I applied through a recruiter. I interviewed at Microsoft (Seattle, WA) in Feb 2015
Interview
The first interview I had was with a college recruiter, which went well. It was more behavioral in nature. I was contacted back about a month later and told I had the opportunity for a second-round interview at their headquarters in Seattle. There were four interviews asking about coding questions. I feel the first interview was the most important and I hear this is how they gauge your skill level and will communicate this to your next interviewers.
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.
The interview was a long process. There was first the recruiter screen, which was followed by a 4-loop interview structure that covered technical, behavioral, and system design. The interviewers were very kind and accommodating.
I applied online. The process took 3 weeks. I interviewed at Microsoft
Interview
After my application to ClipChamp - Microsoft, a recruiter reached out and scheduled my first interview. It was about basic interview questions and background analysis. After that I had my technical interview. The recruiter specifically said that I would be facing medium hacker rank questions. So I prepared accordingly. However, what I actually got was to analyse an application and re work it according to new requirements. I felt like I was set up for failure on purpose. Didn’t even hear back after that interview.