I applied through a recruiter. I interviewed at Cisco (Shanghai, Shanghai) in Mar 2013
Interview
That was longtime ago. I had 5 interviews in total, from HR, two top managers and finally my immediate boss who was an OD in GC region. I still remember the atmosphere was in general fair and pleasant.
I applied in-person. I interviewed at Cisco (New York, NY)
Interview
Lengthy, tons of people to meet with. Sometimes with multiple rounds to go through. Not very technical in nature. Typically with the hiring manager, technical support team, peers and possibly one manager up.
I applied through an employee referral. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at Cisco (Washington, DC) in Mar 2016
Interview
Initial interview with HR just to screen. After that, you'll interview with people in the same position, or within the department and then if you pass these, you'll move on to interviews with management, or the final decision makers.