I applied online. The process took 1 week. I interviewed at Cisco (San Jose, CA) in Jul 2016
Interview
First phone interview, then they called for on-site interview.
Total 4 rounds
Each round one person, mostly technical questions.
There are few questions about network topologies, about previous work and programming questions.
Overall nice experience.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Given a array (it has some zeros and non-zero numbers), sort it such that all zeros should go to the right side of the array and non-zeros numbers shouldn't change the order
ex: 2, 0, 3, 1,0,4 ==> 2,3,1,4,0,0
Conditions: shouldn't use extra space (temp variables ok), should do in 0(n) time
Standard panel, very simple leetcodes. reverse linked list kind of vibe s . I was literarly asked about how a linked list is structured and reversing it. there was almost no friction which I was shocked by one of the reason I did not accept
I applied online. I interviewed at Cisco (Bengaluru) in Jun 2026
Interview
The interview started well and covered backend concepts, Java, system design, and coding. I answered the questions confidently and had a positive interaction throughout.
After receiving the rejection, I spoke with HR to understand the feedback. I was informed that the interviewer believed I was looking at answers during the interview. This came as a surprise because I was not referring to any external material. I have a habit of looking away while thinking or recalling concepts, which I believe may have been misunderstood.
I wish this concern had been raised during the interview so I could have clarified it immediately. If there are concerns about a candidate’s behavior, discussing them in real time or asking for a room scan can help avoid misunderstandings.
Overall, the interview questions were fair, but I feel my evaluation was influenced by this misunderstanding rather than my technical performance.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Sort a nearly sorted array. I was asked for an optimal solution and discussed the time and space complexity.
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.