Software Development Engineer Interview Experience - Redmond, Washington
November 1, 2015
Positive ExperienceGot Offer
Process
I had an on-campus interview at college which went really badly, but somehow I was invited to an onsite.
The onsite had four interviews, all of which featured data structures and algorithms questions.
I received an email from the recruiter the next day with the results.
Questions
String and array questions, mostly.
Also a lot of focus on projects and behavioral questions.
There was one design question.
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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
3.0
A Good Place to Start Your Career
Software Development Engineer • Former Employee
Redmond, Washington, United States
September 27, 2013
Pros: - 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.
4.0
Worked on archaic legacy code with really awesome, incredibly smart, passionate, and dedicated people
Software Development Engineer • Former Employee
Redmond, Washington, United States
February 22, 2014
Pros: The people: smart, passionate, interesting.
The perks: events, fitness benefit, Prime Card, Orca Card, pay.
The location: close to Seattle, beautiful campus.
The company: cool new things, also industry staples, tons of opportunities and niches.
Cons: Many older products involve tackling a lot of legacy code and trying to read the minds of developers past. This is conducive to developing highly specialized skills, but not necessarily to more widely applicable technical growth.
5.0
Flexible Work, Uneven Pay
Software Development Engineer • Current Employee
Redmond, Washington, United States
January 21, 2017
Pros: Good health insurance.
Bonus and stock options are good in the long term.
You can plan your office schedule; it's not like a 9-5 job. It is flexible, and the only thing they care about is the work being done on time.
Cons: The lesser middle management will make things more transparent between employees and the leadership team.
Salaries and benefits are not equal among employees at the same level.
- 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.
- 4.0Worked on archaic legacy code with really awesome, incredibly smart, passionate, and dedicated peopleSoftware Development Engineer • Former EmployeeRedmond, Washington, United StatesFebruary 22, 2014Pros: The people: smart, passionate, interesting. The perks: events, fitness benefit, Prime Card, Orca Card, pay. The location: close to Seattle, beautiful campus. The company: cool new things, also industry staples, tons of opportunities and niches.Cons: Many older products involve tackling a lot of legacy code and trying to read the minds of developers past. This is conducive to developing highly specialized skills, but not necessarily to more widely applicable technical growth.
- 5.0Flexible Work, Uneven PaySoftware Development Engineer • Current EmployeeRedmond, Washington, United StatesJanuary 21, 2017Pros: Good health insurance. Bonus and stock options are good in the long term. You can plan your office schedule; it's not like a 9-5 job. It is flexible, and the only thing they care about is the work being done on time.Cons: The lesser middle management will make things more transparent between employees and the leadership team. Salaries and benefits are not equal among employees at the same level.
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