Software Engineer IV Interview Experience - San Jose, California
Process
I applied for this job through Cisco's external website.
As a former Cisco employee, I found it easy to get phone screens, interviews, and job offers with multiple groups.
When I showed up at the interview, it was almost as if they had already decided to hire me.
I met the hiring manager, who talked about the position at length. We spent most of the time discussing my background and interests, and also went for a lab tour.
I also met a tech lead and another manager, but it was more of a conversation than an interview.
I also met the director (see below).
Questions
Since I was a former Cisco employee, there were no difficult questions. The director did try to play some sort of personality quiz with me by asking me to describe three adjectives that would describe me (typical psychological mumbo-jumbo).
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Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 10 interview experiences for the Cisco Software Engineer IV role in San Jose, California.
Success Rate
Cisco's interview process for their Software Engineer IV roles in San Jose, California is incredibly easy as the vast majority of engineers get an offer after going through it.
Experience Rating
Candidates reported having very good feelings for Cisco's Software Engineer IV interview process in San Jose, California.
Cisco Work Experiences
- 4.0Cisco is a well-cultured, healthy, growing company with convenient support for families of employeesSoftware Engineer IV • Current EmployeeSan Jose, California, United StatesJune 11, 2008Pros: Good culture, good childcare, flexible working time and location, and trust from management.Cons: not as innovative as some young and new companies
- 2.0The Truman ShowSoftware Engineer IV • Current EmployeeSan Jose, California, United StatesJanuary 16, 2010Pros: After all these cutbacks, benefits are still good. Flexibility to work from home (can be a double-edged sword). Access to the latest tools. Peers are generally nice to each other.Cons: No realistic prospects for career advancement. Innovation cannot be mandated when we are expected to work at odd hours. Cost cutting has gone to ridiculous extremes with 'no print' days. Steady loss of benefits and perks from 2000. Management is good at PowerPoint programming and taking credit. Can get laid off for being at the wrong place – has nothing to do with performance in most cases. Reminded of the movie *The Truman Show*, where everything is orchestrated and you are supposed to be happy.
- 1.0Big Company, Unfair WorkloadSoftware Engineer IV • Former EmployeeSan Jose, California, United StatesMarch 14, 2009Pros: It's a big company with lots of folks and lots of projects. The potential to find something you like is very high. You can also relocate to any part of the world for projects. Health benefits are becoming more expensive every year. There are *great* visionaries in Cisco. They get the big leaps in technology right – every time. The incentive systems have become squeaky but still work to a large extent. We need to reform and get a bit of the old Cisco magic back.Cons: Big companies can drag you down. The processes, the strong pull to the median, and not much transparency. Some folks get by with 40-hour weeks, whereas others kill themselves with 100-hour weeks. It's not a fair place by any means.
Cisco Interview Questions
