Software Engineer applicants have rated the interview process at Microsoft with 3.4 out of 5 (where 5 is the highest level of difficulty) and assessed their interview experience as 63% positive. To compare, the company-average is 67.6% positive. This is according to Glassdoor user ratings.
Candidates applying for Software Engineer roles take an average of 60 days to get hired, when considering 8 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 8 Glassdoor interviews include:
Phone interview: 38%
Skills test: 38%
Personality test: 13%
Presentation: 13%
Here are the most commonly searched roles for interview reports -
I started with a recruiter call, followed by a technical phone interview where I solved coding problems in real time. After passing that, I was invited to a virtual onsite loop with four interviews covering algorithms, system design, and behavioral questions focused on collaboration and problem-solving.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Given a string, return the length of the longest substring without repeating characters
I applied online through Microsoft’s careers site and got a response from a recruiter about two weeks later. The whole process took about a month.
First was a 30-minute phone screen with the recruiter—basic background questions and a few things about why I wanted to join Microsoft. After that, I had a virtual interview with the hiring manager. It was a mix of behavioral and situational questions. He asked how I handle ambiguity and work with cross-functional teams. Pretty friendly vibe.
Then came the onsite loop (though it was all virtual due to hybrid policies). I had four interviews back-to-back with a product manager, a developer, someone from the design team, and a cross-functional partner from another org. Everyone asked behavioral and problem-solving questions. One interview was a product case where I had to design a feature for Microsoft Teams targeting university students in Japan. Another was more technical—asking how I'd approach building an internal dashboard and the kind of data and stakeholders involved.
Interviewers were sharp but respectful. They gave time to think through questions and didn’t interrupt. One even gave me a bit of feedback at the end, which was helpful.
Overall, the process was tough but fair. Definitely recommend brushing up on the STAR method and being ready to walk through how you make decisions and deal with different stakeholders. They’re big on communication, collaboration, and showing impact. Knowing Microsoft's values—especially growth mindset—really helps.
Would interview again, but hopefully won’t need to for a while!
Applied online on Microsoft careers
HR reached out to me
had scheduled a screening round over Microsoft teams
Position was for Software Engineer, L59 not too difficult
Need to do coding online and must be working for all test cases