I don’t usually post here (long-time lurker here), but after reading this post (from a while ago), I just had to chime in with my own experiences: http://www.glassdoor.com/Interview/Cisco-Systems-Interview-RVW452924.htm What that person said, resonated with me word-for-word and I am sure others have had similar experiences as well. I had applied for this Business Development Manager (M&A) role on-line through Cisco’s job portal. In fact, over the past year, I had applied for several roles of a similar type. I’ve had several interviews but nothing produced a formal offer. This is how typically the format goes at Cisco (with corporate business development opportunities at least; I can’t speak about engineering or other roles at Cisco), but I have friends working there and having been through the process several times, this is what I do know: - External applicant submits resume through on-line job portal (which I did); internal referrals are more or less the same, but some opportunities are posted in the Infranet for internal hires; - Once submitted, your CV goes to the hiring manager and the assigned recruiter for review (often times the hiring manager instructs the manager to filter candidates and provide a short-list of strong potentials); - I was contacted both by the recruiter (for one opportunity) and directly by the hiring manager (for another opportunity); - The initial chat (by telephone) is really a review of skill-sets, experiences, career objectives, etc. - Then I had a series of “peer-level” interviews; this can be tricky – you could have the right skill-sets and experiences but if the person doesn’t like you, s/he can ding you pretty much arbitrarily; - If you make it past all that, then you have a face-to-face, wither at the San Jose campus or via Telepresence; you also get to chat with the hiring manager’s manager; - If you make it past all that, then you have yet another HR interview. I made it past all those stages, but it seemed that the recruiter folks didn’t jive with me well. Also, it was appalling as to how the recruiter emphasised that they were seeking someone with an MBA from a “top-tier business school”. This is hilarious because the people (ie. hiring manager and peers) that I had interviewed with did not have an MBA from a top school; some didn’t even have MBAs. I went to an Ivy League for undergrad and law school but my business school degree (MBA) wasn’t Wharton or Stanford, which I believe Cisco really liked. This seems very odd given that the position wasn’t even an entry level position and I had acquired over a decade and more experience after coming out of school. Therefore I am not exactly sure as to what relevance this might have on an experienced candidate like me. Furthermore, given that Cisco hasn’t been performing well in the markets lately and quite a few industry analysts have openly criticized Cisco’s stretch of acquisitions, I guess my questioning along these lines didn’t go well – or at least they didn’t want someone asking the tough but brutally honest questions at the interview. In any event, that’s all water under the bridge for me now because just recently I was made an fantastic offer (beyond my own expectations!) with this large-cap technology company (e.g. one of these: MSFT, GOOG, ORCL, INTC, HPQ), that is on the cutting edge of enterprise technology But there is two things that I can say about Cisco recruiters and/or hiring managers: 1. It is seldom that they will get back to you. i.e. If you are deemed to be unfit for an opportunity, you will get the silent treatment. Despite repeated e-mails and calls for feedback, all my cries went unanswered. 2. Cisco recruiters won’t admit to this, but they do “filter” out candidates based on past experiences, a practice that is inherently unfair by any reasonable standard. I know this for a fact because while I had interviewed for another opportunity, I was told that because I didn’t make it previously, I wouldn’t be considered any further. This is odd, because every opportunity if different. And more importantly, are they suggesting that if a candidate has been rejected once, they shouldn’t apply again? This goes against Cisco’s own policy, where they encourage unsuccessful candidates to try again. Anyway, as I have noted – I am very excited and elated to be joining a talented team of M&A professionals at my new job. At every opportunity in life, don’t give up hope! Having been rejected numerous times by Cisco (and many other companies), I now have my dream job. If I can do it, so can any of you! Good luck to all!