Ciena Systems Engineer Interview Questions
& Process

I had two phone interviews with two different teams. The first one was quite technical, requiring me to explain my PhD research in detail and discuss optical measurement instruments like OSA, ESA, VNA, and measurement uncertainty. The second phone interview was more about general discussion. The onsite interview was 5 hours long, involving meetings with three different teams and their members, and it was predominantly technical.

The interview process was exceptionally pathetic. Try not to fall into the Ciena interview process. An interview invitation mentioned 4 rounds: Written Test, 2 face-to-face interviews, and HR. However, upon reaching the interview venue, I was stunned to find 7-8 rounds: 1 written test, 5 face-to-face interviews, 1 managerial, and 1 HR round. On the first day, they conducted one written test and 3 face-to-face interviews. Afterward, they stated their panel was unavailable for further interviews and asked me to come on another day for 2-3 hours on a weekday. Upon returning for more interviews on the second day, 2 face-to-face rounds took place. After clearing these, there was a managerial round, which was more of an aptitude round. The manager asked about my Current CTC and Expected CTC. Following this, their drama began. The manager said they would get back to me in a few days. If they intended to hire after a few days, why waste so much of the candidate's time? There was still a little hope that they would respond within weeks. However, upon following up, I discovered I was their backup candidate. They mentioned they had a drive in Bangalore and would get back to me after that. It's been around 2.5 months with no update. I believe they might be stuck in Bangalore traffic or dealing with the rainy season. I propose Ciena, please don't give false hope to candidates. It's their career. DON'T PLAY with it. Give a clear response to the candidate regarding hiring. Many Thanks!!!

You will be interviewed by 4 people, all related to the position you are applying for. Some of the interviews will be 1:1 and some will be by phone. The 1:1 interviews were in Brazil and in Portuguese, while the phone interviews were with executives and in English.