The interview process started in August 2023 and total there were four rounds. The first round was a presentation round with the hiring manager followed by 3 other rounds with the team members. The feedback was shared immediately after the interview. I aced all of the interview rounds and i was presented with a compensation offer. Until this point everything went well and from here things started to go downhill. I was initially presented with a compensation package which includes base pay, bonus and RSU's. After evaluating the package, i was ok with the base salary (same as my current base) however i requested to increase the RSU's by a fraction amount to match my current TC. The recruiter mentioned she will look into it and get back on what she can do. After a week, the recruiter came back and offered a base pay which is 10% less than the base pay which was initially offered. I was stunned. I asked the reason why the base pay was lowered and her reasoning was she did not get the approval for initial package. But how was the initial package offer shared without approval? I felt very un-ethical about this and rejected the offer. From day1 of my interviews, i clearly stated my compensation expectations with the recruiter along with my current compensation. Exploiting my passion for lower compensation is very un-ethical. You wouldn't want to join a employer who under values you and does not see your worth. Cisco looks for employees who can work for them for cheap. However one thing to note is, talent does not come cheap. After this experience with Cisco, i don't think i will be ever interviewing with them again. Beware of their hiring process.

I applied online and was contacted directly by a recruiter without any prior scheduling. They quickly set up an interview with the hiring manager, which went well — the hiring manager liked my profile and moved me forward to meet with his manager and a technical lead. The technical lead interview also went well, but the director had to reschedule. While preparing for the already scheduled interview with the director, I casually checked Cisco’s career site — only to see my application marked as "no longer moving forward," even though the interview was still on the calendar. When I reached out, the recruiter informed me the position had already been filled — no prior communication, no courtesy, nothing. After investing so much time and effort preparing (including many late nights), it felt like an absolute waste. Another important point: many of the recruiters working on Cisco’s behalf are from Randstad. In my experience, most (though not all) of them were very unprofessional, lacking basic scheduling tools, often calling unexpectedly without using any proper interview scheduling software. It made the whole process feel chaotic and disorganized. Overall, this was an extremely disappointing experience. Candidates should be cautious — Cisco’s process today lacks transparency, professionalism, and respect for applicants’ time. In my opinion, Cisco is no longer the innovative company it once was.