My Microsoft Interview Experience

Hello Everyone!

There were many queries regarding my interview experience with Microsoft. That’s why I decided to write it down and share it with you guys. I hope it helps you and you get your dream job.

I will write it in a question/answer format so that I touch upon every point.

Q1. How did you apply?

Ans: I applied through the careers page of Microsoft. I used to check about the roles that I was interested in, on LinkedIn and then apply from there.

Q2. After how many days your interview was scheduled?

Ans: It depends. I was applying for some time. It took me 2–3 months to get my interview scheduled. It will depend upon whether your profile matches their requirements, how good your profile is, whether your profile got noticed or not.

Tip- Apply to the role that matches your skills. Have one-page resume which is professional-looking. If you get a referral, then the chances will increase.

Q3. Can you explain about the interview process?

Ans: There were 4 rounds in total in my case. All rounds were virtual

Round 1

It was a coding round. The interviewer asked me 2 coding questions. I had to write the solution on coderpad and the code should be production ready. There should not be any error and it should pass all the test cases.

Interviewer also asked me to write my own test cases as well.

Round 2

Since I had applied for Software Engineer 2 role, there were design rounds also. This one was LLD(low level design) round where I had to write an API for a problem. The interviewer asked me to discuss my thought process and why I was taking a particular decision. We discussed my solution and then I wrote the API and he was happy with that.

Round 3

This one was a tough one. I had to design a system and also discuss about the DS, Space it will take, and whether my solution is scalable or not. There were lots of discussions involved. The interviewer was really cool and he helped me when I was going off track.

He asked me various questions particularly about scalability and the total space my solution will take.

Finally, I gave him a solution which was scalable and a measure of space my solution would take.

Tip: If the interviewer asks you a question, think about it, take it into consideration because it is generally a hint which will help you in reaching towards the solution.

Round 4:

This was the last round and I was really nervous. We introduced ourselves and then he asked me about myself, projects I had worked upon, and some behavioral questions.

Then he gave me one coding question which was basically a simple graph question. Again the interviewer asked me to write different test cases and run the code. There were some more discussions about my hobbies and finally he asked me whether I had any questions. I asked him 3 questions 😃 and he happily answered all of them.

Overall it was a wonderful experience with a mix of medium and tough questions.

Q4. Any tips or suggestions?

Ans: Look it is very cliche to say this, but be prepared and confident. Trust yourself. If you are making mistakes the interviewer will intervene and give you some hints.

Try to work through those hints and proceed ahead. Keep discussing your solution and think out loud while you are solving a problem.

Practice production level code. Keep time and space complexity in check and also try to write your own test cases while preparing. It will help you a lot.

Coding language is not a problem, you can write code in any language you are comfortable in. They look for your problem solving skills.

Practice Data Structures and algorithms. They are the “Ram baan" (bread and butter ) of all the interviews. Develop problem solving skills.

Know about the projects listed in your resume in and out. You should be able to answer questions related to your projects.

If you are going for SDE2 or higher roles, then prepare for design rounds also. There are a lot of discussions there in the interview so it’s very important to prepare for it and know the important concepts and their pros and cons.

Ask questions in the interviews. Before going into interviews, research about the company, their core values, how they treat their customers, how they impact society, how they match with your values.

I have tried to answer every common query. If I have missed anything feel free to ask me in the comments.

It takes practice, patience, and consistency to crack those interviews. It’s a consistent effort to build skills over time.

Keep learning, practicing, putting in those efforts and you will find success.

You can also reach out to me on LinkedIn and Instagram in case you have any queries or questions.

You can refer one of my posts about high level points of preparation on the below link.

The beginning :).

Onwards and Upwards!. Cheers.