Microsoft

Software Engineer II Interview Experience

December 15, 2021

Negative ExperienceNo Offer

Process

Misleading conversation: The interviewer kept leading the interviewee in the wrong direction while they were trying to figure out the answer.
Late without apologies: The interviewer was late and offered no apology.
Not focused on the interview: The interviewer was distracted by other matters and not focusing on the interview.

Questions

Design a data structure for improving performance.

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Interview Statistics

The following metrics were computed from 77 interview experiences for the Microsoft Software Engineer II role in United States.

Success Rate

31%

Pass Rate

Microsoft's interview process for their Software Engineer II roles in the United States is fairly selective, failing a large portion of engineers who go through it.

Experience Rating

Positive58%

Neutral23%

Negative18%

Candidates reported having very good feelings for Microsoft's Software Engineer II interview process in United States.

Microsoft Work Experiences

Moderate work-life balance but limited career growth

Software Engineer II • Current Employee

Redmond, Washington, United States

Pros: WLB after I get familiar with the company and product. Package sits at 60%-70% among SWEs. For immigrants, day 1 green card.

Cons: Limited career growth. Culture getting more and more toxic.

Moderate work-life balance but limited career growth

Software Engineer II • Current Employee

Redmond, Washington, United States

Pros: WLB after I get familiar with the company and product. Package sits at 60%-70% among SWEs. For immigrants, day 1 green card.

Cons: Limited career growth. Culture getting more and more toxic.

The employees have been neglected.

Software Engineer II • Current Employee

Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico

Pros: The flexibility of remote work is the best, along with the excellent benefits.

Cons: Now, more than in previous years, the difference in base salary with other companies is felt. They have fallen far behind, and the atmosphere of continuous layoffs and budget cuts doesn't help. The work has intensified because you are obligated to use AI in your daily tasks and demonstrate it. There is also a competition between internal teams to see which team manages to justify its existence for the next cycle.

The employees have been neglected.

Software Engineer II • Current Employee

Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico

Pros: The flexibility of remote work is the best, along with the excellent benefits.

Cons: Now, more than in previous years, the difference in base salary with other companies is felt. They have fallen far behind, and the atmosphere of continuous layoffs and budget cuts doesn't help. The work has intensified because you are obligated to use AI in your daily tasks and demonstrate it. There is also a competition between internal teams to see which team manages to justify its existence for the next cycle.

Growth mindset company

Software Engineer II • Current Employee

Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States

February 27, 2023

Pros: Devote 1 day for learning a skill. Flexible working space or WFH. Respect everybody. Nice benefit.

Cons: Base salary is not top-tier compared to other big brand IT companies, but you can learn a lot.

Growth mindset company

Software Engineer II • Current Employee

Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States

February 27, 2023

Pros: Devote 1 day for learning a skill. Flexible working space or WFH. Respect everybody. Nice benefit.

Cons: Base salary is not top-tier compared to other big brand IT companies, but you can learn a lot.

Moderate work-life balance but limited career growth

Software Engineer II • Current Employee

Redmond, Washington, United States

Pros: WLB after I get familiar with the company and product. Package sits at 60%-70% among SWEs. For immigrants, day 1 green card.

Cons: Limited career growth. Culture getting more and more toxic.

4.0
Moderate work-life balance but limited career growth
Software Engineer II • Current Employee
Redmond, Washington, United States
July 24, 2023
Pros: WLB after I get familiar with the company and product. Package sits at 60%-70% among SWEs. For immigrants, day 1 green card.
Cons: Limited career growth. Culture getting more and more toxic.

The employees have been neglected.

Software Engineer II • Current Employee

Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico

Pros: The flexibility of remote work is the best, along with the excellent benefits.

Cons: Now, more than in previous years, the difference in base salary with other companies is felt. They have fallen far behind, and the atmosphere of continuous layoffs and budget cuts doesn't help. The work has intensified because you are obligated to use AI in your daily tasks and demonstrate it. There is also a competition between internal teams to see which team manages to justify its existence for the next cycle.

3.0
The employees have been neglected.
Software Engineer II • Current Employee
Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
July 24, 2025
Pros: The flexibility of remote work is the best, along with the excellent benefits.
Cons: Now, more than in previous years, the difference in base salary with other companies is felt. They have fallen far behind, and the atmosphere of continuous layoffs and budget cuts doesn't help. The work has intensified because you are obligated to use AI in your daily tasks and demonstrate it. There is also a competition between internal teams to see which team manages to justify its existence for the next cycle.

Growth mindset company

Software Engineer II • Current Employee

Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States

February 27, 2023

Pros: Devote 1 day for learning a skill. Flexible working space or WFH. Respect everybody. Nice benefit.

Cons: Base salary is not top-tier compared to other big brand IT companies, but you can learn a lot.

5.0
Growth mindset company
Software Engineer II • Current Employee
Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
February 27, 2023
Pros: Devote 1 day for learning a skill. Flexible working space or WFH. Respect everybody. Nice benefit.
Cons: Base salary is not top-tier compared to other big brand IT companies, but you can learn a lot.

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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