I applied online. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at Microsoft (Redmond, WA) in Jun 2017
Interview
Online test then in person interview in Redmond, WA. All travel expenses including air ticket, hotel, meals every day were covered by employer. Nice and big campus, met friendly people there
I applied through a recruiter. I interviewed at Microsoft (Nova Deli) in Jul 2017
Interview
Most horrible interview experience I ever had !!!
The interviewers need code that they know. Any deviation from that will lead to rejection. They won't tell what is wrong and won't provide any feedback.
I applied through an employee referral. I interviewed at Microsoft (Seattle, WA)
Interview
Applied through a referral. Was flown to Seattle for a day. Four interviews, 2 technical, 2 more of behavioral. Microsoft is a decisive company, one side of it is the vibrant company trying to zoom into the next gen world, another side is a lagging huge dinosaur and you can see both of those all the way from interview to on boarding.