Thread regarding Cisco Systems Inc. layoffs

@mvyl+14Vw7irw, I do better than $90K. I just don't make the $150-180 that I hear others say they make.

I've been other places than Cisco, and none of them were offering $100K better than Cisco. $5K - $10K better, sure, but not $100K. And a lot of recruiters tell me companies they're trying to fill contract positions with say that matching my current salary is beyond the pay rate for whatever contract, so why leave an easy, low stress job at Cisco for "work my butt off" effort to get the same or 5% better pay?

I don't hate that you're making extra $'s. I'm even a little jealous. I just have a hard time understanding how you pulled off that large a raise. I spent most of my early to mid career years working in the south where the cost of living and wages are low and then interviewed for a job in the metro DC area. Everything went well enough that they flew me from Austin, TX to DC for a face to face interview, started a background check, etc. But once I had to fill out an actual application and provided my salary history and suddenly, I wasn't worth twice my usual salary even though I was moving from Austin, TX to McLean, VA.

I'm surprised by all the down voting on my reply that, yes, I was a grade 9 at Cisco for a while. I mean, it's on the Internet, so it must be true, right? :-)

Enjoy your new job. Working hard is much more satisfying than being bored all day.

@kxpl+14Vw7irw yeah im making an extra 100k a year, so dont be a hater but feel better that I actually work my butt off now, not on constant vacation, my yard isnt perfect anymore and I dont mall walk every other day. But, when I get paid, the extra 2k every two weeks is nice, so enjoy your 90k a year and cut bonuses, but oh hey you got friday off.

but .. but ..... there is no grade 9 level in cisco. somehow you are tripping, duh!!!

Unless you're in HR or an internal recruiter, how would you know? People's pay grades are supposed to be hush-hush.

And, yes, there is. It was my first time being an employee. That particular BU was mostly 9's. At the time I was hired back in '08, I didn't know that most BU's had even number pay grades. I took what they offered me because it was better pay than my red badge pay and had better benefits too boot.

When I was LR'd and came back, I had to take a step down to a grade 8, but the manager pushed to get me wages that put me close to my red badge rate and higher than my grade 9 pay. I didn't know that it put a target on my back for being paid above the median for 8's, so I got hit by the next LR 2 years later.

I think that first BU, when it was formed, opted to use grade 9's instead of 8's to attract people from Cisco's Engineering BU because they needed people who were familiar with Cisco's products and processes to support their mission. After that, they sort of just kept hiring new "middle of career" people at the same pay grade so that there wouldn't be issues with people filing suits for discrimination when they find out that someone with the same experience doing the same job is a pay grade higher than them. I don't know if they still have 9's or not when they re-branded their BU name between '10 & '15.

But there could be... depending in what org you sit in.
One of the many mysteries of Cisco.

• but .. but ..... there is no grade 9 level in cisco. somehow you are tripping, duh!!!

only way to go from grade 11 to 12 is to be a buddy of someone director or lower, I was best performer in team, got told that there wasnt any promos given out , then some lackey who kisses up gets one, so you got to either take it or get out, I left for another 100k a year but actually have to work, miss doing a hour of a work a week.

I think you meant director or higher, not lower. Somehow I really doubt that you were [sic] "best performer in team" given that you "miss doing a hour of work a week." I guess "some lackey who kisses up" did twice the work you did and worked two hours a week. I'd say he deserved the promotion over you. :-)

Somehow I doubt that you're making an extra 100K as the wages I hear for grade 11 is pretty over paid as it is. Either you guys exaggerate your wages or you exaggerate your increase when you leave. Seems like the grade 10 & 11 wages I hear about are 75-100 percent higher than my grade 9 wage. And, yes, I'm comparing NC wages to NC wages, not CA wages to NC wages.

11 to 12 is near impossible.

only way to go from grade 11 to 12 is to be a buddy of someone director or lower, I was best performer in team, got told that there wasnt any promos given out , then some lackey who kisses up gets one, so you got to either take it or get out, I left for another 100k a year but actually have to work, miss doing a hour of a work a week.

remember the equation: if age + grade + time as blue badge > 70; then layoff

I joined Cisco as grade 6 PM, now am at grade 10. What are my chances of being promoted to grade 13?

Shouldn't you be worried about getting promoted to grade 11 before shooting for 13?

I joined at grade 10 about 14 years ago. I’m on G13 waiting list for 4 years. In the interests of privacy, I will not tell you what I’ve done and am doing (since it will allow people to quickly figure out who I am). Very impressive technical stuff (patents, etc) but G13 is still miles away.

I joined Cisco as grade 6 PM, now am at grade 10. What are my chances of being promoted to grade 13?

I see that a lot of people get promoted for political reasons and not necessarily job performance at Cisco.

Of course G13 is a whole different world.....you are now entering the "executive" level wing, where politics get very very hard and screwed up. But one thing is for sure.....once you hit that level, your LR chances go down....those execs protect each other. Sure, some do get LR'd.......but not very often....and certainly not as often as they should (there are wayyy too many Dirs/VPs at Cisco).

I've know a bunch of people that got promoted from G11 to G12 without having a very high profile within the company.....but they were "in favor" with their Director....but not necessarily their VP.

That doesn’t fly with G13, you need to have all the VP on side, otherwise the directors have to beg your case, which makes you highly likely to get your slot gazumpted by a diversity fly-in or by somebody who’s threatening to leave unless they get it.

You have to have dirt on someone in your org. Seriously.

We had an Inside Sales SE in RTP get banned from one of the Contracted inside Sales sites. Everything was kept very hush hush, but rumors were he was attempting to dip his pen in lots of different receptacles of company ink.

That useless POS that couldn't engineer his way out of a wet paper bag eventually got promoted to Manager, then Senior Manager before getting LRed about a decade later.

He should have been FIRED. We figured he HAD to have something major on someone in the upline.

I've know a bunch of people that got promoted from G11 to G12 without having a very high profile within the company.....but they were "in favor" with their Director....but not necessarily their VP. Many times, it's just the "right place at the right time", unfortunately. It's sometimes a tough barrier to cross since going from G11 to G12 changes your compensation profile (higher bonus, etc), and some depts like keeping you stuck at G11. Just make sure if you are G11 and a great performer, that you don't go beyond your midpoint, pay-wise (which can happen....easier to give you raises than promotions). Then you get a target painted on your head by the accountants.

A G11 to G12 promotion is one of the hardest to get. You would need to be an exceptional G11 performer and have a very high profile in the company. For example, all the directors and VPs above you would need to know who you are and what you do.

Promoted at Cisco? You need to already be a Director or above for promotion.

Sharpen your 'PowerPoint Engineer' skills

I've watched plenty of highly skilled women be passed up for promotions.

And many men, we have one guy in our group that is leading a big, new transformative technology and he is stuck at grade 11 for years. Every time the promotions come up, they have an “emergency case” to push a female into the slot.

I've watched plenty of highly skilled women be passed up for promotions. Women must lack marketable skills to be promoted at Cisco.

A female can not threaten her bosses ego.

Lol I love how much they talk about diversity when 90% of the company is white or Indian.

Be a girl helps. I’ve supposedly been on the “top of the list” for the past four years, but it seems they have to do all the females first.

I thought you had to backstab your co-workers to make an opening for you to move up.

become bff with your senior director is the easiest.
Preferably support some diversity initiatives, whatever the flavor of the month is.
Do not focus on your core job but all items surrounding it.