Software Development Engineer In Test (SDET) Interview Experience - Redmond, Washington
May 1, 2009
Neutral ExperienceGot Offer
Process
When you arrive after numerous phone conversations, they treat you like they've never heard of you. The interview process is a disorganized mess.
Questions are repeated because interviewers are making stuff up on the spot or using questions they found from others or searched on the internet.
Instead of being treated like an individual, you are tossed into a herd of cattle and treated worse than a military recruit on their first day. Most of the process is ad hoc and hurried because they need to meet a goal and a deadline for some checkbox on a review form.
Good luck getting a computer, desk, and other equipment, such as a working phone or chair, in the first 60 days. You will spend the first week at work standing in line or running around campus to deal with HR and hiring requirements for badges, network access, and server access.
There is some sort of mock Zen environment in which asking questions to do a better job or improve quality will cause you to receive strange looks, derision, and generally be asked to go away because you are not on the review checklist.
Questions
What do you do when there is no answer?
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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
2.0
If you wait for your golden retirement years, it's the best place to wait
Software Development Engineer In Test (SDET) • Current Employee
Redmond, Washington, United States
June 25, 2008
Pros: If you want to have a decent place to work and just simply wait for your golden years, and retire peacefully, this is the place to be.
You'll be in a cozy management position with no responsibilities and no accounting for your actions, or on an individual contributor role where you'll be only in meetings and bullshitting others.
They have good benefits, a pretty safe environment, in a lot of ways similar to government jobs.
In short, it's great for people that just want a steady 9 to 5, a relaxed environment, and job security with decent benefits added to the soup.
Cons: Highly political, full of incompetent low and middle managers. Some teams are better, some are worse.
2.0
Watch your back
Software Development Engineer In Test (SDET) • Former Employee
Redmond, Washington, United States
November 30, 2014
Pros: Good health benefits are available for everyone at Microsoft. In the Seattle/Redmond area, you get a health club membership or can opt for $800/year in reimbursed expenses. Need a new bicycle to work out? You can use it for that.
Microsoft has been good on resumes for getting interviews at my new company; however, most experienced Microsoft engineers fail their interviews because the work at Microsoft doesn't prepare them well to get hired outside. You have to prepare yourself.
Cons: Your work at Microsoft prepares you to do your job at Microsoft, not a lot on the outside.
Every year someone would get a bad annual review, which meant everybody was on edge for the rest of the year.
What does that mean? There is incentive for your coworkers to stab you in the back.
Managers don't know much about your daily work, so presentation skills are vital to get the visibility you need to survive.
No matter how much Microsoft wants you to have work-life balance, everyone ends up sacrificing it due to the threat of a bad review.
That doesn't mean your boss wants to skewer you (he/she might; different story), it means everything is tinged with internal competition.
Internal competition is more important than external, because the customers won't fire you, but your boss will.
2.0
Your experience and career growth depends on your lead
Software Development Engineer In Test (SDET) • Current Employee
Redmond, Washington, United States
January 18, 2012
Pros: There are some very smart, passionate people working there.
When you're on a good team, it doesn't seem like work. Employees feel excited and empowered.
The pay and benefits are good, and many people have their own office.
Cons: Your career growth and rewards are highly dependent on how well you get along with your manager, how much they'll fight for you, and how effective they are at working the system. Depending on your organization, there can be a lot of reorgs, and your experience and time at Microsoft account for zero if leadership doesn't know you. Lately, Microsoft has been making sweeping changes, such as "a person must be at X number level to have Y position," despite whether or not individuals have been working in and doing well at Y positions for years. Rather than promote the individual to the new level requirement, they are told they can no longer have that position.
- 2.0If you wait for your golden retirement years, it's the best place to waitSoftware Development Engineer In Test (SDET) • Current EmployeeRedmond, Washington, United StatesJune 25, 2008Pros: If you want to have a decent place to work and just simply wait for your golden years, and retire peacefully, this is the place to be. You'll be in a cozy management position with no responsibilities and no accounting for your actions, or on an individual contributor role where you'll be only in meetings and bullshitting others. They have good benefits, a pretty safe environment, in a lot of ways similar to government jobs. In short, it's great for people that just want a steady 9 to 5, a relaxed environment, and job security with decent benefits added to the soup.Cons: Highly political, full of incompetent low and middle managers. Some teams are better, some are worse.
- 2.0Watch your backSoftware Development Engineer In Test (SDET) • Former EmployeeRedmond, Washington, United StatesNovember 30, 2014Pros: Good health benefits are available for everyone at Microsoft. In the Seattle/Redmond area, you get a health club membership or can opt for $800/year in reimbursed expenses. Need a new bicycle to work out? You can use it for that. Microsoft has been good on resumes for getting interviews at my new company; however, most experienced Microsoft engineers fail their interviews because the work at Microsoft doesn't prepare them well to get hired outside. You have to prepare yourself.Cons: Your work at Microsoft prepares you to do your job at Microsoft, not a lot on the outside. Every year someone would get a bad annual review, which meant everybody was on edge for the rest of the year. What does that mean? There is incentive for your coworkers to stab you in the back. Managers don't know much about your daily work, so presentation skills are vital to get the visibility you need to survive. No matter how much Microsoft wants you to have work-life balance, everyone ends up sacrificing it due to the threat of a bad review. That doesn't mean your boss wants to skewer you (he/she might; different story), it means everything is tinged with internal competition. Internal competition is more important than external, because the customers won't fire you, but your boss will.
- 2.0Your experience and career growth depends on your leadSoftware Development Engineer In Test (SDET) • Current EmployeeRedmond, Washington, United StatesJanuary 18, 2012Pros: There are some very smart, passionate people working there. When you're on a good team, it doesn't seem like work. Employees feel excited and empowered. The pay and benefits are good, and many people have their own office.Cons: Your career growth and rewards are highly dependent on how well you get along with your manager, how much they'll fight for you, and how effective they are at working the system. Depending on your organization, there can be a lot of reorgs, and your experience and time at Microsoft account for zero if leadership doesn't know you. Lately, Microsoft has been making sweeping changes, such as "a person must be at X number level to have Y position," despite whether or not individuals have been working in and doing well at Y positions for years. Rather than promote the individual to the new level requirement, they are told they can no longer have that position.
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