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.
I applied through an employee referral. The process took 1 day. I interviewed at Cisco (San Jose, CA) in Mar 2010
Interview
Apllied through my friend's friend who is an employee of Cisco. The interview was with three people one-to-one, each averages 45 mins. They needed somebody with expertise in OS, device drivers and C. Most of the questions were from what we find on internet, the standard questions including C programs. Lack of preparation cost me.
Interview questions [2]
Question 1
Details of memory storage for different type of variable definitions in C.
int i;
int j=0;
int k=1;
const int l;
which goes to data, bss, rodata, etc.
In virtual memory, can two different processes have the same address? When you answer "No" which is correct, how one process can access another process' memory, for example the debugger can access the variables and change them while debugging?
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