As my college placement journey comes to a grateful end, I felt like sharing interview experiences from the companies I interviewed with.

Here’s my favourite one. ✨

Application Process
There was no direct application link.
I personally reached out to Cisco employees and secured a referral via LinkedIn

Online Assessment (June 24, 2025) – 90 mins

• 42 MCQs — Computer Networks, OOPs, OS, DBMS, Aptitude, CS Fundamentals
• 2 DSA questions — 1 Hard DP + 1 LC Medium Graphs

This round tested time and accuracy equally. Finished just 2 minutes before submission. Around 35+ MCQs went right.

📊 Official stats:
~30K applied → ~23K appeared → 75 shortlisted for hackathon + interviews.

2-Day Hackathon (July 17–18)

A completely different league — sponsorships, prizes, goodies, high energy, and projects around AI-powered Network Security (even Quantum Computing).

Hands down, my best hackathon experience ever 🏆

Pre-Interview Step
A blind resume — no name, CGPA, college, or personal details. Hiring purely on talent 🎯

Interview Day – August 6, 2025; intense 8am- 8pm session.

Round 1: Technical (1 hour)
Biggest lesson: know your resume inside out
Final evaluation happens after all rounds, so every round matters.

I was asked about:
• Agentic AI project in detail with code walkthrough & demo — tested technical expertise
• LLMs & Python — tested underlying concepts
• Scenario-based OS & OOP questions — e.g., printer with 2 arriving processes; tested real-world application
• CN fundamentals — tested theoretical knowledge
• Monte Carlo puzzle — tested aptitude & logical reasoning
• Easy DSA question (string manipulation)
• HR questions — team conflicts, theft of credit, leadership

Round 2: Managerial (1 hour)
Every fine detail about my projects was discussed:

• How have you implemented concepts of CN in the projects? have you used any protocols?- detailed cross-questioning
• How have you implemented Operating Systems in this? this was tough — I don’t even remember what I said. 😅
• Detailed code-walkthrough of agents, tools & pipelines. Result demo. MCP servers
• Discussion on launching this project as a startup idea- stakeholders, impact.
• Why Cisco?

Then he said:

“You will do great in life. You are too good at too many things, Nidhi.”

I’ll carry that line forever, sir. 💙

Clear communication and tech depth were the key.

Round 3: Executive (1 hour)

• Internship at IIT BHU (SDLC, metrics, results)
• Open-source contributions (asked for org links)
• Recursion + DFS puzzle
• HR, hobbies, PORs
• Curveball: “Cisco may never fully go into AI/ML. How are you suitable then?”

Ending remark:

“Good job, Nidhi. Hope to meet you in office.”

Round 4: ETR (10-15 mins)

Cisco products, competitors, and college terms — candid and calm.

Final Result 🎉

After 1.5 months of patience and prayers — LOIs rolled out. Selected.

It really is a hundred NOs before the final YES.
Hope this helps someone.. 🌱