Scale Engineer

Grade 8

Software EngineerSoftware Engineer IIIMedium to Hard

This interview process is for a Software Engineer III (Grade 8) position at Cisco. It is designed to assess a candidate's technical skills, problem-solving abilities, and cultural fit within the company.

Rounds·3

Timeline·~14d

Experience·5 - 8 yrs

Comp band·US$140000 - US$180000

Interview time·150 min

Evaluation

What they measure.

  • Technical Proficiency (Coding, Algorithms, Data Structures)
  • System Design and Architecture Skills
  • Problem-Solving and Analytical Abilities
  • Communication and Collaboration Skills
  • Behavioral Fit and Cultural Alignment

Preparation

How to prepare.

Tips

  1. Review core computer science concepts: Data Structures, Algorithms, Operating Systems, Networking.
  2. Practice coding problems on platforms like LeetCode, HackerRank, focusing on medium to hard difficulty.
  3. Study system design principles and common patterns (caching, load balancing, databases, messaging queues).
  4. Prepare to discuss your past projects in detail, focusing on your contributions and technical challenges.
  5. Understand Cisco's products, services, and company culture.
  6. Practice behavioral questions using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result).

Study plan

Fig · Study plan — 04 phases

01 / 04
01

Phase 01 of 04

Data Structures and Algorithms

Weeks 1-2: DSA Fundamentals & Practice

Weeks 1-2: Focus on Data Structures (Arrays, Linked Lists, Trees, Graphs, Hash Tables) and Algorithms (Sorting, Searching, Dynamic Programming, Greedy Algorithms). Practice implementing these in your preferred language and analyze their time and space complexity.

Questions

Commonly asked.

  • Design a URL shortening service.
  • Implement a function to find the k-th largest element in an unsorted array.
  • Explain the difference between TCP and UDP.
  • Tell me about a time you disagreed with a team member.
  • How would you design a system to handle real-time notifications for millions of users?
  • What are the advantages of using a message queue?
  • Describe a situation where you had to debug a complex issue in production.
  • How do you stay updated with new technologies?
  • Write a function to reverse a linked list.
  • What is polymorphism and how is it implemented in your preferred language?

Locations

Regional differences.

Fig · Regions — 02 locations

01 / 02

Location

San Jose, USA

Interview focus

System Design and ScalabilityDistributed Systems ConceptsProblem-Solving and Algorithmic ThinkingExperience with large-scale production environments

Common questions

  • How would you design a distributed caching system?
  • Explain the CAP theorem and its implications.
  • Describe a challenging technical problem you solved and how you approached it.
  • What are your thoughts on microservices vs. monolithic architectures?
  • How do you ensure code quality and maintainability in a large project?

Tips

  • Be prepared to discuss your experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP).
  • Familiarize yourself with common distributed system patterns.
  • Practice explaining complex technical concepts clearly and concisely.
  • Highlight projects where you had significant impact on performance or scalability.

Rounds

Round-by-round.

Expand a step for evaluation criteria, sample questions, and prep notes.

DSA

Coding questions at Cisco.

Frequently reported on Cisco loops

View all at Cisco

Other guides

More at Cisco.