Round 1: Coding

Attempted a coding exam online on GeeksforGeeks and could solve 4 out of 5 questions. I received a call from HR, who informed me that I had passed the coding round and would be having a video call interview.

Round 2: On-call Interview (Video Call)

I had a video call with the interviewer, who asked me about my projects and posed logical questions. The interview lasted for an hour.

After Round 2, HR called and asked me to come to the campus for an in-person interview.

Round 3: Technical Questions

All questions related to Java, algorithms, and Data Structures were asked. I answered them well and proceeded to the next round.

Round 4: Manager Round

He asked project-related questions and other logical questions. He inquired if I would be willing to take a developer role, and I said yes. He mentioned that I performed very well in the previous rounds but was slightly overqualified for that particular role. He also stated he would refer me to another position.

The next day, I received a call from HR stating that I was rejected. I had performed exceptionally well and was surprised, but I accepted that rejections are a part of the job search.

Suddenly, about two days later, I received another call from HR. They explained there had been a miscommunication and the manager had referred me to a different role. They asked if I would be willing to come to campus for another in-person interview. They stated they would only consider the coding and video call rounds, and I would have to attend all other rounds. I was happy to attend and went to the campus for a second time.

Round 3: Full Technical Discussion

This round was again a full technical discussion, covering Java, Data Structures, and algorithms.

Round 4: In this round, I was asked about my previous projects and my contributions.

Round 5: I was asked to outline the design flow for a given problem, how I would develop the framework, and how I would structure it. These were all design-level questions.

To be honest, I performed exceptionally well in all rounds and was expecting an offer. I could sense that the interviewers were satisfied with my performance. I did not say "I don't know" to any question they asked.

Surprisingly, the next day, I received a call from HR stating that I was rejected. I was taken aback and asked if they could tell me which round I failed or provide feedback for improvement. The HR representative was quite rude, stating that such information could not be shared. I recounted the entire story about the miscommunication from the previous time and emphasized that this interview had also gone exceptionally well. I mentioned that I had come to campus twice and desired feedback for my improvement, but he continued to reply rudely. As I was about to ask more questions, he disconnected the call. That was a bad experience!

After attending the in-person interview twice and performing exceptionally well, I was ultimately rejected without proper reason or feedback. I did not expect this from a company like Cisco.

Coding (online)

Algorithms (searching, sorting)

Data structures (LL, DLL, Maps, Queues)

JAVA concepts

Project or framework designing