I applied online. The process took 3 weeks. I interviewed at Cisco (San Jose, CA) in Jun 2012
Interview
3 technical interviews, followed by 1 HR. negotiation was tough with HR. tech interview was average. Interviewers were pretty helpful. Hints were given when stuck. it was white board. syntax was of less importance
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
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.
The interview process was two rounds. The first round was a behavioral interview. Straightforward questions, like tell me about the most technically challenging project you have worked on. The second round was a system design interview.