Microsoft

Role: Software Engineering Intern

College: Not Specified

Interview Date: Applied July 2023, OA September 2023, Interviews scheduled 15-20 days after OA (for Summer 2024)

Interview Type: Off-Campus Internship

Result: Advanced to next rounds

Difficulty: Medium-to-Hard (OA questions), Interview questions (one solved, one logic discussed due to time)

Rounds: 1 Online Assessment + 2 Interview Rounds (both held on the same day)

Topics Asked: Dynamic Programming, Graphs, Data Structures and Algorithms, String (valid parenthesis with '*' wildcard), Merge Overlapping Intervals, Projects, fundamental subjects

Experience:

This candidate went through the hiring process for a Software Engineering Intern position at Microsoft for summer 2024, applying off-campus.

Round 1: Online Assessment

• **Application:** Through company career portal in July 2023.
• **OA Link Received:** September 2023.
• **Content:** Two Data Structures and Algorithms (DSA) questions, one on dynamic programming and the other on graphs.
• **Duration:** 1.5-2 hours.
• **Performance:** Solved both questions with all test cases passing in about half the allotted time.
• **Outcome:** Shortlisted for the next round.

Round 2: Interview Round 1

• **Scheduling:** Email received 15-20 days after OA to schedule the first interview.
• **Format:** Conducted on Microsoft Teams. Interviewer introduced himself, asked the candidate to introduce themselves, and described his DSA-focused interview style (two questions, explain approach, code).
• **Questions:**
  1. Given a string comprising "(", ")" and "*", where "*" can be "(", ")" or " ". Return if it had valid parenthesis. Input: "*(())(*", Output: true.
  2. Merge overlapping Intervals. Given a 2D-array, merge the overlapping intervals (Leetcode problem).
• **Performance:** Solved and coded the first question. For the second, only described logic and time complexity due to time constraints.
• **Outcome:** Received a call from HR about an hour later, informing them of being shortlisted for the next round. Candidate reviewed fundamental subjects and projects.

Round 3: Interview Round 2

• **Timing:** Both interview rounds were held on the same day.
• **Content:** Not explicitly detailed in the provided snippet beyond being the "next round" after Round 2.