The Ultimate Guide to Acing Your Cisco Engineer Interview

Getting hired as a Cisco engineer is no easy feat. With competition fierce and expectations high, you need to enter each interview ready to showcase your technical expertise, problem-solving skills, and communication abilities.

This comprehensive guide will equip you with insider tips, sample questions, and winning answers to help you land your dream Cisco role.

Why Cisco Engineers Are In High Demand

Cisco’s networking solutions dominate the enterprise technology landscape. From routers and switches to complex software-defined networks, Cisco powers the infrastructure of modern businesses.

As digital transformation accelerates globally, demand for skilled Cisco engineers continues to grow. Companies seek pros who can design implement, troubleshoot and optimize intricate Cisco-centric environments.

Beyond hard skills, Cisco engineers need excellent critical thinking, communication and collaboration abilities to translate complex requirements into robust secure networks.

Preparing for your Cisco interview demonstrates dedication It signals you have what it takes to step up to this highly specialized and challenging role.

Most Common Cisco Engineer Interview Questions

While each interview will be unique, certain questions tend to get asked more frequently:

Technical Questions

• How would you troubleshoot a slow network connection between two routers?

• Explain spanning tree protocol and its benefits.

• What are the differences between IOS and NX-OS?

• Describe how to configure VLANs on a Cisco switch.

• How does OSPF determine the best path for routing traffic?

Experience and Skills Questions

• Tell me about your experience designing and implementing Cisco networks.

• What network monitoring tools are you familiar with and how have you used them?

• How do you stay up-to-date on the latest Cisco technologies?

• Give an example of a time you successfully troubleshot a complex network outage.

• How would you explain a technical issue like VLANs to a non-technical colleague?

Scenario-Based Questions

• If a core router went down, how would you approach restoring connectivity?

• You need to securely connect a new remote office. Explain how you would configure the Cisco router for VPN access.

• Imagine you must upgrade the OS on all switches during a short maintenance window. How would you approach this?

8 Insider Tips to Ace Your Cisco Engineer Interview

1. Brush up on Cisco’s latest offerings – Study their newest hardware, software, and services so you can discuss intelligently.

2. Revisit foundational networking concepts – VLANs, IP addressing, routing protocols, access lists – master the basics.

3. Prepare for technical questions – Review Cisco CLI commands, troubleshooting tools, VPN setup, etc.

4. Reflect on your projects – Identify successes to illustrate your skills and knowledge. Quantify results.

5. Have smart questions ready – Ask about culture, career growth, the team’s priorities and challenges.

6. Simulate scenario questions – Practice thinking through hypothetical situations you may encounter on the job.

7. Perfect your answers – Be precise yet conversational. Include relevant details and real examples.

8. Dress the part – Project professionalism with neat attire in line with the work environment.

With preparation and confidence in your abilities, you’ll be ready to impress hiring managers and position yourself as the ideal candidate. Keep these tips in mind, and you’ll ace your next Cisco interview!

General Interview Questions & Sample Answers

Let’s now dive deeper into some of the most common Cisco engineer interview questions along with suggested responses:

Question: Tell me about your experience with Cisco products and technologies.

This open-ended question allows you to highlight your knowledge and background with Cisco solutions.

Sample Answer:

I have over 5 years of experience working extensively with Cisco switches, routers, firewalls and network management software. On the switching side, I am highly proficient in the Cisco Catalyst switch portfolio including the 2960, 3650 and 4500 series switches which I have implemented in various enterprise environments. My routing expertise covers ISR and ASR routers where I have configured OSPF, EIGRP, MPLS, VPNs, NAT and QoS extensively. I am also well-versed in Cisco’s network security and wireless solutions having deployed ASA firewalls, Cisco Identity Services Engine for access control and Aironet access points for several clients. In addition, I have used Prime Infrastructure, Data Center Network Manager and other Cisco management platforms to monitor, analyze and troubleshoot issues within the network. I am dedicated to continuously expanding my Cisco skillset and ensuring I am up to date on their latest offerings.

This demonstrates a strong working knowledge of Cisco’s product suite while highlighting breadth and depth of hands-on experience. Quantifying deployments and software experience is key.

Question: How would you go about troubleshooting a malfunctioning Cisco router?

This tests your systematic approach to diagnosing and resolving critical network issues.

Sample Answer:

First, I would identify the specific symptoms of the problem – whether it is slow performance, flapping interfaces or routing issues. Next, I would log into the router and collect diagnostic information using commands like “show version”, “show interfaces status”, “show ip route” and others. If necessary, I would perform packet captures or use debug traces to gain additional insights. Using this data, I would isolate the potential causes – things like faulty ports, corrupt routing tables, ACL misconfigurations etc. Once I have hypothesised the issue, I would methodically test and validate the root cause. Finally, I would correct the underlying problem and verify full functionality is restored. I would also document the entire troubleshooting process to reference if necessary. The key is having a structured methodology combining technical know-how, analytical thinking and good documentation.

This demonstrates your approach relies on established best practices versus shooting in the dark. It highlights key skills like critical thinking, tool expertise and documentation.

Question: How would you go about migrating a legacy network architecture to a Cisco SDN solution?

This assesses your ability to plan and execute strategic network evolutions.

Sample Answer:

Migrating to SDN is a major endeavor requiring careful planning and execution. First, I would conduct a detailed assessment of the existing legacy architecture including network hardware, topology, protocols, and applications. This analysis helps determine optimal strategies for modernization. Next, I would map out network requirements and identify suitable SDN platforms like Cisco ACI that align with these needs. A key planning task is designing the new architecture for optimal scalability, automation, and security. With a solid foundation in place, I would develop a phased migration plan to incrementally shift functionality to the SDN platform. This minimizes downtime and business disruption. I would also put training plans in place to upskill teams on managing the new environment. Post migration, I would continue monitoring performance and making tweaks to ensure the updated architecture realization the envisioned goals. With the right planning and oversight, network migrations can progress smoothly and improve agility.

This highlights cross-functional knowledge – architecture design, solution mapping, phased rollout, training/change management, performance monitoring.

Question: How would you go about implementing a site-to-site VPN between Cisco routers at two office locations?

You need strong VPN and security configuration skills to succeed as a Cisco network engineer. This question tests that ability.

Sample Answer:

To set up a site-to-site VPN, I would first configure IKEv2 and IPsec encryption protocols on each router to secure the tunnel. I would include AES-256 or another advanced algorithm for optimal data protection. Next, I would generate authentication credentials like the pre-shared key or RSA-signed certificates to enable the two routers to establish the VPN tunnel. I would assign logical interfaces and protected IP address subnets to the individual VPN tunnels. I would implement access lists to restrict communication to the site-to-site tunnel only. Once parameters like crypto maps are configured on each router, I would test and verify seamless connectivity between the office networks over the VPN. Finally, I would configure features like DPD and keepalive messages to maintain reliability. Site-to-site VPN technology enables secure communications while providing business continuity.

This demonstrates you understand the step-by-step process for configuring and hardening site-to-site VPN connectivity using Cisco routers.

Question: Imagine you need to design a wireless network for a hotel. How would you approach this?

Testing your ability to design networks from the ground up is key for any network engineering role. This question evaluates those skills.

Sample Answer:

_Designing a wireless network for a hotel presents some unique considerations. First, I would survey the environment and usage requirements. Factors like building size, construction materials, number of rooms, expected capacity and device types will inform the design. I would likely deploy a centralized controller-based architecture using Cisco’s AireOS for robust management. Cisco 3800 series access points provide necessary coverage for a hotel environment. I would optimize AP placement based on the RF site survey. For authentication, I would implement a captive portal using Cisco ISE integrated with the wireless controller. This allows for self-service onboarding. I would leverage VLANs and ACLs to isolate guest traffic and secure access to internal resources as required. Redundant controllers and APs provide high availability. Post-implementation, I would actively monitor for dead spots, interference,