Software Engineer Interview Experience - Bellevue, Washington
Process
First, they will conduct a technical phone screen. If you make it past the phone screen, you will go to an onsite interview.
Be sure to use "Cracking the Coding Interview" when prepping. My question was taken from the book and slightly modified.
This is not a difficult interview, and the recruiter will give you plenty of hints. Just be patient with yourself and relax.
I think I overstressed myself and just had a bad day. Trust that you know your stuff if you've prepared; they're not trying to trick you.
Questions
Describe your past experience. How did you contribute to the product?
Compress a string with no external storage, such as a HashMap.
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Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 21 interview experiences for the Microsoft Software Engineer role in Bellevue, Washington.
Success Rate
Microsoft's interview process for their Software Engineer roles in Bellevue, Washington is very selective, failing most engineers who go through it.
Experience Rating
Candidates reported having very good feelings for Microsoft's Software Engineer interview process in Bellevue, Washington.
Microsoft Work Experiences
- 3.0Passive Aggressive Leadership/HRSoftware Engineer • Former EmployeeBellevue, Washington, United StatesMay 19, 2025Pros: - Individual professionals were a blast to work with. - Generally pays well (so long as you don't move to the "wrong" places). - Good benefits.Cons: - Leadership makes decisions that are either baffling, ignorant, or outright malicious (example: investing billions into developing a new campus in India, but also having several waves of layoffs due to insufficient funding). - HR tends to be intensely passive-aggressive when it comes to dealing with issues. They also can be straight-up dismissive and uncaring. In my particular case, I had to move to a new state for personal reasons, so I had to notify them when I signed a new lease for my new place so they could notify me of my newly adjusted salary. Instead of the 10-15% reduction at worst they promised, they reduced my salary by 18%. I left several HR tickets regarding the situation and was promptly ignored. It left a bad taste in my mouth.
- 5.0Learn Scale, Slow PaceSoftware Engineer • Current EmployeeBellevue, Washington, United StatesMarch 28, 2021Pros: Good place to learn scale.Cons: Can be slow-moving at times.
- 4.0Great place to work!Software Engineer • Current EmployeeBellevue, Washington, United StatesNovember 7, 2015Pros: Great management, plenty of high-impact projects, lots of career opportunities, and plenty of opportunities to do garage projects.Cons: It can be hard to get visibility in some organizations. Layoffs can be very unsettling, especially when on a work visa.
Microsoft Interview Questions
