I applied online. The process took 3 days. I interviewed at Cisco (Ottawa, ON) in Jan 2020
Interview
To start with my interview experience is that this was the worst interview I have ever been.
I have been said that I will get a call after applying online. The interviewer was late by 15 minutes and started to asked technical questions.
I have been requested for Onsite interview the next day. Here comes the weirdest part. The recruiter didn't explain any process or anything about the interview or what to prepare.
The interviewer was late again by 20 mins and he didn't even apologies or say something. There were four rounds of interview and first round I was asked questions just for the sake of screwing me up and majority of the questions wouldn't been used in real world (I have been working for 6+ years).
Next round was to solve two algorithm questions and I solved it. Later a person came in and never let me complete anything I was about to express or answer. Interrupting in the middle and the weird part is all the people came asked about tell about yourself individually and showed no interest in listening and asked me to cut off in middle.
I don't think so that is how someone who dedicates 2-3 hours of his time in a day and gets treated like this. Lastly there were some technical questions in paper and the weirdest thing is, I have been given wrong set of questions. Such a waste of my time and I would never apply here in future.
Standard panel, very simple leetcodes. reverse linked list kind of vibe s . I was literarly asked about how a linked list is structured and reversing it. there was almost no friction which I was shocked by one of the reason I did not accept
I applied online. I interviewed at Cisco (Bengaluru) in Jun 2026
Interview
The interview started well and covered backend concepts, Java, system design, and coding. I answered the questions confidently and had a positive interaction throughout.
After receiving the rejection, I spoke with HR to understand the feedback. I was informed that the interviewer believed I was looking at answers during the interview. This came as a surprise because I was not referring to any external material. I have a habit of looking away while thinking or recalling concepts, which I believe may have been misunderstood.
I wish this concern had been raised during the interview so I could have clarified it immediately. If there are concerns about a candidate’s behavior, discussing them in real time or asking for a room scan can help avoid misunderstandings.
Overall, the interview questions were fair, but I feel my evaluation was influenced by this misunderstanding rather than my technical performance.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Sort a nearly sorted array. I was asked for an optimal solution and discussed the time and space complexity.
They care about your skills, rather than your background. They have a template which they provide and you got to fill that, everyone is provided a unique number. You are instructed not to disclose any of your personal details in the due course of your interview.