Software Development Engineer In Test (SDET) Interview Experience - Redmond, Washington
October 1, 2010
Neutral ExperienceNo Offer
Process
The process took one month.
It began with an interview question on campus, followed by a flight to Redmont for an on-site interview. The interview lasted all day, and I interviewed for the IE team, speaking with four different people.
Questions ranged from purely programmatic to puzzles.
I had a one-hour "lunch interview" with a recruiter, which was very awkward. The first two interviews asked me to write code on the board. The third was the lunch one, which was more interested in my ability to test code and come up with creative solutions to problems. The last interview was with the PM and was more behavioral, asking what I thought about Microsoft products.
Questions
How would you test a function that determines if three integers represent the sides of a triangle?
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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
3.0
You drive your own career
Software Development Engineer In Test (SDET) • Former Employee
Redmond, Washington, United States
June 18, 2011
Pros: You must find opportunities to learn from others, and you have the most impact to drive your own career. Nothing comes to you automatically. This is a place where people who take initiative can thrive. People around you are very smart and ambitious. Employees can learn a lot from the right mentor.
Cons: Your experience, performance, and opportunities are heavily determined by your direct manager's support and, indirectly, your skip-level manager. Regardless of whether you do good work or bad, the process is highly political. If you have a bad relationship with your manager, even if it isn't "your fault," you're set up for failure. It is, unfortunately, a prerequisite that you manage this relationship first before your actual work performance, because little else matters if your manager does not go up to bat for you.
For me, I was lucky to have supportive direct managers. For many of my peers, however, I've seen very poor managers, and there is little the system can do to protect employees from bad managers. It's a crap shoot at times.
4.0
A challenging role working with wonderful people
Software Development Engineer In Test (SDET) • Current Employee
Redmond, Washington, United States
July 28, 2014
Pros: The greatest pro of working at Microsoft is the wonderful people. I spend all day with fabulous coworkers and chose to spend my free time with a different group of Microsoft employees. I cannot say enough about the professional support, as well as the personal contacts I've found within Microsoft.
Cons: Cloudy vision for some areas. Satya Nadella seems to have a cohesive vision for a unified Microsoft. There will be some growing pains, but well worth it.
1.0
Management culture at MS makes for caustic work environments
Software Development Engineer In Test (SDET) • Current Employee
Redmond, Washington, United States
September 8, 2011
Pros: 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.
- 3.0You drive your own careerSoftware Development Engineer In Test (SDET) • Former EmployeeRedmond, Washington, United StatesJune 18, 2011Pros: You must find opportunities to learn from others, and you have the most impact to drive your own career. Nothing comes to you automatically. This is a place where people who take initiative can thrive. People around you are very smart and ambitious. Employees can learn a lot from the right mentor.Cons: Your experience, performance, and opportunities are heavily determined by your direct manager's support and, indirectly, your skip-level manager. Regardless of whether you do good work or bad, the process is highly political. If you have a bad relationship with your manager, even if it isn't "your fault," you're set up for failure. It is, unfortunately, a prerequisite that you manage this relationship first before your actual work performance, because little else matters if your manager does not go up to bat for you. For me, I was lucky to have supportive direct managers. For many of my peers, however, I've seen very poor managers, and there is little the system can do to protect employees from bad managers. It's a crap shoot at times.
- 4.0A challenging role working with wonderful peopleSoftware Development Engineer In Test (SDET) • Current EmployeeRedmond, Washington, United StatesJuly 28, 2014Pros: The greatest pro of working at Microsoft is the wonderful people. I spend all day with fabulous coworkers and chose to spend my free time with a different group of Microsoft employees. I cannot say enough about the professional support, as well as the personal contacts I've found within Microsoft.Cons: Cloudy vision for some areas. Satya Nadella seems to have a cohesive vision for a unified Microsoft. There will be some growing pains, but well worth it.
- 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.
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