Cisco Systems Program Manager Interview Questions & Reviews
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Updated Sep 6, 2011 – Interview questions and reviews posted anonymously by interview candidates.
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Difficulty Rating [?] Based on 9 ratings 
“Average” Interview
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Interview Experience [?] Based on 9 ratings
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| 1–9 of 9 Cisco Systems Interviews | Sort by |
Program Manager at Cisco Systems
Posted Sep 6, 2011
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3.0
Average Interview
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Overall Neutral Experience
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Interviewed and No Offer
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Interviewed Sep 2011 (took a day)
I think the position was opened for a person, meaning that I was interviewed so that HR regualtions were met.
Interview Questions
Other Details
I Applied Online and the interview consisted of a Phone Interview.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Program Manager at Cisco Systems
Posted Jun 28, 2011
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3.0
Average Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Received and Accepted Offer
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Interviewed Sep 2009 (took 3 days)
The interview was set up promptly by the hiring manager. I met with several members of the team for 1:1 interviews. I had to explain everything listed on my resume. There were several situational questions so you have to be ready to respond. Overall it was a pleasant experience.
Interview Questions
Other Details
I got the interview through an Employee Referral and the interview consisted of a Phone Interview, a 1:1 Interview, an IQ/Intelligence Test, a Skills Test, a Personality Test, a Drug Test and a Background Check.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Program Manager at Cisco Systems
Posted Sep 14, 2010 — 0 of 1 people found this helpful
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3.0
Average Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Received and Accepted Offer
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Interviewed Aug 2010 in Irvine, CA (took 3 months)
I found the position on Linked In and applied. It took a couple of months for them to wade through the applicants and start calling people. I received a call from a Recruiting Coordinator who was assigned to screen applicants for the Recruiter. This took about three weeks. I then got a schedule of interviews from individuals who would be my colleagues/equals. Both gentlemen were very nice and asked the standard Program Manager type questions but really were more interested in finding out who I was as a person rather than regurgitating what was on my resume. They also both were very forthright when it came to giving me a pretty clear picture of Cisco as a company, what their day to day was like, and answering my questions. They didn't throw any questions at me to "trip me up" they were just nice guys. I had two one on one interviews and then it took another couple of weeks for me to get the results. I was informed that I had made it to the final three and that I would interview with the hiring manager upon his return from an out of town trip. This interview came in another two weeks and was really just a conversation. It was clear there was alot of work to be done and he just needed a great person who could come in and do what was needed and fit in well with the team. He was very nice and knew his stuff and seemed like a great leader and person to work for.
Interview Questions
Negotiation Details
Yes. Just be very clear about what your expectations are and what the company policies are.
Other Details
The interview consisted of a Phone Interview, a 1:1 Interview and a Background Check.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Program Manager at Cisco Systems
Posted Aug 11, 2010
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2.0
Easy Interview
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Overall Neutral Experience
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Interviewed and No Offer
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Interviewed Feb 2010 in San Jose, CA (took 4+ weeks)
The interview went very well with everyone except the top decision maker, whose opinion obviously had the right to erase everyone else so as to knock me out completely, regardless all the other interviewers acknowledged that I seemed to have the strong background, skill sets, and experience to be a very valuable contributor to the company and the position. With this, I have deep doubt about having unanimous decisions as a group to determine the entire interview process. I later also heard other complaints that Cisco is not a nice company which treats their candidates very desrepectfully - they will not issue an acknowledgement if they decided not to move forward the employment with you, and no one would call you to at least thank you for the time and effort. I also experienced this personally, and disappointed that such big and prestigious company will handle this kind of thing so poorly.
Interview Questions
Other Details
I got the interview through an Employee Referral and the interview consisted of a Phone Interview and a 1:1 Interview.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Program Manager at Cisco Systems
Posted Jul 6, 2010
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3.0
Average Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Interviewed and No Offer
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Interviewed Jun 2010 (took 2 days)
HR did initial screening, HIring Mgr & Associate did phone interview and was completely honest that my skills wasn't a match to the job they were trying to hire.
Interview Questions
Other Details
I got the interview through an Employee Referral and the interview consisted of a Phone Interview.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Program Manager at Cisco Systems
Posted Jun 15, 2010
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3.0
Average Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Received and Accepted Offer
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Interviewed Apr 2010 (took 4+ weeks)
The job was listed through my university, and after applying, had an on campus interview with a Director. I was asked about my background (they considered my educational and professional background as an engineer to be a good fit and very competitive) and also about what I knew about Cisco. One thing that was a big different was that I was presented with several different job options within one part of the business (Customer Value Chain Management), and I was pretty sure that they'd decide where I'd end up depending on how the interview process progressed. I was asked about my likes and dislikes during each step of the process, and they made sure I understood how their business was organized and what different groups worked on.
The first interview was very much a get to know you kind of interview...they wanted to see how I thought, and maybe how I matched up with my resume (as I'd said, I felt that I'd met some requirements that they prefer). I'd say that the first round in person interview was to get a sense of my personality and whether they thought I'd fit within the company. It was unusual but I actually preferred it to my experience with some other companies.
I had 4 rounds of interviews, one with a Director, a 2nd with a hiring manager, a 3rd with 2 hiring managers, and a final one with another Director. The hiring managers were the only ones who took a more "traditional" approach, using behavioral type questions, asking how I'd accomplished certain things listed on my resume, so be able to explain those things well. The toughest part was that I think that they disagreed with some of my descriptions of my previous jobs, which was a bit strange.
I think that you should try to understand Cisco's history and culture (look up case studies that really examine parts of the company's culture-I'd had several Cisco case studies in school). Figure out what about their culture appeals to and resonates with you. And talk about that and make connections between it and your previous work experience and future professional and personal goals.
The people were pretty transparent through my process, telling me in all but the 3rd round that they liked me and thought I'd be a good fit and that they were recommending that I proceed, so I don't know if that was just my interviewers but it was good to know that I'd performed well and had a good chance of continuing.
The final decision was made very quickly after the final interview, and came just 2 days later.
I'd say that Cisco likes people who communicate well, think quickly, can come up with creative problems to solutions, and who are very bright. Sounds generic but I'd say that the tone of the questions all fit into those buckets. Think carefully about what motivates and excites you and why you want to work for them, and make sure that everyone you talk to knows it.
Interview Questions
Other Details
I got the interview through a College or University and the interview consisted of a Phone Interview and a Group/Panel Interview.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Program Manager at Cisco Systems
Posted Jan 13, 2010
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3.0
Average Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Interviewed and No Offer
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Interviewed Nov 2009 in San Jose, CA (took 3 months)
Two Phone intervierws, called in San Jose for six 1:1 interviews.
Resume based interviews, very cordial. Each interview was 45 mins. HR was svery slow to respond, and despite repeated efforts to solicit a response yes/ no from them, the process went too slow and I had to move on. HR came back after 3 months, but the process took too long- I could not wait longer for an offer, though Cisco was a preferred employer for me.
Overall, I was impressed by the cordial, informal atmosphere, yet through approach of the interviewers. But the decision process took too long.
Interview Questions
Other Details
I got the interview through an Employee Referral and the interview consisted of a Phone Interview and a 1:1 Interview.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
View Comments (1)
Inappropriate?
Program Manager at Cisco Systems
Posted Dec 6, 2009
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3.0
Average Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Received and Accepted Offer
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Interviewed Jun 2007 (took 1+ week)
Process was fairly straightforward and interviewers gave me a good insight into what the job entailed. I was asked a lot of behavioral questions - around working in a cross functional role and exerting influence, ability to get the job done etc. There was a lot of give and take of information during the interview.
Interview Questions
Other Details
The interview consisted of a Phone Interview and a 1:1 Interview.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
View Comments (1)
Inappropriate?
Program Manager at Cisco Systems
Posted Oct 31, 2009
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2.0
Easy Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Interviewed and No Offer
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Interviewed Oct 2009 in San Jose, CA (took 2 weeks)
The initial contact came from a recruiter at a body-shop. They conducted a 30 minute phone screen, and referred me to Cisco - the position was a 6 month contract. There were several rounds of phone interviews with several manager and director level folks in the team, all 1:1. The questions were really softball "tell me about yourself" type questions. The phone interviews lasted anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour. The people were all really friendly, although by the last interview I could tell they were just going through the motions, they had already selected someone else.
Interview Questions
Other Details
I got the interview through a Recruiter and the interview consisted of a Phone Interview.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
View Comments (1)
Inappropriate?
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