Cisco Computer Hardware Engineer Mock Interview
Master 30 Cisco Computer Hardware Engineer interview questions covering ASICs, routing platforms, and hardware architecture.
Question 3 of 30
Tell me about a difficult engineering problem you have encountered and how you made it through it.
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William Swansen has worked in the employment assistance realm since 2007. He is an author, job search strategist, and career advisor who helps individuals worldwide and in various professions to find their ideal careers.
Being able to overcome complex challenges is a critical skill computer hardware engineers need to possess. Not only is the Cisco interviewer interested in your ability to do this, but they also want to hear about the details of how you accomplished it. When answering questions like these, you can use the STAR format. Briefly state the Situation, talk about the Task you needed to complete, discuss the Actions you took, then provide details of the Results you achieved. Using this framework will help you respond to any question which requires you to tell a story. Additionally, having your stories prepared in advance will make the Cisco interview easier and more effective.
William Swansen has worked in the employment assistance realm since 2007. He is an author, job search strategist, and career advisor who helps individuals worldwide and in various professions to find their ideal careers.
"Once when designing a new control unit for an HVAC system, my team and I encountered an anomaly involving a voltage drop. As hard as we tried, we were unable to discover the cause of the problem. It occurred to me that we had recently switch vendors for some of the components on the motherboard. I went back to our old inventory and used some of the original components instead of the new ones. This solved the problem. We contacted the new vendor and learned that the components they provided did not meet our specifications. Once we cleared up this issue, the voltage drop went away, and we were able to complete the hardware design."
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