My Microsoft SWE Intern Interview Experience

Hello everyone! I am thrilled to share my experience of the interview rounds that led me to secure an internship opportunity (On-Campus) at Microsoft as a Software Engineer Intern. The process was both challenging and enlightening, giving me a deeper insight into the technical and professional expectations of such a prestigious company. Let me take you through the journey of my assessment and interviews.

Resume Shortlisting

I had 2 Machine Learning projects on my resume at that time.
(Tip: make sure you include only those projects that you can explain properly and answer questions on.)
I included my various internship experiences and the projects that I worked on there. Along with that, I listed down my various achievements like scholarships, programs, open-source contributions, etc. I also listed down my technical skills like programming languages, frameworks, etc and the tech domains I’m familiar with. You can also mention the positions of responsibility, relevant volunteering activities, hackathons, coding profiles, etc.

Round 1: Online assessment

During the online assessment phase of the Microsoft internship interview, I faced two medium-level coding questions. I solved both problems in nearly half the given time, and all test cases passed successfully.

Round 2: Technical Interview

The interview started with a friendly atmosphere. I introduced myself, highlighting my passion for computer science and my journey. The interviewer quickly clarified that they were more interested in understanding my problem-solving approach and the clarity of my thought process rather than perfect code syntax.

The challenge posed was to invert a binary tree (link). The interviewer provided a basic example, and I began by asking clarifying questions to ensure I fully understood the problem. I discussed potential edge cases and scenarios, demonstrating my analytical thinking.

With a solid understanding of the problem, I dove into writing the code. At every step, I explained my thought process and the logic behind each line of code. This showcased my coding skills and emphasized my ability to communicate technical concepts effectively.

To validate the code, I dry-ran it with various examples provided by the interviewer. Once the coding was done, the interviewer asked about my solution's time and space complexity, emphasizing the importance of efficient algorithms.

The round concluded with a rapid-fire session, where I was asked fundamental questions to gauge my understanding of core concepts. These included explaining the differences between arrays and linked lists, detailing any two sorting algorithms and their time and space complexities, explaining the heap data structure, and distinguishing between single and double-linked lists.

This round lasted around 1 hour, during which I tackled a technical challenge and demonstrated my ability to think critically and articulate my thoughts clearly. After around an hour, I received a call for Round-2 of my interview.

Round 3: HR/Managerial Interview

The second round was a shift to a more personal and project-focused discussion. The interviewer asked about my projects, and I elaborated on an NLP project I had undertaken. The discussion led to a broader conversation about the challenges and learnings from this project.

Next, I was asked to describe a project beyond Machine Learning. I shared a full-stack project involving OracleDB, ReactJS, NodeJS, and ExpressJS. This prompted a follow-up question where I needed to provide a SQL query based on a given scenario, testing my practical database skills.

The interview took a turn towards my interpersonal and team dynamics skills. I was asked about both positive and negative feedback I had received from peers and managers. This highlighted my ability to learn from feedback and continuously improve.

The remainder of the interview consisted of situational questions. I framed my answers using the STAR format. I shared my teamwork and project development challenges, showcasing my adaptability, conflict resolution, and decision-making abilities.

For example, tell me about a time:
— when a team member could not contribute to the team because they had a health issue
— when all your team members knew only about the backend, and you had to develop frontend too
— when the project assigned to you is developed on old technology
— when you had a conflict of opinion/idea with your team member/manager.

One of the highlights of this round was the genuine and insightful interaction with the interviewers. They were supportive and made me feel comfortable throughout.

I am eagerly looking forward to starting my summer internship at Microsoft. I am confident that this experience will be an incredible opportunity for learning, growth, and contributing to cutting-edge technology.

Thank you for joining me on this journey, and I can’t wait to share more about my upcoming experiences at Microsoft! Stay tuned for more updates.