ok so i just got my Microsoft new grad SWE offer (L59/L60, starting this fall) and i'm going to write up what actually helped because when i was searching i kept finding outdated posts or stuff that was weirdly vague.
i applied through the university portal in January. heard back in 3 weeks. the process was: OA (online assessment), then a 2-round virtual interview.
the online assessment: it's on HackerRank. 2 coding problems, 70 minutes. in my experience: one medium, one medium-hard. you will see dynamic programming, graph traversal, or sliding window. i got a tree problem and a string manipulation one. they aren't L5 LC hards. just solid mediums. if you can do 30-40 mediums cleanly you're in good shape.
the virtual interview rounds: round 1: another coding problem (similar difficulty to OA, more discussion of your thinking out loud). they also do a 'grow mindset' behavioral at the end, usually 10 minutes. have one story ready about learning from failure or a time you got unexpected feedback.
round 2: usually more behavioral-focused plus a problem solving/design lite question. they might ask something like 'design a URL shortener at a high level' even for new grads. don't need to be perfect, just show you can reason through unknowns.
what i think actually moved the needle: practicing explaining my code out loud while writing it. not just solving silently. preparing 3 STAR stories covering: a hard technical problem, a collaboration challenge, and something where i failed or learned. not overthinking the resume. microsoft new grad screening seems mostly keyword-based for OA unlock.
things i wish i knew: the behavioral component is taken seriously even for new grads. 'growth mindset' isn't just a phrase they say in orientation. the interviewers are trained on it. your story about failing a midterm and pivoting your study approach is actually valued.
offer: L59 is $127k base in Seattle, $30k sign-on, RSUs vesting over 4 years. ask about the new grad stock refresh program when you negotiate.