# Cisco Software Engineer Interview Experience

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Source: https://www.aced.io/experiences/cisco-principal-software-engineer-interview-fe6a26
Source observed: 2026-11-05T00:40:33.184Z
Last checked: 2026-11-05T00:40:33.184+00:00
Indexed: 2026-11-06T15:45:57.421+00:00

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# Cisco Software Engineer Interview Experience

We publish interview experiences to help candidates prepare for technical hiring processes. This experience concerns a **Cisco Principal / Director / L8+ Software Engineer** interview in the United States, conducted onsite.

![Cisco](https://exponent-static.s3.amazonaws.com/company_logos/cisco.png)

## Experience details

| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Company | Cisco |
| Role level | Principal / Director / L8+ |
| Location | United States |
| Format | Onsite |
| Result | Got offer |
| Submitted | 4 months ago |
| Interview date | 8 months ago |
| Timespan | 3 weeks |
| Difficulty | Moderate |
| Total compensation | $720,000 |
| Compensation components | Salary and stock |

## Interview process

The process was described as simple, with few technical deep-dives compared with other software companies. There were no coding rounds. It included **2 system-design rounds, 1 behavioral round, and 1 cross-functional round**. The questions were described as ordinary, and the interviews went well enough to result in an offer.

## Interview rounds

The experience lists **2 questions across 1 round**.

### Final round

The final round contained 2 questions. The question types were:

- [System Design](https://www.aced.io/questions?type=system-design)
- [Technical](https://www.aced.io/questions?type=technical)
- [Behavioral](https://www.aced.io/questions?type=behavioral)

Specific questions:

1. [Build a data classification system for AI governance.](https://www.aced.io/questions/6506)
2. [How do you coach and develop your engineering team?](https://www.aced.io/questions/1546)

## Additional preparation guidance

The experience includes the following interview tips: practice out loud with a timer, keep a framework ready for every round, and ask the recruiter what each interviewer focuses on so you can tailor examples. It also describes the interviewers as collaborative and focused on the user, with structured thinking valued over polish and time left for candidate questions.

## Access and contribution

We offer access to more than 1.8k interview experiences, including new experiences added weekly, through [Become a member](https://www.aced.io/upgrade?src=experience). You can [Share your experience](https://www.aced.io/questions/contribute?src=experience). A **24-hour trial starts once your submission is approved**.

## More Cisco interview experiences

### Senior Product Manager — Cisco · Oct 2026

The sample customer experience describes a recruiter screen, an interview with the hiring leader, and two 45-minute interviews covering strategy, prioritization, technical communication, and design thinking. It reports smooth scheduling, clear communication, a responsive recruiter, and a specific feedback call after the decision. It lists **4 rounds and 7 questions**. [Read the full interview](https://www.aced.io/experiences/cisco-product-manager-interview-4417b9?returnPath=%2Fexperiences).

### AI Engineer — Cisco · Jun 2024

The sample customer experience describes attention to production concerns for agentic systems and transformer fundamentals. It identifies latency-related production questions as a challenge because this was the candidate's first job. It lists **3 rounds and 1 question**. [Read the full interview](https://www.aced.io/experiences/cisco-ai-engineer-interview-d6061a?returnPath=%2Fexperiences).

[See all 3 Cisco interview experiences](https://www.aced.io/experiences?company=cisco).

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