This is for a Software Development Engineer (SDE) internship.

My relationship with Microsoft began when a friend invited me to a dinner with some Microsoft employees visiting my university's campus. I later spoke with them and gave them my resume at my school's career fair, which led to an on-site interview offer.

The interview lasted thirty minutes and was very enjoyable. I was asked to perform a string operation and design an object from an Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) perspective. These tasks were straightforward, and I had a lot of fun discussing Microsoft and my projects/interests with the interviewer.

A few weeks later, I received an invitation to fly out to Redmond for an on-site interview with the Operating Systems Group. Microsoft covered all expenses, and I stayed at a very pleasant Marriott Hotel.

I arrived on campus around 8:30 AM, and my first interview was at 10 AM. I spoke with other interns and some staff before my first interview; everyone was friendly.

I had a total of four interviews, one of which was conducted over lunch. The food at their cafeterias is excellent, by the way. All interviews were enjoyable, and my interviewers posed insightful questions that could be approached and answered in multiple ways, leading to interesting discussions.

I was extremely tired by the fourth interview, as I had only just arrived at my hotel at midnight the previous night. I returned to the hotel around 3 AM and took a nap. My flight didn't depart until close to midnight, making it a long journey home.

However, it was worth it – I received an offer a week later.

Be sure to know your sorting and search algorithms and be knowledgeable about string properties, as well as linear and non-linear data structures. Being able to compose good algorithms will serve you well.

I've entered into an NDA with Microsoft.