Thread regarding Cisco Systems Inc. layoffs

I had some trouble getting out Cisco and having my resume taken seriously (no call back from Microsoft or Red Hat). I then used my social network and LinkedIn and got job offers from both of those and a couple of cloud software companies - one of whom I accepted the offer and am seriously happy outside of the sinking, directionless ship that is Cisco... :-)

Perhaps you need to expand your social horizon and get some recommendations?

Cisco employees present some issues with outside employers on several fronts. 1) Employers see the comp/work ratio being out-of-whack and view Cisco folks as milkers and not hunter-killers (with regards to sales). , and 2) Cisco is seen as being out-of-touch with tech trends. Not an unfair criticism since Cisco has made many blunders outside of route-switch/level 2-3 tech and COMPLETELY screwed up on cloud.

That said, there are many, many talented engineers and sales folks who are aggressive in business pursuits and are up-to-snuff and immersed in tech trends. Those in the job market are just going to have to work harder to overcome some of these perceptions.

Similar experience so far.. no one seems to care much for Cisco background. Its not a wow factor on your resume. Its all about latest tech and being current with industry. Cisco technology is too specific to be marketable in a broad sense.

@2nav - I'm glad you took the high road. Never bad mouth a previous company, job or manager at an interview. You might as well not show up if you're going to do that.

@1ufq - I got lucky with my new position. They, like many companies, use AWS and, for obvious reasons, I had no experience with AWS at Cisco. They have a team that is fully up to speed on AWS services, so they're teaching me how to use it while I help the team become better at using Linux and building iOS applications.

On a different note I had two ex Cisco people wants me to bad mouth Cisco during interviews , one with amazon and the other with a networking startup. However I respectfully refused. Beware there are lot of ex Cisco people out there with chip on their shoulders.

Yes. I'm looking because an LR is clearly coming. I'm not in the valley. During one phone screen the manager asked me something technical about an industry standard tool and added "because I hear from you Cisco guys all the time about using none standard tools". I was prepared for this but not enough and screwed up my answer.

No call back. My sense is we get a chance but the bar is high and we're gonna have to prove ourselves. I've had too much fluff in my job. Too many power point slides and not enough coding. I'm gonna have to practice on my own to refresh and prepare.

I would work on some basic certifications for cloud stuff, there is a lot out there on Coursera. Also make sure you tailor your resume to emerging requirements. Cisco has been a painfully dynamic company over the last 8 years - I don't know anyone around here that managed to keep their exact same job, and I would highlight that by interviewing. I am still with Cisco (although given my age and grade I am firmly in the endangered species category), but given the fact I have worked on open source and other software and virtualization projects I get good inquiries from recruiters. Infrastructure hardware is dead. It's still a $B market, but there's no growth and there's a lot of danger of substitution...

I had this too. If you look at people who have left Cisco, they are rarely successful outside. After companies have been burned a few times, they stop taking people from that company seriously anymore. Now there are a lot of ex Cisco people out there the chances of them being burned increases.

Best advice is to never let yourself get 10 years at one company on you resume, as you're now branded as a Cisco bod and not someone who's adaptable and has the ability to be successful outside the comfort of Cisco run rate or "keeping the lights on" as one of my colleagues forecasts it, should be called "haven't got a clue about my business" to be more accurate.

I think companies in general don't get that Cisco is more than routers and switches, which is because Cisco has failed in most other areas besides this. Even though they announced their focus on the cloud and software years ago, I think there's still that primary belief that Cisco's focus is still on boxes and networking.

I think companies are also looking for less experienced people (younger, cheaper).

I think Silicon Valley is probably full of people looking now. I think the job market s---s for experienced workers since we're in the "new economy" where candidates accept crappy pay so they can scrape by.

Anyone who is concerned that you were laid off--whether you were or not--is an idiot. You dodged a bullet. Layoffs are commonplace, especially in tech. However, it sounds like you are not working at Cisco, and if that's the case, the concern might be that you quit a job without having another lined up. I'm just speculating since I don't k ow your situation.

Good luck. Something will come along.