I applied through college or university. The process took 1+ week. I interviewed at Cisco
Interview
There was an on-campus aptitude exam, included standard C, data structure , C++ and networking questions.
I was called at the Pune office for PI one week later. There were two technical and one HR interview. Simple questions regarding data structures, pointers, string manipulations and Computer Network Refererence model.
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.