Cisco Senior Hardware Engineer Interview Questions & Answers
Below is a list of our Cisco interview questions. Click on any interview question to view our answer advice and answer examples. You may view 5 answer examples before our paywall loads. Afterwards, you'll be asked to upgrade to view the rest of our answers.
Competency
1. How do you minimize the footprint of a design and still incorporate all the necessary hardware elements and electrical components?
How to Answer
One of the consistent trends in hardware designs, especially in IT environments, is miniaturization. Cisco designers need to fit as much as they can in as little space as possible. This increases the amount of equipment put into a designated area and accelerates equipment performance by keeping the circuit paths short. As a senior hardware engineer, you should be familiar with how to accomplish this and discuss it with the Cisco interviewer.
Answer Example
"Designing equipment which takes up as little space as possible and fits standardized Cisco data center racks is one of the chief challenges of my job. The methodology I use to accomplish this is very large-scale integration or VLSI. VLSI reduces the size of each component and then integrates them within a single package. An example of this is taking a complex circuit board and integrating it into a single chip. The VLSI methodology not only reduces the size of the equipment, but it also reduces the required power and cooling, both of which are significant cost elements within the datacenter."
Competency
2. Can you describe the type of circuit illustrated by this drawing?
How to Answer
During an interview for a senior hardware engineer's position at Cisco, you may be asked to perform some tasks or give practical examples of your work. This will provide the interviewer with more in-depth information about your skills and give you the chance to demonstrate how you do your job. This question is an example of that. The Cisco interviewer will present you with a circuit and then ask you to describe its function, layout, and components. They may ask follow-up questions about the individual components or other aspects of the circuit they are showing you. Another version of this question would be the interviewer describing the circuit and asking you to illustrate it for them. You could also be asked the following:
Explain the gain of this circuit.
Speculate on the functionality of this circuit.
Describe the impedance seen by the source.
Describe the function a resistor R6 performs in this circuit.
Answer Example
"The circuit in this diagram appears to be a layout for the control panel and a piece of network hardware. The presence of switches indicates this, as do the LED sockets and other components which enable users to interact with the equipment. It also contains some components that I would include in this type of circuit, including resistors, capacitors, and various microchips. I would assume that each of these is customized to optimize the function of the Cisco device."
Competency
3. How can a circuit store an electric charge?
How to Answer
While knowing how to design electronic hardware is the key competency of a senior hardware engineer, knowing the theory behind the design and how each of the functions of the components is critical. This provides the engineer with the information they need to quickly develop designs that will function as intended. Interviewers at Cisco will ask you about theoretical situations, practical aspects of your job, and real-life scenarios you will likely encounter once hired. Anticipating these and preparing your answers in advance will help you perform well during the interview with Cisco.
Answer Example
"A circuit stores an electrical charge using capacitors. Capacitors come in several different ratings and can store electrical charges for designated periods. The storage mechanism within the capacitor is similar to that of a battery, except capacitors use electrostatic fields between their conductors instead of chemicals. When another device activates a capacitor, it releases the energy into the circuit."
Competency
4. What is a breadboard, and how is it used to develop hardware?
How to Answer
When interviewing candidates for a senior hardware engineer position, Cisco interviewers want to learn several different things. These include the candidate's competencies, experience, soft skills, and the processes, procedures, and tools they use to accomplish their job. Knowing this will help you prepare for the Cisco interview by reviewing each of these categories and your activities related to them. Another way to prepare is to practice answering questions like these aloud to create muscle memory.
Answer Example
"A breadboard is a practice circuit board used for experimenting with an electronic hardware design or circuit. It is called a breadboard because it is full of holes in which components can be inserted and connected, similar to a piece of bread. I often use a breadboard to test my designs or verify that the design components will work together. It can also help me visualize my circuit layouts which may be too small to see on a traditional printed circuit board or within a chip,"
Competency
5. What does SNR stand for, how does it impact an electronic device, and how can it be mitigated?
How to Answer
Electronic devices and the components they are made of have unique properties. This is because they operate based on principles related to electricity, waves, and other physical phenomena. Knowing this and the issues these devices can encounter is necessary to develop hardware that meets specific requirements. You are likely to be asked about several of these during a Cisco interview, so be sure to review the fundamental principles used in your designs before the interview.
Answer Example
"SNR stands for signal-to-noise ratio. It can impact a hardware design by creating interference and unwanted signals that alter its functions or cause other issues. SNR can be addressed by using quality components, making sure all the connections are tight, placing specific components further away from each other, and using components such as amplifiers and other devices to reduce the noise emitted by an electronic device."
Competency
6. How is emulation used in the hardware design and development process?
How to Answer
There are many different techniques used during the hardware design process. The Cisco interviewer is likely to ask you about several of these during the interview. While it would be beneficial for you to be familiar with these, you may not have experience with all of them. If this is the case, it is very acceptable to admit this to the interviewer and then describe how you would learn about and incorporate the process into your design methodology if hired by Cisco.
Answer Example
"Often, during the design process, one or more components need to function like others within the piece of hardware. This is known as emulation. Replicating the function of the component within the hardware ensures the consistency of the hardware and its performance and reduces the design and development time. Emulation can occur with a device or across several devices."
Competency
7. How are the processes of soldering and de-soldering in the hardware design process?
How to Answer
The hardware design process consists of several distinct steps. It starts with conceptualization and includes project planning, design, prototyping, testing, documentation, and release. Cisco's senior hardware engineers need to be familiar with each step and discuss what occurs during each process. This will verify that you have experience with the entire hardware design process and the skills needed to perform this job.
Answer Example
"Soldering and de-soldering are the processes used to attach and detach various components within a piece of hardware to the printed circuit board. These operations occur during the product's manufacturing and during the prototyping stage when components are added to the board, tested, and possibly removed and replaced if needed. De-soldering can also be used to repair the equipment once it is put into production."
Competency
8. No matter how well they're designed, some pieces of hardware or equipment either never made it to market or quickly became obsolete. Can you discuss why this occurs?
How to Answer
Senior hardware engineers must never forget that their designs were developed to achieve Cisco's specific objective or business goal. Sometimes their designs fail in this regard through no fault of their own. However, the engineer needs to be aware of this, cannot be discouraged by it, and should be able to discuss why the design did not succeed as originally intended. This will demonstrate your maturity, business acumen, and ability to adjust to changing circumstances.
Answer Example
"Although it rarely occurs, there have been times when my designs either have never made it to market or have quickly failed once put into production. This has never occurred because of the quality of the design or functionality of the piece of hardware. It is often a result of changes in the marketplace or other external factors over which I have little influence. These include delays in bringing the product to market, failed marketing strategies, evolving requirements, incorrect data, or the appearance of new technologies."
Competency
9. One of the design cost components of a piece of hardware Cisco considers is NRE. Can you define this and discuss how it impacts a design project?
How to Answer
Knowing the costs of designing a new piece of hardware or equipment is an important qualification for a senior hardware engineer. Design projects have finite budgets, and Cisco engineers must adhere to a development plan's timelines and allocated funds. Discussing each component of the costs will demonstrate your knowledge in this area and your qualifications for this position.
Answer Example
"NRE stands for nonrecurring engineering costs. These are one-time costs associated with the design of a piece of hardware or equipment. They may be in the form of a unique tool, software program, test jig, or other resources needed specifically for a project. They differ from recurring costs such as personnel, facilities, standard equipment, and IT resources shared and used by several different projects."
Competency
10. While the functionality of a piece of hardware is important, Cisco uses other criteria when deciding whether to develop a piece of equipment. Can you discuss some of these?
How to Answer
It is easy for senior hardware engineers to become enamored with their designs and ignore other criteria their organizations use to evaluate the viability of a piece of hardware. The Cisco interviewer will ask this question to make sure you do not fall into this category and understand that good hardware designs are evaluated on a wide range of criteria, not only their functionality and performance.
Answer Example
"While my primary design criteria when working on a piece of new hardware are performance and functionality, I recognize that Cisco will use other criteria to evaluate my design and determine if the hardware will be manufactured. I keep these in mind when going through the process of designing a new piece of equipment. Some of these include manufacturability, user interface, reliability, repairability, support requirements, cost, and the time required to develop, test, and manufacturer the hardware."
Competency
11. What is meant by the term SMPS, and how does that contribute to the functionality of the hardware?
How to Answer
Sometimes Cisco interviewers will use acronyms when asking a question. They assume that anyone within this profession is familiar with the acronyms they are using. If you are, you should proceed to answer the question. You may want first to define the acronym to ensure that you and the interviewer talk about the same thing. If you're not familiar with the acronym, ask the interviewer to define it. Conversely, it would be best never to use an acronym when responding to a question without first defining it and confirming that the Cisco interviewer is familiar with it.
Answer Example
"SMPS stands for Switched Mode Power Supply. Its role is to consistently deliver power to the various components within a piece of hardware. Fluctuations in power are one of the key reasons hardware fails. SMPS devices modulate the power to ensure it is consistent and appropriate for each of the electronic components."
Competency
12. Can you discuss what a clock generator is and how it applies to your hardware designs?
How to Answer
As the Cisco interview progresses, the interviewer will continue to ask you technical questions about specific pieces of technology you use. These will range in complexity from very simple to very difficult. Regardless of the nature of the question, you should continue to provide an answer directly and to the point. Also, anticipate a follow-up question from the Cisco interviewer indicating that the topic is important to them and they want to explore it in more detail.
Answer Example
"The clock generator is a specific type of circuit whose function is to create a clock or timer within the hardware. The hardware uses the clock to synchronize operations, time signals and interact with other pieces of hardware or users. It also generates waveforms used by other electronic components."
Competency
13. What is machine language, and how is it used when designing hardware?
How to Answer
While machine language is a software concept, as a hardware designer, you still need to be familiar with it and how it is used to integrate with the devices you design. During the interview for a Cisco senior hardware engineer job, you may be asked questions that are peripheral to your main occupation. This is because you have to collaborate with Cisco stakeholders outside of the design team when developing hardware or equipment. Being familiar with the terminology they use, some of their considerations, and the business objectives they are trying to achieve will help you do your job better. The interviewer seeks to understand your abilities in this area.
Answer Example
"Machine language is a technology that allows software programs to communicate with the hardware. Virtually every piece of electronic equipment needs to communicate with software in some manner. This may be in the form of the basic instructions the hardware uses to operate, interfacing with other pieces of hardware, or interfacing with the Cisco user. Machine language is like any other software in that it is programable, digital, and written a specific language. Specific components within the hardware are used to communicate through machine language."
Competency
14. What are some of the benefits of incorporating LED technology into a design?
How to Answer
This technical question asks you about the benefits of using a specific component in your hardware designs. The Cisco interviewer will ask this question for several reasons. They want to confirm your familiarity with and knowledge of the component, understand how you use it, and the criteria you use when determining if it is appropriate for one of your designs. Your answer is less important than your communication skills and the logic behind your choice to use the component.
Answer Example
"LED, which stands for light-emitting diode, is a common and well-trusted technology. It is used in a variety of different devices ranging from kids' toys to sophisticated televisions. The benefits of incorporating LED technology into a design include its low power requirements and quick response. However, LEDs are difficult to repair and replace, so they need to be used in hardware that is well built and will not be subjected to damaging environments or rough use."
Competency
15. When would you elect to repair a component on a piece of Cisco hardware, and when would you recommend replacing one?
How to Answer
As a Cisco senior hardware engineer, not only will you be responsible for designing the equipment, but you will also need to create the documentation used to support it and make recommendations for regular maintenance and repairs. Knowing when to replace a component vs. repairing it is a key element of this knowledge. The Cisco interviewer will ask this question to confirm that you have the skills and experience needed to support your design's hardware after it is put into production.
Answer Example
"Deciding whether to repair or replace a component of a piece of hardware once it is in production depends on the specific component, its function, size, and availability. Many components within a piece of Cisco hardware are discreet and cannot be repaired. Therefore, they must be replaced. Other components contain sub-assemblies that can either be repaired or replaced without replacing the entire main component. Another factor to consider is the time it would take to repair the component and its cost. If the labor cost exceeds the price of the component, it makes sense to replace the component."
Competency
16. Can you tell me what you know about microprocessors?
How to Answer
One of the key components used in electronic designs is a microprocessor. These can range from full-blown chips, which are the heart and brain of a computing device, to chips with limited and specific functions. As a prospective Cisco senior hardware engineer, you should be able to discuss microprocessors in-depth and answer specific questions about each type. Researching the job, the company and the components they use will help you anticipate the type of microprocessors you will be asked about, so you will be prepared to answer these questions.
Answer Example
"Microprocessors are powerful computer chips which contain the logic needed to control a device, process commands, and manage the functions of a complex piece of electronic equipment. Microprocessors designed by companies such as Cisco, Intel, and Motorola are standard pieces of equipment used in computers. This enables hardware manufacturers and software developers to create equipment and programs which interface with the microprocessor to perform specific functions. Other microprocessors designed by companies such as Qualcomm perform specific but limited functions across a wide range of equipment. An example of this would be a microprocessor modem within a cell phone that allows the device to communicate with the cellular network. Knowing the availability of microprocessors and the functions they perform enables me to simplify my designs and incorporate much of the functionality of the equipment into a single or multiple microprocessors."
Competency
17. What is a chip, and how does it differ from an integrated circuit?
How to Answer
This technical question asks you to define a specific component used in hardware design and contrast it with another component. This is the typical form of a technical question. However, this question is slightly different because the two components you're asked to compare are actually the same. Interviewers at Cisco will ask this type of question to explore your technical knowledge. It also allows you to demonstrate your communication skills and how capable you are of discussing technical issues with people at Cisco with non-technical backgrounds.
Answer Example
"A chip is nothing more than an integrated circuit contained in a tiny package. It can contain several different components used in electronic designs, including circuits, capacitors, rectifiers, and diodes. Chips typically are connected to a circuit board using pins extending from the chip that is either soldered on the board or placed into a connector which is designed for this purpose."
Competency
18. Can you discuss what a semiconductor is and how they are used in your designs?
How to Answer
When interviewing for a senior hardware engineer position at Cisco, you will be asked a broad range of questions. These will include technical, operational, behavioral, and situational. This is an example of a technical question. When responding to a technical question, you should first define the term or describe the component you are being asked about, discuss its use, and possibly provide an example to illustrate your answer.
Answer Example
"A semiconductor is a material or component which combines the properties of both conductors and insulators. They are used in designs to control the current passed through a circuit. The benefit is that they can accurately determine the amount of current passing through a specific part of the circuit. Semiconductors are available in a variety of formats and can be found in almost every type of electronic equipment."
Competency
19. Every piece of electronic equipment will eventually fail or experience performance issues. Can you discuss some of the major reasons hardware fails and how good design can minimize this?
How to Answer
The Cisco interviewer is challenging you using a backhanded method. They are introducing the topic of equipment failure to get you to discuss your design methodologies. Some candidates may become defensive and try to argue that the equipment they design doesn't fail. A better way to respond to this question is to admit that hardware failures occur, summarize why this happens, then discuss the steps you take in your designs to prevent or minimize them.
Answer Example
"Unfortunately, no matter how well a piece of equipment is designed, it will eventually fail or suffer from performance issues. These may be related to power fluctuations, faulty components, user errors, or bad design. Being aware of this is the first step to preventing it. I incorporate several steps into my designs to minimize the chance of failures. These include using intelligent and proven design methodologies, sourcing components from well-established suppliers with good reputations, accounting for uncontrollable events such as power surges, environmental issues, user error, submitting the equipment to extensive testing before, and being released into production. I would also work closely with the Cisco support team to develop documentation to help resolve issues when they occur."
Competency
20. When designing a piece of hardware, what are the general consideration used in your design methodology?
How to Answer
Senior hardware engineers need to be guided by very high-level design criteria when developing pieces of hardware or electronic equipment. These enable the engineers to make design decisions which result in quality products that are easy to use and reliable. The Cisco interviewer will ask this question to confirm that you use the same criteria as their organization. Researching Cisco and its business practices before the interview will help you select the high-level criteria which mirror theirs.
Answer Example
"There are some top design criteria that influence my design decisions. The top ones include
- Function
- Reliability
- Accuracy
- Precision
- Performance
- Compatibility
- UI"
Competency
21. What is the role of a printed circuit board or PCB within a piece of hardware?
How to Answer
During an interview for a senior hardware engineer role at Cisco, you will be asked about various components you use in your hardware designs. You are expected to provide definitions of each component, their function, and how they contribute to the overall quality of the design. When answering this type of question, you should keep your answer brief and to the point. The Cisco interviewer will ask a follow-up question if they need more information or explore the topic in more detail.
Answer Example
"Printed circuit boards, also known as PCBs, are the hardware component on which many other components are integrated. The PCB integrates chips, circuits, and other electronic components. Using a printed circuit board eliminates the need for excessive wires and other connections. The printed circuit board also contains different interfaces such as busses and ports to connect to other hardware within the design or external to the equipment."
Competency
22. Can you define what rectifiers are and their function within a hardware design?
How to Answer
There are several different electronic components you need to incorporate into any hardware design. The Cisco interviewer will expect you to be familiar with all of these. You'll need to define what they are, how they function, and how they contribute to the overall design of a piece of equipment. You can prepare for the interview with Cisco by reviewing the list of components you normally incorporate into your designs and make sure you can address these three questions for each of them.
Answer Example
"Rectifiers are electronic components used to control the power within a piece of Cisco equipment. These are an important element of the design because they ensure that the power within the hardware is appropriate for the other components and remains consistent. This is especially important for hardware designs that use low amounts of power. Rectifiers can also convert AC power into DC power if required."
Competency
23. Can you describe the elements of your designs that address the safety issues for the hardware?
How to Answer
A Cisco interviewer will ask this question to ensure that you incorporate safety in your hardware designs. Not only does the equipment you design need to function correctly, but it also needs to be safe to use. When answering this question, you should address both the high-level design elements and elements specific to a piece of hardware. These same design elements also likely enhance the durability of the equipment and its longevity. The Cisco interviewer may also ask you follow-up questions about specific equipment they expect you to work on if hired.
Answer Example
"When designing a piece of hardware for Cisco, there are several considerations I would build into the design. These include functionality, usability, and safety. Each of these is equally as important and must integrate with the others. The major element considered for safety is power. I would ensure that the power is appropriate for the piece of equipment, that is consistent, and that there are safety elements such as circuit breakers and fuses if it were to be interrupted. Other safety-related design factors include access to the hardware, physical elements such as sharp edges, and the hardware controls."
Comptency
24. Please discuss pre-layout signal integrity and why this is important when designing a piece of electronic hardware.
How to Answer
Designing a piece of electronic hardware is a very complex process. Interviewers want to ensure that you can accomplish this and that your techniques and processes are effective and efficient. Asking about pre-layout signal integrity helps the Cisco interviewer understand that you take steps to test your designs before fully implementing them. Since this is a technical question, your answer should be brief and to the point. You should also anticipate that the interviewer will ask follow-up questions since this topic seems to be important to them.
Answer Example
"Pre-layout signal integrity simulation is a process that quickly enables me to confirm that my design meets specifications. It also identifies any limitations within a circuit and allows me to address them before finalizing the design. Even though signal integrity is less of an issue since we have moved from wires to printed circuits and microchips, it can still impact the performance of a piece of equipment and therefore needs to be verified."
Experience
25. Can you provide me a list of some of the devices you use in your hardware designs?
How to Answer
When interviewing for a Cisco senior hardware engineer role, you will be asked a wide variety of questions involving various design topics. The best way to prepare for these questions is to review the job description and Cisco's website. This will provide information about the type of design work you will be expected to do and the equipment that Cisco either designs or uses. Once you know this, you can answer the interviewer's questions within the context of their operations. This will make it more likely that you'll you perceived as the perfect candidate for the position.
Answer Example
"I use a wide range of components in my electronic hardware designs. The components I use depend on the type of equipment I am designing and its function. Some of the more common components I include in my designs are printed circuit boards, power supplies, busses, chips, capacitors, rectifiers, inductors, transformers, diodes, and relays."
Experience
26. What are some of the design tools you use for hardware design?
How to Answer
Researching Cisco and the tools they use is critically important when preparing for an interview as a senior hardware engineer. You can do this by reviewing the job posting, researching Cisco's website, and speaking with both current and former employees within the hardware design team. A Cisco interviewer will ask you about the tools you use to confirm that you are familiar with hardware design tools and discover if the ones you use align with their current hardware design team.
Answer Example
"I use various hardware design tools when creating a piece of equipment. These include MATLAB, Ultiboard, PCB Artist, SOLIDWORKS, and Dip Trace, among others. Using a variety of tools gives me many options when designing a complex piece of hardware. Many of these integrate and have libraries of designs to reduce the amount of time it takes to design the equipment. Based on my research, I believe the Cisco team currently uses many of these same tools."
Leadership
27. How would you manage your and your Cisco team's time during an engineering project with tight deadlines?
How to Answer
Time management is a critical skill in every profession, but especially in the IT industry. Accomplishing projects on time is critical to the organization. Missed deadlines will cost Cisco money and result in downtime for the users, adding additional costs. In addition to confirming that you have time management skills and consider this important, you should have specific methodologies you use and provide to the Cisco interviewer to demonstrate your ability to manage time and deliver projects on time and under budget.
Answer Example
"The ability to consistently deliver projects on time and under budget is something that I'm known for. I accomplish this by first understanding the task and setting reasonable expectations for completion of it. Before commencing with a project, I break it down into individual tasks which need to be accomplished in a specific order and on a specific schedule. I then take responsibility for accomplishing this task or delegating it to somebody with the needed skill set. Finally, I would regularly assess the Cisco team's progress against the schedule and make adjustments to complete the project on time. Tools I use to manage this old process include charts and spreadsheets."
Leadership
28. Describe the steps you would take when creating a Cisco hardware development project plan.
How to Answer
In addition to having the technical expertise needed to design a functional piece of hardware, Cisco interviewers want to make sure you have the project management and leadership skills required to direct a team to accomplish project goals. This question is specific to senior-level positions. When asked to describe the steps required to complete a task, you should present each in order, with minimal detail. This will keep your answer brief and to the point. The Cisco interviewer will ask you a follow-up question or two if they need additional information.
Answer Example
"When creating a hardware development project plan, the first thing I would do is ensure that I completely understand the objective of the project. I would then create a list of the resources required, including personnel and technology. Next, I'd develop an outline of the steps required to complete the project. Once I have this, I will review the individual steps and provide additional details regarding the timeline, budget, resources, and other dependencies. When the plan draft is completed, I will publish it to the Cisco team and other project stakeholders for their review and input. Their feedback is consolidated into the final plan."
Leadership
29. What are some of the methods you use to upgrade the skills of your development team?
How to Answer
Competent team leaders are always looking for opportunities to train their teams and improve their skills. This helps each team member grow and enables the entire team to take on new and more challenging development opportunities. Interviewers realize this and will want to know your specific methodologies and strategies for achieving this. In addition to describing how you would improve the Cisco team's competencies, you may want to provide an example of when you successfully prepare one of your team members to advance to a senior hardware engineer level.
Answer Example
" Part of my annual plan is a team development strategy. I set training and development objectives for each member and detail the courses or training they need to take to achieve these. In addition to this formal training, I also look for ad hoc opportunities to improve the skill sets of my team. An example of this is assigning them tasks that will stretch them and require them to learn new methodologies for software development. I will also partner a junior member of the Cisco team with someone more senior who can mentor them. This benefits the junior member because they acquire new development skills and the senior member who learns mentoring and leadership skills. My goal is to promote two of my team into senior hardware engineering positions within Cisco each year."
Teamwork
30. What types of professionals do you reach out to when you encounter a problem on a project that you can't solve yourself?
How to Answer
Even the most competent senior hardware engineers occasionally need outside help. Admitting this and having a list of resources you use will convince the Cisco interviewer that you are realistic and focus on the outcome of the projects you work on rather than receiving credit for the work you do. When responding to this question, the professionals you mention can be your Cisco team members, management, other departments within the company, and external resources such as vendors, consultants, and other knowledgeable professionals.
Answer Example
" Even though I am well qualified to work on the projects I am assigned, I recognize my limitations. I am more than willing to reach out to other professionals when I need assistance. Individuals I usually contact include the other members of my team, my management, professionals from other organizations within the company such as software and electrical engineers, the vendor teams I work with, my pool of consultants, and subject matter experts from around the globe. I have developed a very reliable portfolio of resources I can use whenever I encounter a problem I can't solve myself."