Software Development Engineer Interview Experience
December 15, 2014
Neutral ExperienceNo Offer
Process
I reached out to them via a campus recruiter.
I heard back quickly and scheduled a quick phone call interview, which was mostly behavioral. They asked a few basic questions, such as heap vs. stack and Java vs. C++.
I heard back a month later that they were not interested.
Questions
I was asked how many bits were needed to represent 100,000 in binary.
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Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 634 interview experiences for the Microsoft Software Development Engineer role in United States.
Success Rate
29%
Pass Rate
Microsoft's interview process for their Software Development Engineer roles in the United States is very selective, failing most engineers who go through it.
Experience Rating
Positive57%
Neutral32%
Negative11%
Candidates reported having very good feelings for Microsoft's Software Development Engineer interview process in United States.
Microsoft Work Experiences
5.0
Great Learning, Slow Growth
Software Development Engineer • Former Employee
Hyderābād, Telangana, India
October 27, 2016
Pros: Good learning experience.
Very good mentor.
Worked on a wide range of technologies.
Good exposure to the IT industry.
Positive experience.
Good projects for interns.
Optimistic employees.
Cons: Limited technologies. Escalating in our career is difficult. It feels like there isn't a lot of growth once you become an SDE. Little scope for improvement and getting into higher positions.
4.0
Good if you don't mind big company politics
Software Development Engineer • Former Employee
Redmond, Washington, United States
December 24, 2008
Pros: Lots of teams, some of which are filled with talented people and doing really interesting work.
Very good benefits and respectable base compensation for the industry.
Definitely a company built by engineers, so you get treated with respect as an IC. Direct technical managers are usually very good.
Cons: Big company bureaucracy and politics.
Upper management is frequently out of touch and doesn't communicate well on product direction.
4.0
Smart Colleagues, Boring Work
Software Development Engineer • Former Employee
Redmond, Washington, United States
October 6, 2015
Pros: Good benefits, not too stressful, and lots of events.
There are lots of smart people working at Microsoft, and everyone is willing to help.
Cons: Boring work if you are far down the chain. Only Microsoft Research gets to work on the interesting projects; most other people work on maintaining what is already there.
- 5.0Great Learning, Slow GrowthSoftware Development Engineer • Former EmployeeHyderābād, Telangana, IndiaOctober 27, 2016Pros: Good learning experience. Very good mentor. Worked on a wide range of technologies. Good exposure to the IT industry. Positive experience. Good projects for interns. Optimistic employees.Cons: Limited technologies. Escalating in our career is difficult. It feels like there isn't a lot of growth once you become an SDE. Little scope for improvement and getting into higher positions.
- 4.0Good if you don't mind big company politicsSoftware Development Engineer • Former EmployeeRedmond, Washington, United StatesDecember 24, 2008Pros: Lots of teams, some of which are filled with talented people and doing really interesting work. Very good benefits and respectable base compensation for the industry. Definitely a company built by engineers, so you get treated with respect as an IC. Direct technical managers are usually very good.Cons: Big company bureaucracy and politics. Upper management is frequently out of touch and doesn't communicate well on product direction.
- 4.0Smart Colleagues, Boring WorkSoftware Development Engineer • Former EmployeeRedmond, Washington, United StatesOctober 6, 2015Pros: Good benefits, not too stressful, and lots of events. There are lots of smart people working at Microsoft, and everyone is willing to help.Cons: Boring work if you are far down the chain. Only Microsoft Research gets to work on the interesting projects; most other people work on maintaining what is already there.
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