Cisco Ideathon Interview Experience 2021

About Cisco: Cisco’s purpose is to power an inclusive future for all. We believe in the power of technology and what it makes possible for our communities, businesses, and governments around the world. Cisco Systems, a technology company based in America, which operates internationally, is best known for being the top networking company. It is one of the largest corporations in the world. Cisco was founded in 1984 and has its headquarters in San Jose, California.
Cisco is also known for its amazing work culture, it has been named #1 on the World’s Best Workplaces list by Great Places to Work and Fortune Magazine for the second time. I’ve only worked here for 6 months but I can vouch for the great work culture here! 

Cisco Ideathon: The Cisco Ideathon is an opportunity for students with potential and creativity to be a part of Cisco’s technological innovations.
Cisco Ideathon is a hiring program by Cisco, conducted annually, to hire students who have the right skills and potential, across the nation. It’s a golden opportunity for students from tier-3 colleges to get a chance to work for one of the biggest IT companies in the world.

After knowing about Cisco and Cisco Ideathon, let’s get to the main point of this article i.e. the complete process of the Ideathon and my experience.
**A link is included at the end, to learn more about Ideathon 2022.**
Eligibility Criteria For Ideathon 2021

• Participating students must have completed either one of the following NetAcad courses at the time of registering for Cisco Ideathon 2021: 
  • CCNA Module 1 + Python, or
  • Networking Essentials + Python, or
  • DevNet
• Participating student must be a final year student (graduating in 2022) from BE/B. Tech, ME/M.Tech, Integrated Dual Degree, MCA, and MSc degrees with CGPA 7 or above (highest degree). Open for all branches.
• No current backlogs /arrears at the time of participation.
• Participating students must be available for a 6-month full-time internship at Cisco Systems, Bangalore; from Jan to June 2022.
  *I took instructor-led CCNA Module 1 and Python Course, it’s totally fine to take up courses as and when you like. You should complete the required courses before the Ideathon.
  **for appearing in Ideathon, students must be from a college registered with Cisco Networking Academy, please check in with the TPO Cell at your university to know about it.

The contest journey

Registrations: The link to register was shared by our NetAcad Instructor. After you register for the Ideathon, if you are shortlisted based on the eligibility criteria, you’ll receive links on your registered email ID for further rounds according to the timeline.

Round 1: Preliminary Online Quiz
The preliminary quiz had two sections: a mandatory section and an advanced section (Advanced Networking or Advanced Software programming), students had to choose one of two and register depending on their advanced topic preference.
The mandatory section had a time limit of 60 minutes and consisted of questions based upon:

• Computer Fundamentals/Programming MCQs
• Aptitude questions

The advanced sections had a time limit of 30 minutes.

*I prepared the basics of computer networks, DSA, OS, OOPS, DBMS and aptitude for this round. I chose Advanced Networking because I wasn’t very confident in my DSA skills at the time of the quiz round. The Advanced Networking section had CCNA and networking questions.
**15300 students were shortlisted pan India for the 1st round out of which only 4048 students were shortlisted pan India for the 2nd round.

Round 2: Video Submission Round
We received Video Submission instructions via email from Cisco some days after the Preliminary Quiz Round. We were given two problem statements, we had to choose one, research thoroughly and create a 90-sec video presenting our ideas to solve the given problem.
Problem statements given were:

• Knowing customers’ real-time pulse is a huge challenge today, How can you leverage data science to help in predicting customer experience/sentiment proactively unlike the existing survey mechanisms which are reactive in nature? (Hint: Think about factors that can influence customer experience)
• Given the challenges that exist in our country, using possible sensor data from future cars, derive solutions that can help reduce the carbon footprint that can include things like a carbon tax, carpooling detection and matching, and traffic re-routing among many other things.

*I chose the first problem statement, my few cents for such rounds:
Research thoroughly on the problem statement before making the video, I took the most time researching and curating a clean and formal presentation on the topic.
Always take care of your attire and the tone of your voice for the video.
Be concise and to the point in the video, you can always mention the additional information in the slides.
Using existing technologies as examples and keeping the video interesting, I made sure to include a lot of stats and facts.

Round 3: Online Technical Assessment/UR Test
From this round, the track for campus recruits and ideathon(off-campus) recruits will be the same. Even though the number of competitors might have reduced from this round, the level of difficulty was increased and the competition was fierce.
The test consisted of advanced Aptitude Based MCQs, Computer Fundamental MCQs and 1 or 2 (Medium to Hard level) programming questions, the time limit for this round is 60 minutes.
Before attempting the Online Technical Assessment Test, they ask you to fill your preference for a few job roles. In Ideathon 2021, there were Software Engineer – Internal Applications, Consulting Engineer – CX, Business Analyst, Technical Systems Engineer and Site Reliability Engineer roles. Based on the performance in this test, we were given roles.

Interview Rounds: The people who passed the UR test were shortlisted for Interview Rounds.
Shortlisted students were sent invites to join the Webex space, based on the job role assigned to you, for further communication. I was shortlisted for the role of Consulting Engineer/CX intern.
There were three interview rounds; technical interview, managerial interview and HR interview.
All interviews happened in the span of two days.
*607 students were shortlisted pan India for the Final Interview Rounds.

1. The Technical Interview: There was 1 interviewer. He asked about general programming basics, a few coding questions, and questions on networking and CCNA.
A lot of questions were from what I had mentioned in the resume and about the projects. Be honest about what you mention in your resume and be thorough with your projects, it’ll be easier for you to answer when the interviewer cross-questions.
After interviews were done for the day, a list of shortlisted students, for the MR was shared in the space.
2. The Managerial Interview: The MR happened the next day. It was more or less a mix of technical and managerial questions. Here they asked computer fundamentals, scenario-based or situation-based questions, about the projects I had mentioned in my resume, and everything I had done during my college years.
The list of shortlisted students was shared on the space. 

3. The HR Interview: HR happened in the evening on the same day, after the MR.

• Listen very carefully to what they say, we were told about the job role, our stipend and the CTC breakdown in this round. They also assess your confidence level, communication skills and the ability to get through different situations here.
• Don’t get excited or overconfident here, many people were rejected from this round too, yes even after telling you about the pay.
• *All the interviewers were sweet and supportive. Revise the concepts of DSA, OS, DBMS, OOPS, and Computer Networks. Try to be updated with the latest technology jargon and news just as a side measure and to create conversations with the interviewers.
• *Please, please, please work on your communication skills, it can make or break the interview.
• *If you don’t know the answer, it’s okay, the interviewer will guide you through it. Just remember that even if the right answer is important, having the skill to make people understand your approach or perspective, matters more.
• *Be confident and trust yourself, you’ve got this. 🙂

The Final Verdict: A few days after the HR interview, the result was announced. I got selected! All the best! Believe in yourself and you’ll rock it. I hope to see you here at Cisco:)

To learn about the details for Ideathon 2022, click on the link below:

https://www.cisco.com/c/m/en_in/customer-experience-academy.html#~contest-details