Case Study: Cisco achieves rapid access to 6,500+ elite software & security engineers with HackerRank

Cisco’s CodeSprint Pioneered a New Way to Attract Software & Security Innovators

Cisco, a global leader in networking and Internet infrastructure, needed a more innovative way to recruit highly specialized software and security engineers than traditional job boards and referrals could provide. To find candidates with deep technical skill, creativity and cultural fit for hard-to-fill roles like security specialist engineer, Cisco partnered with HackerRank to run a 2.5‑day CodeSprint.

HackerRank hosted two simultaneous challenges—a Software Challenge (≈5,000 entrants) and a Security Challenge (≈1,700 entrants)—each with five role‑aligned problems and prizes to drive engagement. The sprint drew over 6,500 engineers worldwide, produced strong candidate interest in Cisco, revealed more perfect scores in the tougher security contest (27 vs. 17), and surfaced top talent from a diverse set of countries—all within less than three days.

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