Cisco

I applied for the Cisco Software Engineering Intern role through an off-campus opening. After the initial application screening, I received the online assessment. Round 1: Online Assessment The OA was conducted on HackerRank. It had around 40+ MCQs covering Computer Networks, OOP, Operating Systems, DBMS, aptitude and other computer fundamentals. There were also 2 coding questions, one based on Dynamic Programming and another on Graphs. The coding section was considerably harder than the MCQs. I was able to solve one problem completely but couldn't fully solve the other. After the assessment, I received the interview call. Round 2: Technical Interview 1 The first technical round was mainly focused on my resume and projects. The interviewer asked me to explain my previous projects in detail, including the technologies I used and my individual contribution. After the project discussion, I was given a basic DSA problem related to frequency of characters and arranging them in alphabetical order. I initially misunderstood part of the expected output because I didn't ask enough clarifying questions. The interviewer then focused more on how I would identify and debug the issue. We also discussed some Computer Networks and core CS fundamentals. Round 3: Technical Interview 2 The second technical round was more discussion-oriented. Questions were asked around my projects, databases and networking. I was asked about SQL vs NoSQL, database transactions and the ACID properties. There were also questions related to Cisco's networking domain and how different components of a software system communicate. The exact focus of this round varied depending on the interviewer, with DSA and Computer Networks being common areas. Round 4: HR The final round was relatively short. I was asked what I knew about Cisco, why I wanted to join the company, and some questions about my career interests. The interviewer also explained the internship and asked a few general behavioral questions. After the interviews, I waited for the final result. A few days later, the shortlisted candidates were announced, but my name wasn't on the list. Result: Not Selected. The biggest takeaway for me was that Cisco's process isn't only about DSA. Networking, OS, DBMS and being able to explain every project on your resume are equally important.