LIke all Companies, Cisco has an amazing array of strengths and some glaring weaknesses
Pros
Lots of people with families and CEO John Chambers fosters a family-atmosphere. While you can put in lots of hours, stress levels are kept pretty low. We get the job done, but we don't' run over people to do it. Great benefits including the company medical facility in San Jose and employee Gym. Very smart people here and it's bay area. Traditionally a strong rotation culture but see cons list on this one. Generous bonuses. You also get a front-row seat on some pretty awesome technology and vision for the future.
Cons
Cisco does a terrible job identifying talent and promoting them, as a result of this and the recent layoffs and market challenges, I think Cisco is seeing a bit of a brain drain. I know and hear of plenty of notable talent heading for the doors. one reason they're leaving is this company prefers outside talent to fill open positions which clogs the top and greatly limits upward mobility. While traditionally a rotation company, which is great, open reqs have been almost all shut down coupled with the new focus of hiring in RTP North Carolina complicates and limits available rotations in San Jose. There's also very limited equity adjustments and a weak mechanism for distribution. After several years I learned new hires at my same level were being offered salaries higher than my own. That tells me Cisco values my time here less than brand new people and is the completely wrong message. Another gentle push out the door.