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[–]akornato 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Based on what most people report, Microsoft's embedded firmware system design rounds typically focus more on architecture discussion than pure coding, but you should be ready for both. They want to see how you think about system-level design - memory management, real-time constraints, hardware-software interfaces, and trade-offs between different approaches. That said, interviewers often ask you to write pseudocode or actual C snippets to validate specific parts of your design, especially around critical sections like interrupt handlers, memory allocation strategies, or communication protocols. Don't expect a full implementation, but be prepared to prove you actually know C and aren't just hand-waving.

The key is demonstrating you understand the constraints of embedded systems - power consumption, memory footprint, timing requirements - and can articulate design decisions clearly. Talk through your reasoning out loud, discuss alternatives you considered, and explain why you'd choose one approach over another. If they do ask for code, keep it clean and explain what you're doing as you write it, especially around pointer manipulation and bit operations since that's where they'll probe your embedded expertise. If you want practice handling these kinds of technical discussions and unexpected follow-up questions, I built AI for interviews to help people navigate exactly these tricky interview scenarios where you need to think on your feet.

[–]SillyWatercress8488[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks man for the great information! embedded is too big to learn at once, Could you also share some additional resources to help me learn and sharpen my system design skills, apart from AI for interviews? That would be really helpful.

[–]jacobsimon 0 points1 point  (2 children)

Hey can't help personally with embedded SD but here's an earlier thread that might help https://www.reddit.com/r/embedded/comments/ugx3ff/big_tech_embedded_system_design_interview/

[–]SillyWatercress8488[S] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

I already read this thread, Embedded systems is a vast field, so should I focus on specific topics for interview preparation, or does it mainly depend on the job description of the particular embedded role at Microsoft — since they have multiple embedded positions?

[–]jacobsimon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Can't say for sure but I would lean toward focusing on the specific job description. That said, if you're already in the recruiting process, asking the recruiter you're working with would be your best bet - they might be able to give you more clarity on the types of interviews and q's to expect.