Software Development Engineer Interview Experience - Redmond, Washington
July 27, 2016
Positive ExperienceGot Offer
Process
Participated in an interview event that lasted about half a day.
This involved four rounds of approximately one-hour interviews with short breaks in between.
The questions focused on algorithms and Big-O notation for run-time and space complexity. Many questions were either directly from or similar to those found in "Cracking the Coding Interview."
Key takeaways:
- Ensure you understand the complexity of the code you write or can at least walk through its calculation.
- Practice solving problems from "Cracking the Coding Interview"; this will significantly improve your performance.
Questions
graphs, queues, strings, heaps, and other common algorithms.
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Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 214 interview experiences for the Microsoft Software Development Engineer role in Redmond, Washington.
Success Rate
45%
Pass Rate
Microsoft's interview process for their Software Development Engineer roles in Redmond, Washington is fairly selective, failing a large portion of engineers who go through it.
Experience Rating
Positive75%
Neutral17%
Negative8%
Candidates reported having very good feelings for Microsoft's Software Development Engineer interview process in Redmond, Washington.
Microsoft Work Experiences
5.0
Great place to work
Software Development Engineer • Current Employee
Redmond, Washington, United States
January 17, 2013
Pros: Flexible hours, great pay & benefits.
The management on my team is phenomenal at recognizing the strengths of each individual and giving assignments based on those.
I really like being able to work from home when I need.
Additionally, I haven't been forced to work nights or weekends once in my entire career.
Cons: I don't really like living in Redmond, and there aren't too many opportunities to work in other cities if you are a technical engineer.
4.0
Work, work, work
Software Development Engineer • Former Employee
Redmond, Washington, United States
March 8, 2013
Pros: Good salary. Most software is made here, so it's a playground.
Cons: Have fun competing against others that have no life and work 80+ hours a week. I never saw anyone outside of work; most developers worked like dogs and had few interests outside of work (in my opinion) besides mundane things like cooking and photography.
Basically, you move here, buy your base Toyota Corolla, rent an apartment, and work, work, work. Buy your house, work, work, work.
Also, be prepared to play "Survivor Redmond," build your alliances, etc.
3.0
Why working at MS?
Software Development Engineer • Current Employee
Redmond, Washington, United States
October 31, 2009
Pros: Lots of cool technologies. Many leading products are developed at MS. Some teams value innovation, security, and quality, but not all.
Cons: Crowded place; can get easily lost there.
Incompetent managers.
The review system sucks big time.
The workplace can get very unfriendly because everybody fights for good reviews.
- 5.0Great place to workSoftware Development Engineer • Current EmployeeRedmond, Washington, United StatesJanuary 17, 2013Pros: Flexible hours, great pay & benefits. The management on my team is phenomenal at recognizing the strengths of each individual and giving assignments based on those. I really like being able to work from home when I need. Additionally, I haven't been forced to work nights or weekends once in my entire career.Cons: I don't really like living in Redmond, and there aren't too many opportunities to work in other cities if you are a technical engineer.
- 4.0Work, work, workSoftware Development Engineer • Former EmployeeRedmond, Washington, United StatesMarch 8, 2013Pros: Good salary. Most software is made here, so it's a playground.Cons: Have fun competing against others that have no life and work 80+ hours a week. I never saw anyone outside of work; most developers worked like dogs and had few interests outside of work (in my opinion) besides mundane things like cooking and photography. Basically, you move here, buy your base Toyota Corolla, rent an apartment, and work, work, work. Buy your house, work, work, work. Also, be prepared to play "Survivor Redmond," build your alliances, etc.
- 3.0Why working at MS?Software Development Engineer • Current EmployeeRedmond, Washington, United StatesOctober 31, 2009Pros: Lots of cool technologies. Many leading products are developed at MS. Some teams value innovation, security, and quality, but not all.Cons: Crowded place; can get easily lost there. Incompetent managers. The review system sucks big time. The workplace can get very unfriendly because everybody fights for good reviews.
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