Mixed Experience at MS as FTE and Contractor
Mixed Experience at MS as FTE and Contractor
People at MS are great to work with and talented. Benefits are top-tier as an FTE (but as a contractor, you pay for your own health insurance). You will learn and grow a lot working with senior engineers at Microsoft, no matter which team you end up on.
Blue badge FTE and orange badge contractor positions live differently.
Old school big tech means contractors are second-class citizens. Converting to FTE is a carrot on a stick that isn’t a straightforward path or process. Often, you will just wait the six months between jobs to get rehired for the same position, even at the same place (this happened to me in a games studio).
Systemic issues across MS teams are siloed communication and difficulty working across teams and orgs.
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Microsoft Interview Experiences
Software Engineer
The interview process was pretty smooth, and HR was very responsive. There were four rounds of 1:1s with breaks in between. I spoke directly to the hiring team and manager and learned about their work style.
Software Engineer
A telephonic interview was followed by a one-on-one interview. Both interviews went well. The telephonic interview mostly covered my background and experience, with some Computer Science fundamentals questions.
Software Engineer
I applied online. The process consisted of: - Two LeetCode medium coding questions. - Resume screening focused on my projects and internship experience, including technical details, impact, collaboration, and how I approached challenges and shipped
Software Engineer
Redmond, Washington, United StatesFebruary 1, 2019The interview process was pretty smooth, and HR was very responsive. There were four rounds of 1:1s with breaks in between. I spoke directly to the hiring team and manager and learned about their work style.
Software Engineer
Redmond, Washington, United StatesNovember 1, 2010A telephonic interview was followed by a one-on-one interview. Both interviews went well. The telephonic interview mostly covered my background and experience, with some Computer Science fundamentals questions.
Software Engineer
Redmond, Washington, United StatesFebruary 19, 2026I applied online. The process consisted of: - Two LeetCode medium coding questions. - Resume screening focused on my projects and internship experience, including technical details, impact, collaboration, and how I approached challenges and shipped
