Process
Two in-person interviews were conducted.
The first interview was 20 minutes long and focused on networking and low-level programming questions.
The second interview was 45 minutes and involved a design question.
Questions
What is a router?
What is a seg-fault? How is a seg-fault caused?
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Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 436 interview experiences for the Cisco Software Engineer role in United States.
Success Rate
42%
Pass Rate
Cisco's interview process for their Software Engineer roles in the United States is fairly selective, failing a large portion of engineers who go through it.
Experience Rating
Positive58%
Neutral30%
Negative12%
Candidates reported having very good feelings for Cisco's Software Engineer interview process in United States.
Cisco Work Experiences
5.0
Great company to work for!
Software Engineer • Former Employee
San Jose, California, United States
June 29, 2023
Pros: Everything is great at Cisco Systems!
Cons: I did not really have anything.
3.0
Solid Company, Org Dependent
Software Engineer • Current Employee
San Francisco, California, United States
November 2, 2025
Pros: Solid company - very org dependent.
Cons: Experience is very org-dependent.
5.0
Great Company Culture
Software Engineer • Current Employee
Richardson, Texas, United States
October 10, 2021
Pros: Cisco was a place where we worked hard and treated each other with respect. I was fortunate to have great managers throughout my 20 years at Cisco. My managers gave me authority to make decisions and did not micromanage. I led a small team of software engineers, and we had great team chemistry.
Cons: The only downside was the sometimes unrealistic expectations of our customers. I was in software support, and the customers expected instant results even on complex problems that took weeks to resolve.
- 5.0Great company to work for!Software Engineer • Former EmployeeSan Jose, California, United StatesJune 29, 2023Pros: Everything is great at Cisco Systems!Cons: I did not really have anything.
- 3.0Solid Company, Org DependentSoftware Engineer • Current EmployeeSan Francisco, California, United StatesNovember 2, 2025Pros: Solid company - very org dependent.Cons: Experience is very org-dependent.
- 5.0Great Company CultureSoftware Engineer • Current EmployeeRichardson, Texas, United StatesOctober 10, 2021Pros: Cisco was a place where we worked hard and treated each other with respect. I was fortunate to have great managers throughout my 20 years at Cisco. My managers gave me authority to make decisions and did not micromanage. I led a small team of software engineers, and we had great team chemistry.Cons: The only downside was the sometimes unrealistic expectations of our customers. I was in software support, and the customers expected instant results even on complex problems that took weeks to resolve.
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