Job Candidate Privacy Statement

1. Purpose and scope of statement

a.     The purpose of this Job Candidate Privacy Statement (“JCPS”) is to set out how Cisco Systems, Inc. and its affiliates (“Cisco,” “us,” “our,” or “we”) collect, use, store, or otherwise process personal data about job applicants and/or candidates, including when job applicants and/or candidates access or use “Cisco careers” page(s) or websites.

b.     When this JCPS mentions "you" it refers to all candidates/applicants whose applications or referral information are provided, submitted, or received by Cisco.

c.     This JCPS does not cover your use of Cisco’s products or services (for more information, please refer to Cisco’s Online Privacy Statement as well as any applicable information related your use of specific Cisco products or services).

           i.     This JCPS is intended to serve as a supplement to Cisco’s Online Privacy Statement specifically related to our processing of personal data related to job applicants.

d.     If you are hired by Cisco, the way we process your personal data will be governed by our internal employee personal data protection and privacy policies (which will be made available to you when you commence your employment or engagement with Cisco).

e.     Where Cisco receives your personal data via a recruiter or other third party, with whom you may have engaged, we encourage you to read the relevant third party’s privacy notice(s) to understand how your personal data is processed by such a third party.

2. Personal data collected

a.     INFORMATION WE COLLECT. As part of the recruitment and job application process, we may collect the following personal data:

Please note that the types of personal data Cisco collects may vary depending on your stage in the recruitment process (e.g., whether you have been invited to interview or received an offer) as well as other factors such as your location and applicable legal requirements.

b.     This data may be collected from you. For example, information you provide to Cisco as a part of your candidate profile, cover letter, resume/CV, application or during the interview process. 

c.     This data may also be collected from third-party sources such as: former employers, other professional references (such as a friend referring you), platforms we use for business purposes, job-posting websites that you may use to apply with us, publicly-available information, background check providers, recruiters, and/or educational institutions.

3. How and why we use your personal data

The following describes the legal grounds for processing your personal data and the associated purposes:

a.     To comply with our legal obligations under applicable laws or exercise our legal rights. This may include:

           i.     checks for eligibility to work in the given jurisdiction;

          ii.     formal identification documentation relating to you, such as a passport or driving license;

         iii.     as required by immigration laws; and/or

         iv.     motor vehicle record checks to validate driving license information if you are required to drive our vehicles as part of your potential role.

b.     Legitimate interests (except where such interests are overridden by the interests or fundamental rights and freedoms of the Applicant). This may include:

           i.     to communicate with you in relation to the job application process;

           ii.     to consider your suitability for the role you are applying for;

          iii.     interview notes made by us during or following an interview with you;

          iv.     for internal reporting and analysis of the recruitment process

           v.     for the protection of Cisco’s assets and reputation or for other safety and security reasons; and/or

          vi.     in order for us to take steps to protect your information against accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorized disclosure or access.

c.     Your explicit consent (where it is legally required under applicable local laws). In such cases, you will have the right to withdraw your consent at any time. However, this will not affect the legitimacy of processing prior to such withdrawal of consent.

d.     We will only use your personal data for the purposes for which we collected it, unless we reasonably consider that we need to use it for another secondary purpose and that purpose is compatible or closely related with the original purpose. If we need to use your personal data for an unrelated purpose, we will notify you and take appropriate steps, as necessary, in accordance with the applicable legal basis which would allow us legitimately to do so.

4. Processing sensitive personal data

If we process sensitive personal data about you, we will make sure that such processing is only as strictly required for satisfying our obligations under the applicable local laws, or to establish, defend or exercise legal claims, and/or for the provision of workplace accommodations.

5.  Data sharing

We do not share or transfer your personal data except in the following limited circumstances and subject to appropriate technical and organizational measures:

a.     Internal: personal data may be shared internally with HR personnel, personnel involved in the job application process, personnel involved in administration of your application or offer of employment, resource planning personnel, as well as other appropriate personnel when legitimate business purposes are being served. Such personnel may be from Cisco locations outside of your current location.

b.     External: personal data may be shared with third parties where we have a lawful basis. This may include:

6. Your privacy rights

Subject to applicable laws, you may have certain privacy rights regarding your data. These may include the right to access and request corrections, , objection, and deletion under applicable data protection laws. You can exercise any of these rights by submitting a Privacy Request.

7.  Protection of your data

We have implemented appropriate technical and organizational measures to ensure the security of the data, including protection against breach of security, leading to accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorized disclosure or access to that data. Relatedly, we utilize an appropriate information risk management process to frame, assess, respond, and monitor risks and developments.

8. Use of Artificial Intelligence

a.     Cisco may use responsible Artificial Intelligence technologies (“AI Tools”) to support the processing of personal data and enhance—not replace—traditional recruitment processes, as described in this JCPS. Our Responsible AI Framework governs the development, deployment, and use of AI Tools. We apply rigorous risk management practices to evaluate our AI Tools for fairness and to reduce risks such as bias. AI Tools are used in compliance with applicable data protection and privacy laws.

b.     AI Tools may review candidate-provided details—such as skills, experience, location, and education—to determine how closely candidates match job criteria. AI Tools are intended to guide and support the recruitment team in identifying and prioritizing candidates but are not used in isolation or without human judgment. In addition to insights from AI Tools, our recruitment team considers a wide range of inputs, including screening conversations and hiring manager feedback, when making decisions.

c.     In some cases, AI Tools may assist with an initial assessment of candidate applications based on certain job criteria (e.g., geographic ineligibility). These decisions are: (i) based on objective, pre-defined requirements; (ii) designed to aid efficiency and consistency; and (iii) subject to oversight by our recruitment team. You will be notified of such decision-making and may contact us if you believe your application was rejected in error.

d.      If using AI Tools provided by third parties, we conduct due diligence and seek appropriate assurances before implementation.

9. Transfers of personal data

a.     We are headquartered in the United States, therefore, in connection with our business and for employment, administrative, management and legal purposes we may transfer, and process your personal data outside of your country of residence.

b.     Cisco  shall transfer your personal data outside of your country in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

c.     Cisco’s global privacy program and policies have been approved by the Dutch, Polish, Spanish, and other relevant European data protection regulators as providing additional safeguards for the protection of privacy, fundamental rights, and freedoms of individuals for transfers of personal data protected under European law. Cisco’s Binding Corporate Rules -- Controller (BCR-C) -- provide that international transfers made by Cisco as a controller worldwide of European personal data benefit from additional safeguards. A copy of our BCR-C can be found in our Global Privacy Policy.

10. Retention of your personal data

a.     We will retain your personal data as needed to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected.

b.     We will retain and use your personal data as necessary to comply with our business requirements, meet our legal obligations, resolve disputes, protect our assets, and enforce our rights and agreements.

c.     We will not retain personal data in identifiable form when the purpose(s) for which the personal data was collected have been achieved and there is no legal or business need to retain such personal data. Thereafter, the data will be destroyed, deleted, anonymized, and/or removed from our systems.

d.     If you are hired by Cisco, personal data provided by you or obtained by Cisco over the course of the job application/recruitment process will be retained by us for as long as you are an employee of Cisco (plus a reasonable period of time after your employment ends) for the purpose of facilitating your employment. Such personal data will be retained in accordance with applicable local legal requirements and our internal employee data protection and privacy policies (which will be available to you when you commence employment with Cisco).

e.     If you are not hired by Cisco, we may retain some personal data about you in order to contact you in relation to future vacancies within Cisco which we think may be of interest to you. You can request that we do not hold your personal data for the purpose of assessing further roles for you by submitting a Privacy Request.

11. Changes to this JCPS and questions

a.     We may amend this JCPS at any time.

b.     The most current version of the JCPS will govern our use of your information and will always be posted at this URL.

c.     If you have any questions, comments or concerns about this JCPS, please submit a Privacy Request.