Cisco Ideathon Experience 2k24 | Technical Consultant Engineer.

Eligibility Criteria

Your college must be part of the NetAcad Platform. Additionally, you must have completed the required certifications to participate in the Cisco Ideathon. The necessary courses will be provided by your college, so communicate with your faculty who are handling the NetAcad academy for your campus.

In my case, we were enrolled in six courses. We had to finish them before the deadline to be eligible for Cisco. The following courses were offered by my college to meet the eligibility criteria:

• CCNA: Introduction to Networks
• CCNA: Introduction to Cybersecurity
• Cisco Python Certificate
• CCNA: Enterprise Networking

Based on the course completion status, my college allowed 70 students to be eligible for the Ideathon. Please note that you should not have any standing arrears or backlogs in the past.

1st Round

The first round was relatively easy. This time, they changed the pattern for the Ideathon. It consisted of 51 objective questions and 1 advanced coding question. The 51 objective questions were from the courses you completed on the NetAcad platform, covering topics like networking, cybersecurity, Python, aptitude, and other areas. The coding platform was Hacker Rank. You do not need to write the code from scratch; you will be given a complete main function, and you just have to complete the function. Practice on Hacker Rank to improve your accuracy.

2nd Round

About 20 to 25 days later, they announced the results. From my college, only 5 students cleared that round (including me). The next round was the Idea Submission round. They will email eligible candidates with problem statements. Although this round is not an elimination round, your idea should be unique and feasible. Try to incorporate Cisco tools and new products into your ideas. They will not ask for implementation, but you need to have a clear understanding of your ideas.

In my case, I selected problem statement 4 (which was about reducing the loss of personal identity like Aadhar card, PAN card, and other documents in this digital era). I created a project called "Blockchain-based Decentralized Personal Document Locker." Try to make your presentation simple and clean, using simple and professional themes. Ensure that your presentation has no more than 7-8 slides.

3rd Round

After submitting our ideas and resumes, we received our interview slots. My role was for a Technical Consulting Engineer, so I had my interview on July 23. You have to join the meeting at 8 AM and wait until they announce the results. Before that, they will email you a sheet with your interview slot and timing.

Technical Interview Experience:

My slot was at 2 PM. I waited until that time, and then they shared the link to my room. You will be interviewed by two interviewers and one mediator.

In my case, they started the interview by introducing themselves and then asked me to introduce myself. After my introduction, I was instructed to present my idea. I took about 17 to 20 minutes to explain my idea and approach. Later, they asked questions about the idea, including basic questions like why I chose this tech stack and which encryption and decryption techniques I was using. They also asked some basic questions about the project idea.

After that, they asked me to explain my resume. I explained my resume in detail. Then they asked some networking questions like:

• What is the OSI model?
• Explain TCP/IP.
• What is the difference between a switch and a router?
• Explain the structure of a MAC address.
• What is the Address Resolution Protocol (ARP)?
• Explain how DNS works.
• Explain how a VPN works.

I am good at networking, so I explained everything in depth. Later, they asked about my favorite coding language. I replied with Java (Don't say JAVA, if you are not good in it) and then they asked more than 45 questions about core Java concepts. Later, they asked the other interviewer to ask a few questions. He asked a few questions about my idea and projects, as well as about SQL and other database languages.

I got the selection result 30 minutes after my interview. (Only 3 students were selected from my college.)

4th Round

The next round was the Managerial round (on July 25). This round always seems easy, but they tend to reject most candidates in this round. So, prepare some answers, like how to respond to managerial questions. The interview lasted 30 to 35 minutes. The interviewer asked me to introduce myself, and then he asked me to share my role experience in projects. I was the project lead in all my projects, so I explained that. Later, he asked about my hackathon win experience and my role in it, and what key challenges I faced, among other questions. Finally, he asked 4 managerial round questions.

I answered all questions confidently, but unfortunately, I was rejected in this round. (Only two students got selected.)

5th Round

This is the typical HR round, like in other companies. The HR will ask you to introduce yourself, then ask some HR questions like,

• Why you want to join cisco.
• If I am willing to relocate.
• Bangalore or Pune.
• Day or night shift.
• Availability for internship or not.
• Then they told me about the salary and the pay.
• After that, I asked 2 questions and the interview was over.

After this round, they announced the results after one month. Only one student from my campus was selected.

Conclusion

Although my journey in the Cisco Ideathon came to an end in the Managerial round, it was an incredible learning experience. Each round taught me something valuable, and I am grateful for the opportunity to participate. For those of you who are planning to take part, I wish you the best of luck. Stay confident, prepare thoroughly, and most importantly, enjoy the experience. Remember, every step, whether successful or not, is a step forward in your journey

Good luck!