Microsoft

Software Development Engineer Interview Experience

June 1, 2009

Positive ExperienceGot Offer

Process

I was working in Pakistan when I heard Microsoft was recruiting from there. After submitting my application, I heard back from a recruiter who asked general questions about my interest in joining Microsoft.

Following that, I scheduled a phone screen. The questions were all technical and not overly difficult.

After the phone screen, I was invited for an onsite interview. I had three interviews and got the impression I had been rejected.

I was surprised to hear back from the recruiter with an offer. I didn't have much leverage to negotiate.

Questions

Design a logging system for a distributed application.

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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

Steady but slowly changing

Software Development Engineer • Current Employee

Redmond, Washington, United States

Pros: Good benefit, well-balanced work-life.

Cons: Lost 10 years and more under not-so-well-directed management.

Steady but slowly changing

Software Development Engineer • Current Employee

Redmond, Washington, United States

Pros: Good benefit, well-balanced work-life.

Cons: Lost 10 years and more under not-so-well-directed management.

Great Pay, Unrealistic Expectations

Software Development Engineer • Current Employee

Redmond, Washington, United States

Pros: Pay is great, benefits are good.

Cons: Expectations are unrealistic, and out-of-country workers are hard to work with. HR is incompetent. Newcomers will be expected to climb the ladder, but reorgs will get in the way, as will people sticking to only doing things the old ways. You'll be asked to drive and come up with ideas, but having to deal with team projects will get in the way of actually accomplishing anything.

Great Pay, Unrealistic Expectations

Software Development Engineer • Current Employee

Redmond, Washington, United States

Pros: Pay is great, benefits are good.

Cons: Expectations are unrealistic, and out-of-country workers are hard to work with. HR is incompetent. Newcomers will be expected to climb the ladder, but reorgs will get in the way, as will people sticking to only doing things the old ways. You'll be asked to drive and come up with ideas, but having to deal with team projects will get in the way of actually accomplishing anything.

Like a thousand small companies

Software Development Engineer • Current Employee

December 22, 2009

Pros: * Diverse range of work; can move if bored. * Doing some cutting-edge stuff. * Great benefits and good compensation. * Generally treats employees well.

Cons: Experience is totally dependent on the team. Each has its own way of operating. Hiring bar went down a little bit during the boom years, so there is some chaff in pockets.

Like a thousand small companies

Software Development Engineer • Current Employee

December 22, 2009

Pros: * Diverse range of work; can move if bored. * Doing some cutting-edge stuff. * Great benefits and good compensation. * Generally treats employees well.

Cons: Experience is totally dependent on the team. Each has its own way of operating. Hiring bar went down a little bit during the boom years, so there is some chaff in pockets.

Steady but slowly changing

Software Development Engineer • Current Employee

Redmond, Washington, United States

Pros: Good benefit, well-balanced work-life.

Cons: Lost 10 years and more under not-so-well-directed management.

4.0
Steady but slowly changing
Software Development Engineer • Current Employee
Redmond, Washington, United States
April 7, 2014
Pros: Good benefit, well-balanced work-life.
Cons: Lost 10 years and more under not-so-well-directed management.

Great Pay, Unrealistic Expectations

Software Development Engineer • Current Employee

Redmond, Washington, United States

Pros: Pay is great, benefits are good.

Cons: Expectations are unrealistic, and out-of-country workers are hard to work with. HR is incompetent. Newcomers will be expected to climb the ladder, but reorgs will get in the way, as will people sticking to only doing things the old ways. You'll be asked to drive and come up with ideas, but having to deal with team projects will get in the way of actually accomplishing anything.

1.0
Great Pay, Unrealistic Expectations
Software Development Engineer • Current Employee
Redmond, Washington, United States
April 11, 2016
Pros: Pay is great, benefits are good.
Cons: Expectations are unrealistic, and out-of-country workers are hard to work with. HR is incompetent. Newcomers will be expected to climb the ladder, but reorgs will get in the way, as will people sticking to only doing things the old ways. You'll be asked to drive and come up with ideas, but having to deal with team projects will get in the way of actually accomplishing anything.

Like a thousand small companies

Software Development Engineer • Current Employee

December 22, 2009

Pros: * Diverse range of work; can move if bored. * Doing some cutting-edge stuff. * Great benefits and good compensation. * Generally treats employees well.

Cons: Experience is totally dependent on the team. Each has its own way of operating. Hiring bar went down a little bit during the boom years, so there is some chaff in pockets.

4.0
Like a thousand small companies
Software Development Engineer • Current Employee
December 22, 2009
Pros: * Diverse range of work; can move if bored. * Doing some cutting-edge stuff. * Great benefits and good compensation. * Generally treats employees well.
Cons: Experience is totally dependent on the team. Each has its own way of operating. Hiring bar went down a little bit during the boom years, so there is some chaff in pockets.

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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