Cisco Systems Reviews

Current Employee – been working at Cisco Systems

Pros – Learn a lot in a short amount of time.

Cons – There are a lot of employees that have been at Cisco for a long time and are set for life due to stocks. Some (not all) of these employees now contribute nothing to the company and are just milking it. This makes work difficult for the rest of their team members who are helpless to do anything about it.

Advice to Senior Management – Review performance policies and manage the bottom five percent out. Remove workers that contribute nothing to the company.

Current Employee – been working at Cisco Systems

Pros – Good Benefits, Competitive work environment

Cons – Far too big and bureaucratic to provide real growth opportunities, Lots of old timer biding time being non-productive.

Advice to Senior Management – Creating a vision is not sufficient, good employees need motivation and clear path to career progression for them to succeed

Former Employee – worked at Cisco Systems

Pros – Lots of opportunities to learn new things and meet people with wide range of interests, Learn about cutting edge technologies (Cisco is market leader in many of these industries), Professional growth opportunities (training, classes, conferences), Rewarded for patent ideas, People are very smart and driven, Business units have team events/socials/celebrations to boost morale, Security of a big company with many resources, Open to new ideas/work styles that are collaborative workpaces, Down-to-earth culture, Pretty good food, Great location in CA, Good relocation package, Can meet lots of interesting people as an intern

Cons – Hard to move up the ladder, Hard to know what is going on in other aspects of the business

Advice to Senior Management – Better intern opportunties

Former Employee – worked at Cisco Systems

Pros – fair pay, reasonable hours, on iste gym, cafes, etc. there are pockets of good people and some very productive teams. you just have to find them

Cons – sexist (toward women), leadership isn't the best and brightest, colleagues aren't always straight forward and there tends to be a fair amount of passive-agressive behavior

Advice to Senior Management – provide more high level strategic direction. seems confused as to where company is heading

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at Cisco Systems

Pros – Cisco Choice Program is great for full time hires. However, as an intern you really won't get much "choice". You do get PTO at the same rate as full times which is a nice perk.

Cons – Very much a large company. Bogged down by bureaucracy, multiple versions, protocol. Can be very frustrating. Also not a very exciting place to work for people under 30.

Advice to Senior Management – ..

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Cisco Systems

Pros – Great place to work - you have the power to make the best of what you do. As with any other workplace, make sure you have the "right" manager - makes all the difference in the world.

Cons – Can be so engrossing that it sucks you in

Advice to Senior Management – You do an excellent job in communicating company strategy - put more focus on operational discipline - be willing to make the tough decsions.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at Cisco Systems

Pros – Large bonuses, intellegent people, and open communication. They are completely understanding when you need time off. Not to mention they pay pretty well

Cons – It is a static company, they have 80% marketshare and they are not going anywhere soon. Yes, this means they have money, but it also means that everyone there is all too comfortable working there. This really is not the place to be if you're passionate about engineering or marketing. There is also a large age gap since they have just recently begun tapping the college graduates.

Advice to Senior Management – Keep up the good job

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Cisco Systems

Pros – Cisco pays pretty well in comparison to other companies in the area. The work schedule is flexible in a sense that you can work from home and come in at whatever time you want as long as you get work done. Managers will usually allow you to take PTO whenever you want. Cisco is a big and stable company so job security is better than most.

Cons – 1) Career advancement is slow
2) No annual salary increases

Advice to Senior Management – Don't let Cisco become a boring company

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Cisco Systems

Pros – Flexible work environment and good benefits. This company is changing the world! There are many opportunities and ways to contribute to the success of this company. The salary is very good, and Cisco still pays a bonus (for now). Stock options were once plentiful but are now becoming less common. Good medical, dental, and vision benefits but there is a copay (typical). No pension but there is a 401k plan that Cisco matches to a certain percentage.

Cons – Sometimes long hours. Sometimes parts of the business are cut and the people are to find their own next job. However the support to find a new job is very good.

Advice to Senior Management – Make sure that your accomplishments matter to your customer. Get visibility.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Cisco Systems

Pros – employee empowerment. work areas, and employee benefits. Very open minded in hiring practicies, laid back approach to corporate polices, no dress codes, free sodas, jucie, tea, coffee and popcorn. working with cutting edge technology, and the opertunity to work with some of the sharpest people in the industry.

Cons – Long work hours needed to compete with peers. Tough policy of maintaining the top 10%, their is constant pressure to manage out the bottom 5% performers, as there will always be a bottom 5%, there is constant pressure to stay on top of your game. Cisco sells the company ownership package to argue lower salaries.

Advice to Senior Management – better work/life balence, and the need to compete with higher salaries.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend