I applied online. The process took 6 weeks. I interviewed at Microsoft (Dublin, Dublin) in Feb 2021
Interview
I interviewed during the COVID pandemic and went through 3 different 30 minute video interviews with engineers within Microsofts One Engineering System (1ES) organisation.
The first interview gave a background on the role and the types of projects that they work on, and gave me the chance to talk about my own experience. The second interview was technical and I was asked networking and systems design questions. There was no coding problems used in the interview process. The final interview was with a senior engineer which was a general chat and discussion about Microsoft's culture.
I had the impression that each of the interviews went quite smoothly. The process seemed very relaxed and easy compared to other companies which often do intensive full day interviews. However, the communication throughout the process was almost entirely automated and not informative or personalised. After my last interview I got very little updates from the recruiter regarding timelines and feedback. Two weeks after my last interview I got an automated email from Microsoft saying they would not be moving forward with my candidacy.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Describe the path that a network packet takes between two computers.
The process consisted 3 technical rounds after clearing the OA , consisted of medium to hard story based question. Not all round interviewer asked to run the code the last 1 just asked the approach
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Theay asked a graph (bfs) + bianry search question
Was a typical first round recruiter screen - pretty straightforward but didn't end up getting moved vforwards. Prompt, Professional and overall a good experience. They asked me about my background, explained the role and it was with the recruitment team.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Describe your background going into detial in each role
Expect a lengthy hiring process that can take at least two months from start to finish. In my experience, there was approximately one month of interviews followed by another month waiting for the final decision. Be prepared for a slow timeline, especially after completing all interview stages.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Tell me about a time where have above and beyond for a customer
Software Engineer applicants have rated the interview process at Microsoft with 3.2 out of 5 (where 5 is the highest level of difficulty) and assessed their interview experience as 64% positive. To compare, the company-average is 66.4% positive. This is according to Glassdoor user ratings.
Candidates applying for Software Engineer roles take an average of 29 days to get hired, when considering 1,705 user submitted interviews for this role. To compare, the hiring process at Microsoft overall takes an average of 30 days.
Common stages of the interview process at Microsoft as a Software Engineer according to 1,705 Glassdoor interviews include:
One on one interview: 27%
Phone interview: 23%
Skills test: 15%
Presentation: 11%
Background check: 6%
Personality test: 5%
Group panel interview: 5%
IQ intelligence test: 4%
Drug test: 3%
Other: 2%
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