energetic, and enthusiastic.
Cons: There is a great deal of pressure to conform and go along to get along.
The boys' club is alive and well, and women don't seem to do well in their careers.
For women engineers, promotions are slower, and raises and bonuses are smaller.
4.0
Smart Team, Pigeonholed Role
Software Development Engineer In Test (SDET) • Former Employee
Redmond, Washington, United States
September 8, 2014
Pros: Work with smart people.
Flexible work hours.
Good salary and benefits.
Good work-life balance.
They supported me going back to school part-time to further my education.
Lots of interesting products to work on.
Cons: Easily get pigeon-holed into doing the same thing. It's hard to move around and expand to new areas.
There's a mixed bag of managers: some good, some bad.
Performance reviews are few and far between. The end-of-year results, which determine bonus, salary, and promotions, did not always reflect the feedback I had received from my managers throughout the year.
- 4.0Great Team, Corporate BureaucracySoftware Development Engineer In Test (SDET) • Former EmployeeRedmond, Washington, United StatesAugust 27, 2015Pros: I was lucky enough to mainly work with really good, hardworking people. The managers that I reported to directly were very cool, and when I showed that I wanted more responsibility, they had no trouble trusting me and gave it to me with little oversight aside from key milestones, etc.Cons: It is a massive global corporation, which means there is no real heart when it comes to the big decisions to cut or to keep. Also, all too often upper management is pushing to get things done that can't get done, at least not well. That goes against my drive to do things correctly. It is exceedingly difficult to go from contractor to FTE.
- 3.0Microsoft - some good and some badSoftware Development Engineer In Test (SDET) • Current EmployeeRedmond, Washington, United StatesAugust 31, 2010Pros: The work environment is wonderful, with lots of perks like access to on-campus training, books and journals, and lectures. The people are great, friendly, highly intelligent, skilled, energetic, and enthusiastic.Cons: There is a great deal of pressure to conform and go along to get along. The boys' club is alive and well, and women don't seem to do well in their careers. For women engineers, promotions are slower, and raises and bonuses are smaller.
- 4.0Smart Team, Pigeonholed RoleSoftware Development Engineer In Test (SDET) • Former EmployeeRedmond, Washington, United StatesSeptember 8, 2014Pros: Work with smart people. Flexible work hours. Good salary and benefits. Good work-life balance. They supported me going back to school part-time to further my education. Lots of interesting products to work on.Cons: Easily get pigeon-holed into doing the same thing. It's hard to move around and expand to new areas. There's a mixed bag of managers: some good, some bad. Performance reviews are few and far between. The end-of-year results, which determine bonus, salary, and promotions, did not always reflect the feedback I had received from my managers throughout the year.
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