Cisco

Wonderful office - one will fall in love once they see it.

Work-life balance.

Time off when in need.

Extra-curricular activities: WAN, singing, contests, technology programs, and goodies.

Very nice transportation and infrastructure.

Food is pretty nice.

Learning vision for children till 5 years of age - kind of daycare and school.

Very nice people and managers in India.

A very good place to get networking and work with people from different areas. If you are in support, you get a chance to meet people in different departments and create networking.

BLR-Masala is spice - An exclusive Cisco community.

About work - it's good to learn new products and applications. However, when you are in support, you get less exposure, that means no career growth outside Cisco.

Don't join as a contractor. Most of the people are partner-based in Cisco.

Don't get tempted by salary. It's good to join Cisco as a regular employee rather than a contractor or partner.

No performance reviews.

US management has taken the lead over India management.

If you are in the US, you have better opportunities to grow and learn, both career-wise and inside the company.

Not all contractors can become regular employees of Cisco. So, be aware of all the terms and conditions.

Politics - but which company doesn't have it in India? So, it's okay in my understanding.

Less growth. If you want to become a manager in Cisco, being a Cisco-ite, it's not possible. Join some other company, become a manager, and then join Cisco as a manager if possible. Climbing the hierarchy is not simple in Cisco.

Treat every employee equally, whether they are partners or regulars.

Everyone is doing their part to make Cisco successful.

A high performer and a senior in one process from a partner company is equally valuable as other seniors who are regular employees. Employee dissatisfaction leads to poor results.