Microsoft

Software Development Engineer Interview Experience

November 3, 2016

Negative ExperienceNo Offer

Process

30-minute on-campus interview.

Had very brief introductions, an algorithm question, and a couple of minutes for questions.

Overall, the very short amount of time left me feeling rushed and with a bad taste in my mouth, since it was clear that the only thing that actually mattered was the single algorithms question.

Questions

Q: In an array that has one value for more than half of its elements, how can you find that value?

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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

You get out what you put in

Software Development Engineer • Current Employee

Redmond, Washington, United States

Pros: Job security, Competitive pay, Great work culture

Cons: Some extent of red tape is involved, as with any organization of a significant size.

You get out what you put in

Software Development Engineer • Current Employee

Redmond, Washington, United States

Pros: Job security, Competitive pay, Great work culture

Cons: Some extent of red tape is involved, as with any organization of a significant size.

Interesting Problems, Bureaucratic Blocks

Software Development Engineer • Former Employee

Redmond, Washington, United States

Pros: Great benefits. Redmond campus has some great places to work. Always a ton of interesting problems to solve. Impact on computing, software development, and most anyone who uses a computer is hard to overstate.

Cons: Huge company, not even a company really, but a ton of smaller companies that don't always work well together. Huge products like Windows, Office, etc., can stifle innovation that might lead to competition. Many larger groups are run top-down, and giving feedback can be difficult, especially around arbitrary technical decisions.

Interesting Problems, Bureaucratic Blocks

Software Development Engineer • Former Employee

Redmond, Washington, United States

Pros: Great benefits. Redmond campus has some great places to work. Always a ton of interesting problems to solve. Impact on computing, software development, and most anyone who uses a computer is hard to overstate.

Cons: Huge company, not even a company really, but a ton of smaller companies that don't always work well together. Huge products like Windows, Office, etc., can stifle innovation that might lead to competition. Many larger groups are run top-down, and giving feedback can be difficult, especially around arbitrary technical decisions.

MSIDC is a good place to test your potential, and MSIT is a place to lose yours

Software Development Engineer • Current Employee

Hyderābād, Telangana, India

Pros: Flexible hours, compensation, freedom to choose projects, and, of course, the feeling of being a valuable employee.

Cons: MSIT projects and managers are not up to the mark, and you do not feel like challenging yourself.

MSIDC is a good place to test your potential, and MSIT is a place to lose yours

Software Development Engineer • Current Employee

Hyderābād, Telangana, India

Pros: Flexible hours, compensation, freedom to choose projects, and, of course, the feeling of being a valuable employee.

Cons: MSIT projects and managers are not up to the mark, and you do not feel like challenging yourself.

You get out what you put in

Software Development Engineer • Current Employee

Redmond, Washington, United States

Pros: Job security, Competitive pay, Great work culture

Cons: Some extent of red tape is involved, as with any organization of a significant size.

4.0
You get out what you put in
Software Development Engineer • Current Employee
Redmond, Washington, United States
April 29, 2016
Pros: Job security, Competitive pay, Great work culture
Cons: Some extent of red tape is involved, as with any organization of a significant size.

Interesting Problems, Bureaucratic Blocks

Software Development Engineer • Former Employee

Redmond, Washington, United States

Pros: Great benefits. Redmond campus has some great places to work. Always a ton of interesting problems to solve. Impact on computing, software development, and most anyone who uses a computer is hard to overstate.

Cons: Huge company, not even a company really, but a ton of smaller companies that don't always work well together. Huge products like Windows, Office, etc., can stifle innovation that might lead to competition. Many larger groups are run top-down, and giving feedback can be difficult, especially around arbitrary technical decisions.

3.0
Interesting Problems, Bureaucratic Blocks
Software Development Engineer • Former Employee
Redmond, Washington, United States
June 11, 2014
Pros: Great benefits. Redmond campus has some great places to work. Always a ton of interesting problems to solve. Impact on computing, software development, and most anyone who uses a computer is hard to overstate.
Cons: Huge company, not even a company really, but a ton of smaller companies that don't always work well together. Huge products like Windows, Office, etc., can stifle innovation that might lead to competition. Many larger groups are run top-down, and giving feedback can be difficult, especially around arbitrary technical decisions.

MSIDC is a good place to test your potential, and MSIT is a place to lose yours

Software Development Engineer • Current Employee

Hyderābād, Telangana, India

Pros: Flexible hours, compensation, freedom to choose projects, and, of course, the feeling of being a valuable employee.

Cons: MSIT projects and managers are not up to the mark, and you do not feel like challenging yourself.

4.0
MSIDC is a good place to test your potential, and MSIT is a place to lose yours
Software Development Engineer • Current Employee
Hyderābād, Telangana, India
July 15, 2015
Pros: Flexible hours, compensation, freedom to choose projects, and, of course, the feeling of being a valuable employee.
Cons: MSIT projects and managers are not up to the mark, and you do not feel like challenging yourself.

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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