It was good for a little while
It was good for a little while
- I learned a tremendous amount during my time with Cisco.
- Benefits are pretty good, better than most other companies in my geographic area.
- Opportunities for internal movement.
- Leadership tolerates drama, lying, and backstabbing.
- There is a lack of accountability for managers and individual contributors.
- Star players are often invisible to management, even their own managers.
- Old-fashioned office politics are strongly encouraged and required above a certain level.
- It's often the most destructive employees who get the most positive attention (the squeaky wheel gets applauded when they fix things they broke?).
- There is very short-term memory of cause-and-effect consequences (the same mistakes are made repeatedly by leadership).
- The culture is self-centered, cliquish, judgmental, and eager to exclude from the "in" groups.
- It is very much a sink-or-swim organization, but talent is valued less than "playing the politics game."
- The organization will consume your life if you let it; some managers do not accept that you have a life outside of work.
- A manager's word is always taken as solid gold by leadership.
- Overall, a very toxic environment.
- Value talent higher than social manipulation.
- Purge the bad managers.
- Make accountability central to managerial responsibilities.
- Identify and listen to your top players.
Was this helpful?
Cisco Interview Questions
Cisco Interview Experiences
Automation Engineer
The interview started with a face-to-face round where the interviewer asked about my previous project experience, my role in the team, challenges faced, and how I solved them. They also asked a few technical concepts related to automation, JavaScrip
Software Engineer (Internship)
Slow turnaround time and communication was poor. They skipped my phone screening because the recruiter was out of town. After I submitted my availability form, I emailed my recruiter 4-5 times until I got a response/update from them.
Software Engineer
There were two coding rounds and one technical round; overall, a pleasant experience. There was a long time between application submission and when the interviewing process began, but the interviewing process was completed in a few weeks.
Automation Engineer
Bengaluru, Karnataka, IndiaNovember 20, 2025The interview started with a face-to-face round where the interviewer asked about my previous project experience, my role in the team, challenges faced, and how I solved them. They also asked a few technical concepts related to automation, JavaScrip
Software Engineer (Internship)
United StatesNovember 17, 2025Slow turnaround time and communication was poor. They skipped my phone screening because the recruiter was out of town. After I submitted my availability form, I emailed my recruiter 4-5 times until I got a response/update from them.
Software Engineer
United StatesNovember 17, 2025There were two coding rounds and one technical round; overall, a pleasant experience. There was a long time between application submission and when the interviewing process began, but the interviewing process was completed in a few weeks.
