Software Development Engineer Interview Experience - Redmond, Washington
Process
A friend of mine working at Microsoft sent my resume.
It took one week to hear back by email from a recruiter.
They sent a questionnaire and asked me for 2-3 job IDs for which I thought I was qualified.
This helps recruiters looking to fill a position in case I don't get hired for the one I applied for.
Then it took two weeks before my first phone interview. Be prepared to answer questions like, "Why do you want to work for Microsoft?"
Almost two weeks later, I got my second phone interview, which was more technical. They asked questions like, "How would you do this or that?"
Finally, three weeks later, I had five interviews on-site in Redmond. Be prepared for a lot of coding questions there; they want to see how good you are.
Questions
How could you represent days and months using two six-sided dice?
Was this helpful?
Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 214 interview experiences for the Microsoft Software Development Engineer role in Redmond, Washington.
Success 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
Candidates reported having very good feelings for Microsoft's Software Development Engineer interview process in Redmond, Washington.
Microsoft Work Experiences
- 4.0Overall, great, but be wary of bureaucracySoftware Development Engineer • Former EmployeeRedmond, Washington, United StatesMarch 30, 2017Pros: The people at Microsoft are great. The benefits are outstanding. Seattle is an amazing place to live.Cons: One of the big perks that Microsoft will try to sell you is mobility within the company, but this is not nearly as fluid as the recruiters would have you believe. Rolls within the really interesting teams at Microsoft are highly competitive. It is, however, easy to move around if you just want to try something new and aren't too picky.
- 3.0A Good Place to Start Your CareerSoftware Development Engineer • Former EmployeeRedmond, Washington, United StatesSeptember 27, 2013Pros: - You have great coworkers to learn from. - Good 401K and health benefits.Cons: - Company is cooling down technologically. - Company is losing significant amounts of talent in mid-level and senior bands, while attracting mostly junior people. - Being a very mature company, promotions are seldom. - Work-life balance has vanished as the company is focused on services. - Salaries are not adequately indexed with inflation: after 6 years with Microsoft and 3 level-ups, I received less valuable compensation than a fresh employee out of school with less responsibilities and experience.
- 5.0Fantastic employer with a focus on customers and resultsSoftware Development Engineer • Current EmployeeRedmond, Washington, United StatesJuly 26, 2012Pros: The team is very close-knit, and there are lots of morale events. People work hard and are extremely passionate about what they do. The pay and benefits are very good, and the management strives for high results and driving forward the company's vision. As an intern, the opportunities to meet with senior executives and technical leaders is unparalleled. There is also a passion for quality that I have not seen at other companies that I have worked for.Cons: Work sometimes gets stressful, and sometimes there is not enough collaboration between teams. Products are not marketed well enough. Technically superior products, like Azure, are not market leaders.
Microsoft Interview Questions
