Microsoft

I applied for the Software Engineer Intern position at Microsoft through the off-campus process. After applying, I was shortlisted for the online assessment, which was conducted on Codility. Round 1 — Online Assessment The OA had two LeetCode-style coding problems, both around medium difficulty. One was based on Graphs, while the other involved Dynamic Programming. The allowed time was around 1.5 hours, and I managed to solve both problems in roughly 30 minutes. Since Codility doesn't always provide detailed feedback for hidden test cases, I made sure to test the solutions against different edge cases before submitting them. Clearing the OA was the first major step because the interview stage was much more detailed. Round 2 — Technical Interview 1 After almost a month, I received the interview update and had around two weeks to prepare. The technical interview was approximately 45 minutes and was conducted on Codility. The interviewer started with introductions and then gave me a medium-to-hard DSA problem involving strings and recursion. I explained my initial approach, discussed the complexity, and then optimized the solution. I was able to solve and code it within around 10 minutes. After that, I was given two more problems — one based on Dynamic Programming and another involving a Stack. Both were of a similar difficulty level. I managed to solve them while explaining the reasoning and complexity along the way. The discussion then moved towards Operating Systems and practical applications of data structures and algorithms. There was also some discussion around the projects listed on my resume. The round went quite smoothly, and later I received the confirmation that I had cleared the first technical interview. Round 3 — HR + Technical Interview 2 The next round came surprisingly quickly. My recruiter informed me that I had cleared the previous round and that another interview would take place shortly afterward. This round was with a senior manager and had a different flavour from the previous technical interview. We started with my introduction and then went deep into my projects. I was asked to open my project code and explain different components, including things such as controllers and models. I also had to run the project and explain the complete workflow in detail. The interviewer asked questions based on my actual implementation rather than simply asking me to describe the project from my resume. After the project discussion, we moved to DSA. I was asked to solve two coding problems, one of which was based on the 3Sum problem. I was able to derive and code optimal solutions for both. The interview then moved towards behavioral questions. I answered them using the STAR approach, focusing on the situation, my responsibility, the action I took, and the eventual result. The questions were largely connected to my projects, experiences, and the way I handled different situations. The entire discussion was quite interactive. It wasn't just a sequence of questions and answers; the interviewer kept asking follow-ups based on what I had explained. Final Result After completing the interviews, I waited for the final update. Two days later, I received the selection confirmation from Microsoft. The overall process was a great learning experience because Microsoft evaluated multiple aspects — DSA, CS fundamentals, project depth, coding quality, and behavioral skills. One of the biggest things I learned was that knowing your own projects in depth is extremely important. The interviewer can go far beyond the few bullet points written on the resume and ask you to explain actual code and workflows. The process ultimately came down to three things: strong DSA preparation, solid CS fundamentals, and being able to confidently explain the work I had actually built.