I applied online. I interviewed at Cisco (San Jose, CA) in Apr 2025
Interview
Discussed Networking concepts and basic coding problems in Python—really practical interview, not LeetCode. Overall, quite a simple process, and the interviewer was extremely nice and fun to talk to. I would've taken the offer had I had the time, but school conflicted.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
What algorithm would you use to optimize latency within a network of routers?
They care about your skills, rather than your background. They have a template which they provide and you got to fill that, everyone is provided a unique number. You are instructed not to disclose any of your personal details in the due course of your interview.
The interview process was two rounds. The first round was a behavioral interview. Straightforward questions, like tell me about the most technically challenging project you have worked on. The second round was a system design interview.
Application
I interviewed at Cisco (Bengaluru)
Interview
3 technical rounds of 35-45 mins each for a 5 years experience JS fullstack.
1. Project currently working on + design patterns employed and resume based questions in details to check the depth.
2. System design interview - asked me to mention an approach to design a microservice for retail client. Followed up by questions on why I've chosen a particular tech stack and questions on how to tackle certain situations in real word on such services (inventory + payments etc).
3. DS based test - question was bit easy.