I applied online. The process took 3 months. I interviewed at Cisco
Interview
I had 7 different interviews over the course of 3 months with 13 people ranging from members of the team I would have been managing to other managers in the department where I would be working. But I never interviewed with the hiring manager, himself, who told me at the end that he was going to go with his original choice (a internal candidate who had been with the company for many years) because he just didn't have a sense of how well I could manage people and he knew this other guy better. Perhaps he would have known what my skills and experience were like if he had bothered to ask me any questions. A little frustrating, I have to say. If he was just going to hire someone he knew and was comfortable with, he could have saved me 3 months worth of waiting and 7 different interviews.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Very basic questions, like: how have you handled confrontation, how do you say "no" to someone, do you micro-manage, what is your leadership style like. Not a lot of deep diving into these areas. I got the impression that the people interviewing me were not used to interviewing management level candidates.
I applied online. The process took 2 months. I interviewed at Cisco in Sep 2015
Interview
Throughout the 7 rounds of interviews with main stakeholders, it felt like I had entered a universe of genuinely nice, knowledgeable people who were making me feel at ease during the conversations. Naturally (difficult) questions were asked around problem solving capabilities and human interaction, however it was more like conversing with friends who rooted for my success. Best interview process I have ever experienced.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
"How do you influence people in feeling/sharing accountability whilst officially/organisationally not being accountable?"
I applied online. The process took 5 weeks. I interviewed at Cisco (Research Triangle Park, NC)
Interview
Initially it was a phone screen to get an idea whether or not it would be good to proceed with the interview process. The phone screen was also an opportunity to describe the position to me so that I could determine if it's a role I would be interested in should the interview process continue. The first interview was with a panel of a few managers. Once I progressed I was interviewed by senior management. The interview process included verifying the items on my resume as well as talking openly about accomplishments and general methods of management. They really tried to get a feel for how I deal with different difficult situations as well as the day to day management of technical resources. The senior leadership tried to apply pressure to see how I react and whether or not I was easily shaken.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
They ask questions to figure out if you are honest or would be willing to bend your character for the sake of the company. They do not hire dishonest people so even when pressured it is a bad idea to be dishonest. Example: If you were presenting a monthly review to a customer and you know that your metrics are not up to par but you have already taken care of the support gap, wouldn't it be OK in that situation to fudge the numbers just a little and avoid a potential customer escalation or financial penalty?