Pros
I guess you could say 401k match is comparable to other competitors. Health care options - HMO / PPO with excellent benefits (like low co-pay, etc.) ESPP are a good benefit you should take advantage of. Work from home option is a perk. There are a lot of excellent engineers with a breadth of knowledge that you can reach out to for assistance. Most are willing to help and are friendly. People are smart here. For the most part. There are bonuses as well. Paid bi-annually. Amount is based on your grade / company performance / personal performance.
Cons
Let's list them: 1- middle managers are more or less cheerleaders. Esp people managers. They are also bogged down in a lot of busy meetings. So, you get ignored, for the most part. Not because of you. They are too busy. In busy meetings. Which are stacked. 2 - career stagnation. you will not move ANYWHERE unless you apply internally, which takes, what? 15 to 25 internal interviews? this is pointless and discouraging. 3 - constant layoffs. not always based on performance. in fact, the reason is never revealed to you. So no one knows why / how they were targeted. And its usually annually. right before X-Mas holidays. NICE. Cisco LOVES RIFs. And the funny thing is, they encourage you to apply internally. As if its that easy. See above. 4 - stock price is stagnant and not going anywhere. And hasn't gone anywhere for a lot of years. Well, maybe it trickled up by a few dollars per share. So those RSU benefits I listed above? You won't get rich, folks. 5 - Pointless numerous meetings with people managers, bi-weekly, 1:1. Expecting us to "grow, grow, grow." God forbid you don't look busy on your timesheets for your billing hours. They also expect you to know the management chain. When you are near the bottom. OKAY. Sure, I will memorize the names and roles of those 6 layers up, and talk candidly about their visions and what they are seeking. 6 - Mgmt - If you have a toxic manager, you will have a miserable experience. Because this company is stagnant. So you are stuck on the team unless you apply internally. And of course, pass those 25 interviews. Which can take a year and a half. 7 - Upper Mgmt - Don't ever reach out directly to them unless you want to get burnt. They expect you to reach out to their assistant directly. Assuming they have an assistant. They can't / won't be bothered. 8 - Internal technical training - yes they have it. And its not the best. Try 3rd party vendors which are far superior, like INE. 9 - Salary increase. Doesn't exist. And if it does, its basically nothing. Better to simply quit and come back as a different grade. Also salaries are on lower end of the spectrum in a comparable role at a competitor. Salaries depend quite a bit on your geographic region as well.
