Process
I got the interview at their campus recruitment event. A pleasant Microsoft employee, who is an alum of my school, talked to me a bit about my interests and experiences. They signed me up for an interview two weeks from that date.
Questions
Given two rectangles, check if they intersect.
He also asked me if I have seen the question before. I replied I had, but that I had not tried solving it.
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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
4.0
Group specific experience
Software Development Engineer • Current Employee
Seattle, Washington, United States
November 27, 2008
Pros: Great people to work with and interesting tasks. I was using a mix of software and hardware description languages to do my task, and I think that is very rewarding. Also, my manager was very easy to approach and gave me good feedback based on my performance. The benefits are decent, too.
Cons: The company's experience is very group-specific. If you don't pick your group carefully, you could easily end up in a group you don't like very much. Also, the company as a whole has very bad press coverage. A day does not go by that I notice some headline somewhere saying something negative about Microsoft.
4.0
Very stable, great place to grow, yet coast
Software Development Engineer • Current Employee
Bellevue, Washington, United States
September 25, 2012
Pros: Great benefits (salary, insurance, perks).
Lots of seasoned developers and leads to work with and learn from.
Cons: Microsoft is a machine.
There are tons of people at the company, and it's sometimes hard to feel like you've made an individual impact.
Career growth is possible, but you have to align heavily with your manager.
Don't get too attached to any of your products because all of the higher-ups are good at playing the alignment game. They will turn on a dime and leave you wondering why you wrote all that code for the past six months.
5.0
A great place to start your career
Software Development Engineer • Former Employee
April 3, 2009
Pros: Massive brand name recognition. Lots of learning opportunities, challenging projects, brilliant co-workers, and of course, a resume builder. The breadth of opportunities at Microsoft is unparalleled. From Operating Systems, Compilers/IDEs, Games, Hardware, Web Services, to Office tools, these guys have done it all. There is something for everyone there.
Also, the benefits are really good compared to others.
Cons: Lots of competition. The developer interns have to be really good to be noticed by senior employees. You are expected to work long hours.
Since I have not worked there for very long, I have not felt any other downsides.
- 4.0Group specific experienceSoftware Development Engineer • Current EmployeeSeattle, Washington, United StatesNovember 27, 2008Pros: Great people to work with and interesting tasks. I was using a mix of software and hardware description languages to do my task, and I think that is very rewarding. Also, my manager was very easy to approach and gave me good feedback based on my performance. The benefits are decent, too.Cons: The company's experience is very group-specific. If you don't pick your group carefully, you could easily end up in a group you don't like very much. Also, the company as a whole has very bad press coverage. A day does not go by that I notice some headline somewhere saying something negative about Microsoft.
- 4.0Very stable, great place to grow, yet coastSoftware Development Engineer • Current EmployeeBellevue, Washington, United StatesSeptember 25, 2012Pros: Great benefits (salary, insurance, perks). Lots of seasoned developers and leads to work with and learn from.Cons: Microsoft is a machine. There are tons of people at the company, and it's sometimes hard to feel like you've made an individual impact. Career growth is possible, but you have to align heavily with your manager. Don't get too attached to any of your products because all of the higher-ups are good at playing the alignment game. They will turn on a dime and leave you wondering why you wrote all that code for the past six months.
- 5.0A great place to start your careerSoftware Development Engineer • Former EmployeeApril 3, 2009Pros: Massive brand name recognition. Lots of learning opportunities, challenging projects, brilliant co-workers, and of course, a resume builder. The breadth of opportunities at Microsoft is unparalleled. From Operating Systems, Compilers/IDEs, Games, Hardware, Web Services, to Office tools, these guys have done it all. There is something for everyone there. Also, the benefits are really good compared to others.Cons: Lots of competition. The developer interns have to be really good to be noticed by senior employees. You are expected to work long hours. Since I have not worked there for very long, I have not felt any other downsides.
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