while cisco is overall a great company, some of their interviewers can be very unknowledgeable and unprofessional/disrespectful. The interviewer/engineer called in 10 minutes late on a scheduled 30 minutes call, then asked questions totally unrelated to what the group is doing, drilling down on unnecessary details about tools the team is NOT using, not to mention lacking of knowledge on even the basic data structure/algorithms, and jeering and laughing throughout, and this is someone with a 'principle software engineer' title. Definitely a cut or two below top tier company. I sent in my request to withdraw my application right after the interview.
Other Software Engineer Interview Reviews for Cisco
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.
I applied online. I interviewed at Cisco in May 2026
Interview
Series of 4 interviews, First screening with HR Recruiter, reviewed resume and qualifications, second was hiring manager, reviewed experience and skills. Technical interview with team as a panel type interview, Last with hiring Director.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Technical questions on networking. Experience with work enviroment