I applied through a recruiter. The process took 3 days. I interviewed at Microsoft (Redmond, WA) in Apr 2015
Interview
Very difficult. HR would to say what subjects the programming interview would test. It turned into a white board ASI operation questions. Two other interviews with four other people followed. It was not a pleasant experience. "Why should I hire you?" Came up on two separate occasions, along with other seemingly-ambiguous non technical questions. Gear up your Project Management terms, they seem to like those buzzwords.
Phone interview and then in person with a group. Process moved fairly quickly. Team fit questions and coding questions on the white board. Study up for all basic knowledge skills and some complex problems.
I applied through an employee referral. The process took 3 weeks. I interviewed at Microsoft (Redmond, WA) in July 2017
Interview
I applied through a college recruiter. I initially had a phone screening, followed by an in-person interview by the recruiter, before finally having an in-person technical interview.
Phone screen lasted 30 minutes. Recruiter interview 30 minutes. Technical interview 1 hour.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Miscellaneous questions regarding operational knowledge of software and hardware involved in the specific position I was applying for. Design an algorithm to isolate and filter data.