Microsoft

Software Development Engineer Interview Experience - Seattle, Washington

October 1, 2010

Neutral ExperienceNo Offer

Process

I secured the interview by sending my resume to both Microsoft's official website and my college's career center. This avenue offers numerous interview opportunities, which also means it is very competitive. I interviewed with an HR recruiter who was a nice person and asked both behavioral questions and technical questions. However, I don't believe I answered the behavioral questions well.

Questions

What does the ideal programmer or software developer look like?

If the ideal model has a grade of 10, what will be your grade?

What is the most proficient programming language to you?

What is your ideal job position?

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Interview Statistics

The following metrics were computed from 83 interview experiences for the Microsoft Software Development Engineer role in Seattle, Washington.

Success Rate

23%

Pass Rate

Microsoft's interview process for their Software Development Engineer roles in Seattle, Washington is very selective, failing most engineers who go through it.

Experience Rating

Positive54%

Neutral31%

Negative14%

Candidates reported having very good feelings for Microsoft's Software Development Engineer interview process in Seattle, Washington.

Microsoft Work Experiences

17-year veteran

Software Development Engineer • Former Employee

Seattle, Washington, United States

August 26, 2014

Pros: well-funded and mostly stable industry leader and maker intelligent, good people to work with very good health care free drinks

Cons: * No longer or not industry-leading in most categories. * Projects not always tied to customer results (solutions without problems). * Playing catch-up in cloud computing. * Poor management and leadership. * Company plays on the defensive.

17-year veteran

Software Development Engineer • Former Employee

Seattle, Washington, United States

August 26, 2014

Pros: well-funded and mostly stable industry leader and maker intelligent, good people to work with very good health care free drinks

Cons: * No longer or not industry-leading in most categories. * Projects not always tied to customer results (solutions without problems). * Playing catch-up in cloud computing. * Poor management and leadership. * Company plays on the defensive.

Great Pay, Fierce Competition

Software Development Engineer • Current Employee

Seattle, Washington, United States

Pros: Big company, good location, good salary, I think.

Cons: a fiercely competitive occupation there.

Great Pay, Fierce Competition

Software Development Engineer • Current Employee

Seattle, Washington, United States

Pros: Big company, good location, good salary, I think.

Cons: a fiercely competitive occupation there.

Nice Colleagues, Bad Pay

Software Development Engineer • Current Employee

Seattle, Washington, United States

Pros: Great benefits, great work, nice colleagues, remote-friendly.

Cons: Bad pay, bad work-life balance, slow-moving culture.

Nice Colleagues, Bad Pay

Software Development Engineer • Current Employee

Seattle, Washington, United States

Pros: Great benefits, great work, nice colleagues, remote-friendly.

Cons: Bad pay, bad work-life balance, slow-moving culture.

17-year veteran

Software Development Engineer • Former Employee

Seattle, Washington, United States

August 26, 2014

Pros: well-funded and mostly stable industry leader and maker intelligent, good people to work with very good health care free drinks

Cons: * No longer or not industry-leading in most categories. * Projects not always tied to customer results (solutions without problems). * Playing catch-up in cloud computing. * Poor management and leadership. * Company plays on the defensive.

4.0
17-year veteran
Software Development Engineer • Former Employee
Seattle, Washington, United States
August 26, 2014
Pros: well-funded and mostly stable industry leader and maker intelligent, good people to work with very good health care free drinks
Cons: * No longer or not industry-leading in most categories. * Projects not always tied to customer results (solutions without problems). * Playing catch-up in cloud computing. * Poor management and leadership. * Company plays on the defensive.

Great Pay, Fierce Competition

Software Development Engineer • Current Employee

Seattle, Washington, United States

Pros: Big company, good location, good salary, I think.

Cons: a fiercely competitive occupation there.

5.0
Great Pay, Fierce Competition
Software Development Engineer • Current Employee
Seattle, Washington, United States
March 7, 2013
Pros: Big company, good location, good salary, I think.
Cons: a fiercely competitive occupation there.

Nice Colleagues, Bad Pay

Software Development Engineer • Current Employee

Seattle, Washington, United States

Pros: Great benefits, great work, nice colleagues, remote-friendly.

Cons: Bad pay, bad work-life balance, slow-moving culture.

3.0
Nice Colleagues, Bad Pay
Software Development Engineer • Current Employee
Seattle, Washington, United States
April 13, 2025
Pros: Great benefits, great work, nice colleagues, remote-friendly.
Cons: Bad pay, bad work-life balance, slow-moving culture.

Microsoft Interview Questions

Minimum Edge Reversals So Every Node Is Reachable

You're given a directed graph. Determine the minimum number of edges you need to reverse so that every node becomes reachable from node 0.

GraphsDynamic Programming

Two Sum

Find two numbers in a given array that add up to a specific target value, and return their indices. Essentially, you need to efficiently locate the pair that satisfies the sum requirement.

Valid Word

Determine if a given word is considered valid based on a specific set of rules or constraints. The goal is to check if the input string adheres to the specified validation criteria.

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