Software Engineer Interview Experience - Portland, Oregon
Process
I went through a 45-minute phone interview and then a 2.5-hour on-site interview.
The phone interview consisted mostly of resume and background-related questions, and a few very basic Object-Oriented Programming questions.
The on-site interview was conducted by five people in three different sessions. They started asking more technical questions here, such as reviewing code snippets for improvements or errors, asking for more detail about my knowledge of the languages on my resume, and some brain teasers.
Overall, they were friendly and encouraging.
Questions
Design a vending machine.
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Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 1 interview experience for the Cisco Software Engineer role in Portland, Oregon.
Success Rate
Cisco's interview process for their Software Engineer roles in Portland, Oregon is extremely selective, failing the vast majority of engineers.
Experience Rating
Candidates reported having very good feelings for Cisco's Software Engineer interview process in Portland, Oregon.
Cisco Work Experiences
- 4.0Overall Good Place to WorkSoftware Engineer • Current EmployeePortland, Oregon, United StatesMarch 11, 2024Pros: Great work-life balance, respectful colleagues.Cons: Relatively lower pay for a large software company. Lots of layoffs, which are pretty common for the company every 2 years or so.
- 4.0Decent company, but they work you hardSoftware Engineer • Former EmployeePortland, Oregon, United StatesFebruary 6, 2020Pros: Great people. Management seems pretty transparent.Cons: Performance reviews do not exist; rather, you either get a promotion or you don't. It is not clear at all. Does not handle compression well when new hires start.
- 3.0Good Start, Low PaySoftware Engineer • Current EmployeeBengaluru, Karnataka, IndiaNovember 13, 2025Pros: Benefits are good. A good place to start a career.Cons: Salary is less. Work-life balance can go for a toss.
Cisco Interview Questions
