Cisco Systems Interview Questions & Reviews in Research Triangle Park, NC
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Updated Apr 26, 2012 – Interview questions and reviews posted anonymously by interview candidates.
Ratings are reflective of location and job title.
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Difficulty Rating [?] Based on 18 ratings 
“Difficult” Interview
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Interview Experience [?] Based on 18 ratings
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| 11–18 of 18 Cisco Systems Interviews | Sort by |
Finance Manager at Cisco Systems
Posted Mar 28, 2011
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2.0
Easy Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Received and Accepted Offer
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Interviewed May 2009 in Research Triangle Park, NC (took 4+ weeks)
Not very detailed-if hiring manager wants you on board, interviewers are very easy on the candidate.
Interview Questions
Negotiation Details
Able to negotiate. Ask for more base salary,
Other Details
I got the interview through a Recruiter and the interview consisted of a Phone Interview, a 1:1 Interview and a Background Check.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Sales Program at Cisco Systems
Posted Mar 24, 2011
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4.0
Difficult Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Interviewed and No Offer
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Interviewed Nov 2010 in Research Triangle Park, NC (took a day)
Intense interview day including a presentation, sales simulation, and one on one interviews.
Interview Questions
Other Details
The interview consisted of a Phone Interview, a 1:1 Interview and a Presentation.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Associate Systems Engineer at Cisco Systems
Posted Mar 15, 2011
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4.0
Difficult Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Received and Accepted Offer
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Interviewed Sep 2010 in Research Triangle Park, NC (took 3 months)
My first attempt to get this job took place in 2008. Unfortunately the ASE program had stopped hiring briefly for a few years. However, I was determined enough to keep in contact with the recruiters so that when the job did finally come up again in 2010 I was one of the first candidates to be interviewed. Persistence really pays off, trust me.
The first round of interviews was a 1-on-1 phone call with a former ASE within the company. This was more to feel you out, see what kind of a person you were and if you'd be worth the company's time. After passing that interview you are brought in for a full day of interviewing. This is the difficult part.
The full day interview consists of a couple of 1-on-1 or group/panel interviews where you have to give a prepared presentation on a topic they give you, a technical interview, and a roleplay where you act out the part of a salesperson (as if you had the job already) and the interviewers are the customers. (This interview process is nearly the same for ASR candidates as well.)
My suggestion is to prepare a LOT for these interviews. Cisco is an amazing company but they really only take the best people. You have to be a little technical but you really have to be a fun, engaging person. They're looking to make sure you can talk to customers and communicate your point. They want someone who can build a relationship with customers and sell solutions/products that will create a lasting relationship for Cisco.
Interview Questions
Negotiation Details
The negotiation phase is a bit difficult. For me at least they had standardized the salary, and despite negotiating on my part I was unable to raise it at all. Obviously it starts out pretty high, but I did have to take a pay cut for this job. My benefits are incredible though, so take it as you will.
I would suggest talking to the recruitment team about any questions you have, and make sure you can get the best out of the deal. Salary may not be negotiable but some other smaller things are. Plus, as an ASE or ASR you will be interviewing again internally for Cisco in about a year, so keep in mind you can negotiate there as well.
Other Details
I got the interview through a College or University and the interview consisted of a Phone Interview, a 1:1 Interview, a Group/Panel Interview, a Presentation and a Skills Test.
More Cisco Systems Associate Systems Engineer Interviews
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Associate Systems Engineer at Cisco Systems
Posted Feb 22, 2011 — 2 of 2 people found this helpful
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5.0
Very Difficult Interview
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Overall Negative Experience
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Interviewed and No Offer
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Interviewed Nov 2010 in Research Triangle Park, NC (took 2 weeks)
I talked to Cisco reps at a career fair at my University. Then I had an interview on campus the next day. The campus interview was very easy- why do you want to work here? tell me about yourself?- type questions. I was referred for the Associate Systems Engineer position. For this position, I first had a phone interview. The phone interview was very easy - similar type questions to the campus interview. He also asked me to describe something technical to him. About 1-2 weeks later I received an email saying I had been selected to move on to the next round. The final round was an all-day interview at Cisco's RTP office. It consisted of giving a technical presentation on one of their three product categories, doing a sales simulation for which we were given some preparation materials to study, and a technical assessment (for which we were given about 60 pages of technical material to learn).
There were approximately 80 people that interviewed for about 20 slots over a span of two days. On the day I interviewed there were about 50 other people interviewing for the same position. There were about 25-30 Cisco employees performing the interviews, and interviewees were randomly assigned to the different interview stations. The employee to which you were assigned had a large effect on your performance. For example, during my technical presentation, my interviewer interrupted me after about 2 minutes and asked me very difficult technical questions that had nothing to do with my presentation (e.g. How would you explain the internet to your grandma? What's the difference between Linux and Windows? What's the difference between and IP phone and a regular phone?). I never got the chance to finish my actual presentation. Other people said their presentations were very easy and they weren't asked any questions.
The sales simulation was pretty easy, but that was probably because I had nice interviewers. I took notes, and they said that was a good thing. The technical assessment was very difficult. Although I had spent a lot of time learning the material, and I had a good idea of the question they were going to ask (since I was last and I had heard other people discussing it), I was ill-prepared. Again, however, I think this depended a lot on the interviewer. When I talked to people afterward, they said I was asked much more difficult questions than they had had. The interviewers kept saying throughout the day that you didn't need to be a technical expert and that it didn't matter if you knew everything, but that is not the impression I got at all. Instead of a general understanding and some major key points, my interviewer expected me to have memorized every single word of the technical material. For example, the guy asked me what year Ethernet was invented. I was also asked questions that weren't covered in the technical literature they gave us (like what typical wired internet speeds are and in what instances you should use fiber optic cable).
The rest of the day was spent taking tours of the office, learning about the different rotations you could have as part of that position, and listening to presentations about how great Cisco is. I was there from about 7am until about 6pm. I spent probably around 15-20 hours preparing for the interview. All the feedback I received throughout the day from my interviewers was very positive. About two weeks later I received a rejection email. All in all, it left a bad taste in my mouth about Cisco.
Interview Questions
Other Details
I got the interview through a College or University and the interview consisted of a Phone Interview and a Presentation.
More Cisco Systems Associate Systems Engineer Interviews
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Finance Business Analyst at Cisco Systems
Posted Nov 8, 2010 — 1 of 1 people found this helpful
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4.0
Difficult Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Received and Accepted Offer
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Interviewed Oct 2010 in Research Triangle Park, NC (took 2 months)
I applied on-line and 2 weeks later I was contacted by a Cisco Recruiter. We talked about my skill set and she said I was an ideal fit for the position. She sent my resume over to the hiring manager for review to see if he wanted to interview me. I didn't hear anything for 6 weeks. On a Sunday night the local HR rep had me fill out an electronic application. It took 45 mins to fill out application. The next day she set up an interview. I interviewed with the Director of Finance and Business Finance Manager via telepresense. I got a call two weeks later with an offer.
Interview Questions
Negotiation Details
Research the hell out of salaries in your area and be in the ball park.
Other Details
The interview consisted of a Phone Interview and a 1:1 Interview.
More Cisco Systems Finance Business Analyst Interviews
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Software Engineer at Cisco Systems
Posted Oct 26, 2010
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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 2010 in Research Triangle Park, NC (took a day)
very basic data structure and algorithm questions, How do you reverse a singly linked list? Write a C program to reverse a string. Write C code to check if an integer is a power of 2 or not in a single line? Things like that, I was ill prepared though
Interview Questions
Other Details
I got the interview through a College or University and the interview consisted of a 1:1 Interview.
More Cisco Systems Software Engineer Interviews
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Customer Support Engineer at Cisco Systems
Posted Jan 25, 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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Interviewed and No Offer
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Interviewed Nov 2009 in Research Triangle Park, NC (took a day)
Phone interview with Cisco's head of Customer Support Engineering. This is an entry level position so most of the questions had to do with my course work in school. The interviewer was very helpful in positive and negative feedback regarding my experience and overall situation regarding the position.
Interview Questions
Other Details
I Applied Online and the interview consisted of a Phone Interview.
More Cisco Systems Customer Support Engineer Interviews
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Customer Support Engineer at Cisco Systems
Posted Dec 31, 2009 — 1 of 1 people found this helpful
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5.0
Very Difficult Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Received and Accepted Offer
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Interviewed Jan 2007 in Research Triangle Park, NC (took a day)
Extremely difficult phone interview over an hour. 5-6 engineers on the phone asking technical questions across all subjects - Unix, Routing/Switching, Voice, Oracle, etc. In-depth discussions about protocols, RFC/IETF specifications, signaling flows. No trick questions but they quiz you on everything on your resume.
Interview Questions
Negotiation Details
Easy.
Other Details
I Applied Online and the interview consisted of a Phone Interview, a Skills Test and a Background Check.
More Cisco Systems Customer Support Engineer Interviews
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
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