Software Engineer applicants have rated the interview process at Microsoft with 3 out of 5 (where 5 is the highest level of difficulty) and assessed their interview experience as 69% positive. To compare, the company-average is 74.6% positive. This is according to Glassdoor user ratings.
Candidates applying for Software Engineer roles take an average of 32 days to get hired, when considering 13 user submitted interviews for this role. To compare, the hiring process at Microsoft overall takes an average of 56 days.
Common stages of the interview process at Microsoft as a Software Engineer according to 13 Glassdoor interviews include:
Phone interview: 25%
One on one interview: 25%
Skills test: 20%
Presentation: 15%
Background check: 10%
Group panel interview: 5%
Here are the most commonly searched roles for interview reports -
I was sent an invitation to a first-round interview and a link to a Codility challenge that I needed to complete before the interview date.
The Codility challenge included 3 problems that you could solve in your preferred language. I definitely suggest doing some leetcode exercises beforehand but the problems were overall very fair and I had no time issues.
The interview consisted of mostly behavioural questions and some Microsoft related questions.
In the very end, I had 5 minutes to solve a little thinking puzzle.
Overall the process was very transparent and the recruiter was very friendly.
I was invited to a final interview round which I have not yet completed but will consist of 4 interviews with different coding challenges.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
- What's your favourite Microsoft product and why?
- How would you describe the best programmer?
- What is good code to you?
I applied online. I interviewed at Microsoft (Melbourne)
Interview
After submitting an online application, I received a HackerRank assessment after passing the resume screening stage, then I was rejected after completing the assessment and did not proceed to further interview rounds.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
The assessment consisted of two LeetCode-medium-level coding questions to be completed within 75 minutes.
45 mins technical interview with a member of their San fran team. Very relaxed and informal but questions were focused and lots of follow ups. Easy to schedule as was over video conferencing platform
Straightforward technical loop overall, with strong interviewers at every stage. I genuinely enjoyed the in-depth conversations around technical challenges and algorithmic problem-solving — the entire process felt well-structured and genuinely engaging.