Microsoft·Software Engineer

Microsoft Software Engineer interview experience

Posted Jan 2026 · Candidate report, summarized by Dataford

I reached the recruiter stage for a Microsoft phone screen where the calendar details suggested a very hands-on coding focus.

I remember the invite calling out classic problem types—things like arrays, two pointers, hash sets, and string work—and I was also wondering whether they would mix in behavior questions with the technical portion.

My understanding of the format lined up with what the process felt like: a single live technical call, sometimes connected to a coding platform for structure, and framed as a quick check on how I think through problems. In my case, the discussion was centered on what kind of questions to expect, with the implicit expectation that I’d be asked to solve at least one concrete coding

Create a free Dataford account to unlock the full round-by-round breakdown, the questions asked and the outcome.

Read the full report Read the full report

Preparing for this interview?

Microsoft Software Engineer interview guideThe full process, round by round, with the question bank Practice Software Engineer interview questionsReal questions from this role across companies All Microsoft interview guidesEvery role we cover at this company