Cisco Recruitment Process

Last Updated : 12 Jan, 2026

Cisco Systems, Inc. is an American multinational technology conglomerate headquartered in San Jose, California, in Silicon Valley. Founded in 1984, it develops, manufactures, and sells networking hardware, telecom equipment, and high-tech services, specializing in IoT, domain security, and energy management through subsidiaries like OpenDNS, WebEx, and Jasper.

In short, Cisco:

  • Delivers networking, cybersecurity, and collaboration solutions.
  • Focuses on 5G, cloud, IoT, and secure connectivity.
  • Serves global enterprises as the world's largest networking company.

Interview Experiences

It is always beneficial if you know what it is to be there at that moment. So, to give you an advantage, we provide you with the interview experiences of candidates who have been in your situation earlier. Make the most of it.

Few Interview Experiences:

  1. Cisco Interview Experience Freshers 1
  2. Cisco Interview Experience Freshers 2
  3. Cisco Interview Experience Freshers 3
  4. Cisco Interview Experience Freshers 4
  5. Cisco Interview Experience Freshers 5
  6. All articles related to Cisco >>

Where To Apply?

Eligibility Criteria for Engineering Roles

Cisco seeks candidates for engineering roles with specific qualifications:

  • B.E./B.Tech/M.Tech/MCA in CS/IT/ECE or related fields.
  • Good academics (typically 60% or above); no active backlogs.
  • For freshers, no experience needed; strong networking and CS fundamentals.

Cisco Recruitment Process: Selection Rounds

Cisco's hiring process typically involves 5 stages for freshers in engineering roles.

Online Round

The initial stage is an MCQ test (50 questions, no negative marking): 20 General Aptitude, 15 CS/Networking (C, DS, Algo), 15 Electronics (Digital, BJT, CMOS, Microprocessor).

Technical Round-1

A virtual technical interview focusing on core concepts. Expect questions on DSA, OS, Networking, DBMS.

  1. Thief trying to escape
  2. Kth largest element in a stream
  3. Reverse a linked list
  4. Implementing Dijkstra | Set 1 (Adjacency Matrix)
  5. More questions asked >>

Technical Round-2 (For specific roles)

Face-to-face: AJAX scenarios, JavaScript code, MVC discussions, string permutations, LDAP.

Managerial Round

Assesses managerial skills: Work culture at Cisco, future studies, team conflicts, project challenges.

HR Round

In this round, you can expect general discussion to assess cultural fit, communication, and motivation. They also ask questions about resumes.

You can also expect general HR questions.

Cisco Job Roles

Cisco offers diverse engineering roles:

Software Engineer: Develops networking software using C++, Python. Network Engineer: Designs secure infrastructure. DevOps Engineer: Manages CI/CD for IoT solutions. Internships/Graduate Programs: Entry-level in telecom tech.

Technical Skill Requirements for Cisco Roles

Coursework

  • Data Structures & Algorithms (DSA): Linked lists, graphs (Dijkstra), streams, puzzles.
  • Databases: SQL, DBMS concepts.
  • Operating Systems: Processes, threads, memory management.
  • Computer Networks: AJAX, encryption vs encapsulation, connection-oriented/less, LDAP.
  • Software Engineering Principles: OOP, MVC, SDLC, agile practices.
  • Domain Knowledge: IoT, cybersecurity, WebEx collaboration.

Programming Skills

  • Languages: Proficiency in C++, Java, JavaScript.
  • Development: APIs, frameworks (e.g., Node.js).
  • Data Tools: SQL, cloud basics.
  • Testing & Version Control: Unit testing, Git.
  • Problem-Solving: Efficient code for networking scenarios.
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