Cisco | Software Engineer - New Grad | Bengaluru | Nov 2022 [OFFER]
Summary
I interviewed for a Software Engineer - New Grad position at Cisco in Bengaluru and received an offer. The process involved an online assessment, two technical rounds, a technical + managerial round, and an HR interview, covering projects, CS fundamentals, various coding problems, and real-life system design scenarios.
Full Experience
I applied for the Software Engineer position at Cisco through a referral, as a 2023 New Grad passout with a Bachelor of Engineering in Computers from a Tier 3 college.
Online Assessment
I received a Hackerrank test link that included an easy coding problem, a couple of MCQs covering CS fundamental topics, and a medium-level dynamic programming problem similar to Burst Balloons on LeetCode. After successfully completing this, I was shortlisted for interviews.A notable aspect of the interview process was its emphasis on anonymity. I had to submit a redacted resume, and during the interviews, I was only allowed to mention a candidate code, not my name, college, or any other personal information. I really appreciated this bias-free approach.
Technical Interview 1
The first technical interviewer, an experienced Software Engineer, reviewed my resume and inquired about my projects, skills, and internships. We then delved deeply into my first project, discussing its architecture, potential flaws, performance, testing methodologies, and areas for improvement. Following this, we engaged in technical discussions on concepts from Computer Networks and Security (CNS), Operating Systems (OS), and Data Structures and Algorithms. I was also given a very easy coding problem, which I believe was primarily to assess my implementation skills. The feedback I received for this round was positive.Technical Interview 2
My second interviewer was also an experienced Software Engineer. Similar to the first round, he reviewed my resume and asked about my projects and internships. After explaining my project, we had a detailed technical discussion about it. This round featured a coding problem that evolved case by case, feeling like an open-ended challenge. We then discussed various OS concepts, specifically real-life applications on MacOS. I requested feedback at the end of the round, which was favorable.Technical + Managerial Round
This was the most intensive round, conducted by a panel of three highly experienced Software Engineers. After a brief introduction, they presented an open-ended, real-life problem with multiple facets. This problem rigorously tested my skills in DBMS, CN, Graph Algorithms, and several other concepts. The discussions were very low-level and lasted for about an hour, truly making me sweat. Following this, I was presented with a medium-level bit manipulation coding problem; I first outlined my approach and then wrote the code. The round concluded with a discussion about life and work at Cisco.HR Interview
The HR interview was a short round, lasting about 15 minutes. It began with a brief introduction and some casual conversation about my hobbies and interests. I was asked about my willingness to relocate to Bengaluru if selected, and whether I had any other job offers (I mentioned an existing offer from an MNC custodian bank for a Software Engineer position). We then had a discussion about Cisco and its operations.Later that same day, I received a Letter of Intent via email, along with the compensation details. I hope this experience proves helpful to others.
Interview Questions (1)
During the online assessment, I encountered a medium-level dynamic programming problem. It was described as being similar to LeetCode's Burst Balloons problem, which involves maximizing the coins collected by bursting balloons. While the exact problem statement was not provided, the difficulty and concept were explicitly linked to this well-known LeetCode problem.