'Selectively, we're hiring on certain projects,' said John Chambers, chief executive of networking giant Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO).

The spokeswoman blamed the sluggish hiring on the weak economy, but the path to creating even one job (never mind 650) has been a twisted one.

Although there are plenty of holdouts who are still inclined to fill positions based at least in part on gender, the most successful businesses work hard to focus their hiring on demonstrated talent.