Cisco

• Good work-life balance (depending on role)
• Friendly work-from-home policies
• Great people

When I started at Cisco, they were still doing the free drinks, free food, and beer parties on Friday. That went away as soon as the downturn started, and then the layoffs began shortly thereafter.

The first couple of years, they laid off the bad people, and then there weren't any bad people left, so they just started flailing the axe at random. Every year around late summer, it swings again, so everyone is just sitting in dread waiting to see who goes. Then, afterwards, you have to try to figure out how to get things done when important pieces of your team aren't there anymore.

It's still an okay place to work, and the people who are left below upper management are all great. I wouldn't tell you not to take a job there, but be aware that you're going to spend every summer wondering whether you'll have a job in the fall.

I volunteer with University Recruiting for Cisco, and the college students always ask me about the layoffs. People know how you operate. If you want good talent, you can't just lop off a chunk of your workforce every year.