HOW TO GET A
JOB AT CISCO
Careers, Hiring Process, and Salaries
In 2020, Cisco Systems Inc employed over 38,000 people in the United States and another 38,000 worldwide. Cisco has been a leader in professional information technology for decades. For this reason, many people are interested in applying for a job at Cisco in 2021.
The hiring process at Cisco is fairly straightforward. Like most companies, you need to submit your application and pass a rigorous interview. The company is an equal chance employer and seeks out the best candidates from thousands of applicants.
Read on to discover more about the Cisco recruitment process and how to stand out from other applicants.
Cisco Background
Cisco Systems Inc is an information technology (IT) and networking company founded in 1984 by Leonard Bosack and Sandy Lerner. The company derives its name from San Francisco, the city where the two scientists founded Cisco. Currently, Cisco headquarters are in San Jose, California, with branches in over 80 countries.
Cisco focuses on IT and networking solutions, selling hardware, software, and several high-tech products and services. The aim of the company is to facilitate the success of its clients. Since going public in 1990, the company has seen consistent positive growth, registering a net worth of $233.76 billion as of August 2021. In addition, Cisco is a leader in corporate social responsibility
What’s It Like to Work at Cisco
The working environment is conducive to growth and allows you to explore your creativity. Employees can use the company’s free training program, the Cisco Networking Academy, to explore different career paths and discover new opportunities.
What Employees Say About Working at Cisco
Employees describe working at Cisco Systems Inc as a challenging but fulfilling experience. According to reviews on Glassdoor, the company offers an environment conducive to work and growth opportunities. Employees also enjoy benefits such as medical and dental coverage, paid maternity leave and access to a child care center, and advanced training.
With an overall score of 4.3 on Glassdoor, 83 percent of current and former employees say they would recommend working at Cisco to a friend. Additionally, 93 percent of these reviewers approve of the CEO and are positive about the business outlook. The only common complaint is a lack of work-life balance, but not all employees agree on this.
Cisco Work Environment and Culture
Cisco’s work environment aims to create a conscious culture that encourages employees to love what they do. The simple but impactful company principles also ensure everyone works confidently, takes accountability, and prioritizes teamwork.
The work schedule isn’t confined to a nine-to-five timeframe, as employees have the freedom to choose working hours that suit them. You can even work from home if your position makes that possible. Workdays at Cisco are never the same. Every day brings new challenges and fun activities with the goal of facilitating growth and innovation.
Cisco Careers: Job Requirements, Salaries, and Descriptions
Cisco Systems Inc has an impressive track record for hiring thousands of employees annually. The company features several job roles on its career page, allowing everyone to participate in a transparent application process. Below are some of the available jobs as of July 2021.
Salary figures from the different Cisco job roles below come from Glassdoor and Payscale.
Technical Leader: Cloud Systems Engineer
Salary: $182,231 per year
Level: Senior
Minimum Experience Required: 12 years in technology, five years in application architecture, and four years in a public cloud platform like Azure
Education Required: Master’s degree
This job opening is at the company headquarters in San Jose. You will be an integral part of the IT network service team, offering technical leadership and architectural guidance. You will also work as a network engineer, developing solutions that facilitate cloud platform engineering.
Associate Solutions Engineer
Salary: $45,902 per year
Level: Entry-level
Minimum Experience Required: No professional experience is required
Education Required: Bachelor’s Degree or Master’s Degree in Networking, Engineering, or a related STEM subject
Cisco is hiring college grads to take part in the sales associate program training in Amsterdam. You will undergo intensive training to develop your technical, communication, and sales skills. After the training, Cisco will send you to South Africa, where you’ll assume the role of sales engineer under Cisco’s Global Virtual Engineering team.
You will play an integral role in designing and implementing solutions that streamline the sales process for customers and partners. You will also deal with product management and pre-sales strategies.
Senior Software Engineer
Salary: $135,561
Level: Senior
Minimum Experience Required: Six to ten years in computer science or related field
Education Required: Bachelor’s or master’s degree
This engineering role is for a position at the San Jose office. You will join Cisco’s Intent-Based Networking team and contribute to the development of high-tech services and products, including SDWAN, SDA, edge routers, and much more. You will have a diverse role that includes design, coding, and product management.
Senior Backend Engineer - Network Service
Salary: $128,775
Level: Senior
Minimum Experience Required: Six to ten years in programming, networking, or a related field
Education Required: Bachelor’s or master’s degree
This job is available offsite in Clayton, Missouri, and its focus is on scaling and system reliability. You will work with the team to design and maintain scalable data pipelines for the company dashboards. You will also deliver customer data requirements and facilitate real-time transactions.
UI Lead Developer
Salary: $124,331
Level: Senior
Minimum Experience Required: Eight years in enterprise user interface (UI) development
Education Required: Not specified
This role entails building a customer-oriented CX cloud platform and implementing simple solutions according to customer needs. You have to write readable and reusable code while monitoring the security of Cisco systems. Programming languages, RESTful services, and cloud services are part of the required experience. This position is in Bangalore, India.
Technical Marketing Engineer - Data Center
Salary: $139,888
Level: Mid-level
Minimum Experience Required: Not specified
Education Required: Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering or Computer Science
You will work at the company headquarters in San Jose, California, with Cisco’s technical marketing teams. In addition, you’ll contribute to the development of the Nexus 9000 line of data center switches and related software. You must be proficient in Python and REST APIs and have basic networking knowledge.
Data Specialist
Salary: $84,088
Level: Entry-level
Minimum Experience Required: Not specified
Education Required: Bachelor’s or master’s degree in a related field
This job is based in San Francisco, where Cisco offers world-class training and mentorship programs to new college graduates. You’ll work with the digital data team to improve the user experience at Cisco. Your job entails analyzing and interpreting trends in complex data sets and providing insights to the IT team.
Cloud Security Architect
Salary: $152,707
Level: Senior
Minimum Experience Required: Ten years in security solutions
Education Required: Master’s degree
This position involves working at Cisco’s Poland branch, developing cloud platform security solutions for the company. You’ll evaluate risks, review planned upgrades, and work with the cloud platform engineering team to implement security solutions.
Full Stack Escalations Engineer
Salary: $130,423
Level: Mid-level
Minimum Experience Required: Not specified
Education Required: Not specified
You’ll join the Cisco Meraki team in Poland to provide technical assistance to the company’s customers, partners, and service providers. Your duties will include problem-solving, monitoring escalation calls, and coding.
Consulting Systems Engineer
Salary: $119,351
Level: Mid-level
Minimum Experience Required: Not specified
Education Required: Bachelor’s degree
You will work with customers and SMEs to strengthen cyber security and improve efficiency. You need expertise in troubleshooting and implementing solutions using more than one security protocol. This security and networking job is available in Bangalore, India.
How to Get
a Job at Cisco
The first step to getting a job at Cisco Systems Inc is to fill out an application and submit it before the deadline. Alternatively, create a profile on the company website to receive job notifications and priority responses from the Cisco recruitment team.
The hiring manager works with the HR team to narrow down the best candidates for each role. If you qualify, the Cisco recruitment team will reach out and schedule an interview. You also have to pass an online test before proceeding to the last stage of the hiring process.
Is It Hard to Get a Job at Cisco?
Although Cisco hires thousands of employees every year, getting a job at the organization is challenging. You have to succeed in a highly competitive application process and undergo a rigorous interview process. However, the recruitment team is always on standby offering technical assistance.
How to Apply for a Job at Cisco
Cisco Hiring Process
Go to ‘We are Cisco’ on the company website and select the job search page, where all job vacancies are available. Alternatively, you can conduct an advanced search on third-party recruiters, such as Glassdoor and Indeed.
Both options will result in a guided application process, which will lead to a series of interviews if you make it far enough. Below is a step-by-step process of Cisco’s hiring process.
1
Application
Go through all the available jobs and select one that matches your qualifications. Then, fill out an application with the necessary information and submit it. Whether you’re using the official website or a third-party site, remember to provide information that accurately describes you.
2
Online Interview
The online interview features aptitude and technical sections to gauge basic knowledge in networking, IT, telecommunication, and other Cisco operations. There are 50 multiple choice questions, 20 aptitude questions, and 30 technical questions. Although there’s no negative marking in this section, time is of the essence.
3
Technical Interview Round 1
Here, the interviewer will assess your knowledge of networking and computing. They also ask questions about several computer science subjects, such as operating systems, microprocessors, and algorithms.
The first interview can either be in person or on the phone. We’ve listed a few questions you might come across below.
- Define the Diffie–Hellman algorithm
- Define subnetting and its uses
- How do you reverse a linked list?
4
Technical Interview Round 2
This is an onsite interview that includes practical and theoretical questions. This step puts your coding skills to the test, as the interviewer asks you to write and explain code. The interviewer also gauges your problem-solving skills by presenting you with real-life work scenarios.
To excel in the coding assignment, run your code several times before presenting it and pay attention to detail.
5
HR Interview
This is a behavioral interview that focuses on communication, work ethic, and company policies. It is an onsite interview conducted by a hiring manager. After the onsite interview, the recruitment team will reach out to successful candidates within two weeks. Some of the behavioral questions include:
- What are your career goals?
- How does working at Cisco align with your plans for the future?
- Have you held any leadership roles?
- How do you handle conflict?
What Should I Study to Get a Job at Cisco?
To get a job at Cisco Systems Inc, you can study computer science, business administration, software engineering, or computer networking. It usually depends on the position you’re interested in.
Cisco requires at least a bachelor’s degree for most job roles. The basic skills necessary for all employees include communication, problem-solving, analytical thinking, and basic knowledge in networking concepts.
Can a Coding Bootcamp Get
Me a Job at Cisco?
Yes, a coding bootcamp education can help you secure a job at Cisco Systems Inc. Nowadays, coding bootcamps offer an alternative to college degrees for people who want to pursue tech education. Bootcamps prepare students for professional roles by focusing on specific skills like data analytics, machine learning, and UX/UI design.
In addition, many bootcamps work with hiring partners to increase students’ chances of landing a job after graduation. For example, Hack Reactor partners with Cisco to provide its students with career advice and job opportunities.
How to Get a Job at Cisco FAQ
How can I get a job at Cisco?
Your qualifications need to fit the job description. You must also pass a series of interviews and showcase knowledge of the company’s operations. In addition, most jobs at Cisco require some professional experience and at least a Bachelor’s Degree in IT or a related field.
How can I keep track of the available Cisco jobs?
The company does an excellent job at updating its career page, allowing you to find current job vacancies. Additionally, you can keep track through third-party sites, such as Glassdoor. Once you register, you will receive job notifications, allowing you to apply immediately.
Can I qualify for a job at Cisco with a bootcamp certificate?
Yes. Cisco partners with several bootcamps to provide job opportunities to outstanding graduates. Alternatively, you can apply for the Cisco off-campus drive, an event that takes place twice a year.
What skills do I need to qualify for a job at Cisco?
To qualify for a job at Cisco you should have basic networking knowledge as well as interpersonal, teamwork, analytical, and problem-solving skills. Certifications from the Cisco Networking Academy and other notable tech companies will also increase your chances in the Cisco recruitment process.
