Recruiter invited me to apply for a role and do an Online Technical Screen and said I could use any language I like. The questions were straightforward and I completed them in Python easily and included the description of the thought process. I soon got a rejection -- asked why and the feedback was they don't want built-in methods (which was not mentioned in the question) and the array was not initialized (it was -- and it ran fine when I tested locally). My guess is the grader was reviewing the answers with a mindset from C/C++/Java and my Python solutions got penalized under their mindset. As someone who passed multiple rounds of Facebook/Airbnb whiteboard algorithm grilling, I have to say this feels kinda absurd.
I applied online. I interviewed at Microsoft (Melbourne)
Interview
After submitting an online application, I received a HackerRank assessment after passing the resume screening stage, then I was rejected after completing the assessment and did not proceed to further interview rounds.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
The assessment consisted of two LeetCode-medium-level coding questions to be completed within 75 minutes.
45 mins technical interview with a member of their San fran team. Very relaxed and informal but questions were focused and lots of follow ups. Easy to schedule as was over video conferencing platform
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.