Interview Experience - 61 - Microsoft | Software Development Engineer | SDE 1
Summary
📌 Job Role: Software Development Engineer
🔢 Number of Rounds: 5
📜 Offer Status: Rejected
📍 Location: Redmond, WA
👤 Candidate Name: Not disclosing due to signed NDA
Interview Process
The interview process began with a recruiter screening on February 25th, 2021. After successfully clearing the initial round, I was shortlisted for a Virtual On-site Interview. I was initially invited to a hiring event scheduled for March 11th, but due to scheduling conflicts, I opted for a different date and eventually took the interviews on March 30th, 2021.
The virtual on-site was hosted via Codility, and I was informed to reserve the entire day for the interviews. The full process included:
Recruiter Screening
Four technical/behavioral rounds conducted virtually
Preparation Guide
To prepare, I focused exclusively on Microsoft-tagged problems on Leetcode. I went through all questions listed under Microsoft in Leetcode Explore, paying close attention to the underlying logic and solution patterns. I made sure to cover a wide range of topics, from data structures and algorithms to behavioral and CS fundamentals.
Interview Rounds
Round 1: Recruiter Screening
Duration: ~30–40 minutes
Difficulty Level: Medium
Experience:
This round was held on February 25th, 2021, and included both behavioral and technical screening. The recruiter focused on my motivation for applying, understanding of computer science basics, and my communication style. Some of the questions I was asked:
What are you passionate about in technology?
Why Microsoft?
What's your favorite product at Microsoft and why?
Explain recursion to a 5-year-old in 90 seconds.
What are your two most favorite programming languages? What are the key differences between them?
What is a thread and what is a process?
Difference between a thread and a process.
The classic "3 bulb puzzle"
A few general behavioral questions
The round was a balanced mix of conceptual understanding, product thinking, and behavioral analysis.
Key Learnings:
Be ready to articulate your passion and rationale behind your career choices. Make sure you understand basic CS concepts well enough to explain them simply. Microsoft values clarity of thought and the ability to communicate effectively.
Round 2: Virtual On-site Round 1
Duration: ~60 minutes
Difficulty Level: Medium
Experience:
This round began with theoretical questions and quickly moved into hands-on problem-solving. It was conducted via Codility. Key problems included:
What is a Binary Search Tree (BST)?
How would you implement a BST?
Given an ArrayList of numbers, sort the list and implement it as a BST.
Given a set of inputs and a regex condition, identify whether the inputs match the regex pattern.
The interviewer was focused on assessing implementation depth and how I approached problems from scratch.
Key Learnings:
Be confident with implementing core data structures like BSTs from scratch. Also, make sure you are comfortable with regex logic, as the ability to reason about pattern matching came up.
Round 3: Virtual On-site Round 2
Duration: ~60 minutes
Difficulty Level: Hard
Experience:
This round was divided into two segments:
Behavioral Interview (35 minutes)
Questions were centered around my previous work experience. I was asked to elaborate on challenges I faced, decisions I made, and outcomes of specific projects.Coding Question (25 minutes)
I was asked to solve: Regular Expression Matching
The problem was of Leetcode hard level, and I was expected to write clean, optimized code within the given time frame.
Key Learnings:
Be thorough with your resume and be ready to dive deep into any project you’ve listed. Practice solving hard problems, especially those involving pattern matching and dynamic programming.
Round 4: Virtual On-site Round 3
Duration: ~45 minutes
Difficulty Level: Easy
Experience:
This was the most straightforward round. The interviewer presented two simple problems:
While these are standard problems, the interviewer seemed interested in seeing how I structured my code, handled edge cases, and communicated my approach.
Key Learnings:
Even if the problems are simple, do not be complacent. Interviewers look at your coding habits, clarity of logic, and efficiency. Use such rounds to demonstrate clean code and optimal thinking.
Round 5: Virtual On-site Round 4
Duration: ~60 minutes
Difficulty Level: Medium
Experience:
The final round began with a 10–15 minute self-introduction, where I was asked to walk through my background, motivations, and interests.
This was followed by a coding problem:
The problem required a dynamic programming-based solution, and the interviewer was particularly keen on how I approached optimization.
Key Learnings:
Have a strong and engaging self-introduction ready. Prepare for mid-level DP problems and ensure you can transition from brute force to optimized solutions quickly.
Final Thoughts
Although I didn’t receive an offer, the Microsoft interview process was structured and insightful. Some takeaways for fellow candidates:
Focus heavily on data structures and algorithms, particularly regex, string processing, and dynamic programming.
Microsoft values clarity, simplicity, and depth—in both code and conversation.
Be honest and reflective in behavioral rounds. Having concrete stories and quantifiable impact makes a big difference.
Don’t underestimate easy problems. Even simple ones are a chance to show coding best practices and logical flow.
If you're targeting Microsoft, especially for an SDE 1 role, consistency in preparation and clarity in thought are key.