Software Development Engineer Interview Experience - Sydney, Australia
June 1, 2016
Positive ExperienceNo Offer
Process
I applied through a recruiter at a careers fair at my university. A week after applying, I got an on-campus interview.
The interview was 30 minutes long, and the person interviewing me was very polite.
He didn't ask me any behavioral questions; we jumped straight into the interview questions.
I got a chance to ask questions at the end.
The interviewer was not very concerned with syntax but more with my ability to solve the problem.
Questions
You are given a 2D array of characters, as well as a list of words. Your job is to find all of the words that occur in this 2D array. Words can be formed by moving in all directions (diagonal included).
You are allowed to pre-process the words however you like.
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Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 13 interview experiences for the Microsoft Software Development Engineer role in Sydney, Australia.
Success Rate
46%
Pass Rate
Microsoft's interview process for their Software Development Engineer roles in Sydney, Australia is fairly selective, failing a large portion of engineers who go through it.
Experience Rating
Positive85%
Neutral15%
Negative0%
Candidates reported having very good feelings for Microsoft's Software Development Engineer interview process in Sydney, Australia.
Microsoft Work Experiences
5.0
Microsoft really values the interns
Software Development Engineer • Former Employee
Redmond, Washington, United States
October 24, 2013
Pros: As a giant tech company, Microsoft really values its interns and sincerely tries to keep them as full-time employees. They hold a lot of events and provide good opportunities for interns to experience life working at Microsoft.
Cons: Sometimes you feel that you are only a tiny part of your project.
The promotion in such a big company is also slow. You get a promotion every two or three years, and that is it. You can hardly get a chance to become a manager in 5 years. But I think it is the normal case in big companies.
4.0
A good place to learn and profit elsewhere
Software Development Engineer • Current Employee
Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
January 6, 2012
Pros: You'll learn a lot, especially from the technical area. There are a lot of challenging tasks, and the level of expected quality is quite high.
They also really expect you to deliver by the deadline, so pressure is high, but it might push you above your limit. If you want to learn, there are a handful of resources and smart people to learn from.
Also, engineers get a lot of freedom in how they accomplish their goals; it's mostly delivering them that counts, not the path you select.
Cons: It’s mostly delivering that counts, so some people don't care that much about quality.
There doesn't seem to be a good mechanism for (technical) quality validation.
Again, this is a very large company, and things probably look different in other teams, especially in states where they do all the really important stuff.
There is also this weird culture, where people are mostly concerned about who will look bad on their year-end review and not taking any risks to help others if it might make them look bad.
4.0
Great place to work
Software Development Engineer • Current Employee
Hyderābād, Telangana, India
June 3, 2018
Pros: It's a very energetic place to work in.
Cons: There are no major cons.
- 5.0Microsoft really values the internsSoftware Development Engineer • Former EmployeeRedmond, Washington, United StatesOctober 24, 2013Pros: As a giant tech company, Microsoft really values its interns and sincerely tries to keep them as full-time employees. They hold a lot of events and provide good opportunities for interns to experience life working at Microsoft.Cons: Sometimes you feel that you are only a tiny part of your project. The promotion in such a big company is also slow. You get a promotion every two or three years, and that is it. You can hardly get a chance to become a manager in 5 years. But I think it is the normal case in big companies.
- 4.0A good place to learn and profit elsewhereSoftware Development Engineer • Current EmployeeDublin, Dublin, IrelandJanuary 6, 2012Pros: You'll learn a lot, especially from the technical area. There are a lot of challenging tasks, and the level of expected quality is quite high. They also really expect you to deliver by the deadline, so pressure is high, but it might push you above your limit. If you want to learn, there are a handful of resources and smart people to learn from. Also, engineers get a lot of freedom in how they accomplish their goals; it's mostly delivering them that counts, not the path you select.Cons: It’s mostly delivering that counts, so some people don't care that much about quality. There doesn't seem to be a good mechanism for (technical) quality validation. Again, this is a very large company, and things probably look different in other teams, especially in states where they do all the really important stuff. There is also this weird culture, where people are mostly concerned about who will look bad on their year-end review and not taking any risks to help others if it might make them look bad.
- 4.0Great place to workSoftware Development Engineer • Current EmployeeHyderābād, Telangana, IndiaJune 3, 2018Pros: It's a very energetic place to work in.Cons: There are no major cons.
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