MBA Recruiter Interview: Cisco

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“We’re not your grandfather’s Cisco,” states Nicholas Colinear, university recruitment lead for the Americas at Cisco. Starting out as a route switch company over 30 years ago, Cisco has since expanded into other forms of technology that are designed to change the way people live, work and connect. In this interview, Nicholas Colinear (NC), as well as a Cisco spokesperson (CS), discuss what the company looks for in its MBA hires as well as why they feel that working at Cisco allows you to do something amazing each day.  

Can you give an overview of the MBA recruitment process at Cisco?

NC: I manage university recruiting for Cisco. So, all of our hires are going to be either interns or new graduate hires.

Our process for hiring is two-fold. We source and recruit on an annual basis. Our recruiters are always out trying to identify talent for our opportunities, across the (company’s) business groups. But, the actual hiring cycle, so to speak, is seasonal.

Recruiters reaching out to candidates occurs on a 12-month basis, but our campus activity really starts in September and runs until roughly the end of April and the majority of offers extended are to start that next summer. All the offers made from September of 2015 to today (June 2016) - those candidates started end of May, beginning of June.

We've already started identifying candidates for the next season which will start in the summer of 2017. That's new graduates and interns. Our goal is to take that intern population and find out who's eligible to convert to full-time hires and try to make those conversions happen quickly after their internship, so students know going into the next year that they've already secured an opportunity.

How does Cisco recruit on a global basis?

NC: We have globally-specific teams. We have a recruitment team for the Americas as well as an ‘APJC’ (Asia-Pacific, Japan and China) recruitment team and an ‘EMEAR’ (Europe, Middle East, Africa and Russia) recruitment team. Each individual team is focused on their theater. In the Americas, we have a team located in the US, a team in Canada and a team in Latin America.

How does the MBA internship program work?

NC: The majority of our MBAs are hired for internship programs. I think the one key thing about Cisco is that not only do we offer these programs globally, but we also offer them across business functions. So, we're not just talking about engineering, we also have MBAs in human resources, global marketing, as well as in our chief strategy office, global business services, supply chain and our security and trust organization. So, there are programs across all business functions. These programs usually run for 12 weeks with locations primarily in San Jose and North Carolina‘s Research Triangle Park. That's where the majority of the hires are, but we do offer internships globally as well.

Why do you think so many MBAs want to work for Cisco?

NC: Why Cisco? That's a good question and one we ask quite a bit when we're interviewing potential candidates. One of the key things for MBAs is that we're trying to bring in people who can be future leaders within the company. MBAs want to come into the organization to be future leaders. There's global exposure with a lot of the work that we do. Cisco also gives MBAs the ability to work with cutting-edge technology and a company that utilizes that technology - the product lines and services to solve business problems for its customers. Another key would be working for an industry leader - there's a depth of resources that provides opportunities for long-term career growth and job satisfaction within Cisco.

When you say "cutting-edge technology", what kind of technology are MBAs working with at Cisco?

NC: The mention of technology is more of an overall statement that our business model is to solve problems through the use of technology. If you're in engineering - for example, in product marketing - you'd be working on innovative technologies that connect people, whether it's cloud technology or other forms, such as software development technologies. A lot of our product lines involve innovative technology. We're not your grandfather's Cisco anymore. We're much more than the route switch company that we started as years ago.

What are some common job roles for MBAs?

NC: Some roles go cross-functionally while others are function-specific, but our top-tier MBA roles include; product manager, business strategy manager, corporate strategy manager, marketing manager, program manager, and software security manager. In addition, we have a human resources leadership program which is very big here at Cisco.

What do you look for when evaluating a candidate’s résumé and experience?

NC: We look for rock stars. We look for candidates that stand out. Some of that's done through conversation and some of that's done through on-campus activity, for example, when someone just really jumps out from the crowd.

When looking at a candidate's résumé and work experience, we're looking to identify excellent academic credentials. Prior internship experience and other work experience (depending on the role) are sometimes critical. Some of the key things we look for are: The ability to solve complex business issues and drive results; the ability to land on your feet and be successful in a fast-paced environment; the ability to work within a team structure as well as independently; strong leadership and communication skills; and the ability to work with leaders and senior leaders across various geographies.

Just to confirm, you don't necessarily need a technical background to work at Cisco?

NC: No, you don't. I would say that's probably one of the biggest misconceptions out there. We don't just hire engineers. A technical background is required for some roles, but not across the board.

CS: We're seeing a lot of value in recruiting people with every kind of degree. For example, in my team, we have people from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. When we all come together with those diverse backgrounds and degrees we get a really cool result, because we have so many different perspectives in one place.

NC: Exactly. If you have five members on your team and everybody graduated from the same school with the same degree, the diversity in the skillset isn't there.

CS: There’s an idea in the company called reverse mentoring. I think people who are at an earlier stage of their career are able to work with people who are more advanced in their career and share some of the insights and skills they have that people who are later into their careers may not have – for example, with social media. They are able to learn from a person who's been at the company for a little bit longer too, so it also influences the exchange of ideas after we've recruited individuals.

What are some other common misconceptions that MBAs might have about Cisco and the IT industry?

NC: One of the misconceptions out there is that we're your grandfather's Cisco, but Cisco is diversified in its businesses. We've grown our technology and product base organically as well as through acquisitions. We work daily on innovative technologies that change how people work, connect and find information.

We have a new tagline: ‘It's never been a better time to do something amazing’. You can do exactly that at Cisco. If you're looking to get involved with an organization that's doing amazing things, you can do that at Cisco.

CS: It's a very interesting time in the industry too, because there are a lot of changes going on. There's never been a better time to be involved with this kind of technology and work at Cisco as we navigate through this transition.

Cisco has a reputation for being a big MBA employer. Has the number of MBA hires gone up or down over the past year?

NC: From the university space, they've gone up. I believe we hired roughly 118 to 120 MBAs this season and that's a mix of interns and full-time hires. Our target is to convert a high percentage of interns – 80% plus – into full-time positions.

Which business schools does Cisco recruit from and why?

NC: I would say we look at candidates from all business schools and on a global basis. Specifically to the Americas, we recruit a lot based on talent specifications and not just school specifications. That said, we do have core schools and target schools including: UNC Kenan-Flagler; Duke Fuqua; MIT Sloan; Stanford; North Carolina State University; Kellogg; Tepper; Berkeley-Haas; NYU Stern.

What should MBAs do in order to make a good first impression on recruiters? Conversely, what should they avoid doing?

NC: It's important to be genuine. Be passionate about your interests, your interest in Cisco and your career objectives, both in the short and long term. It's also important to be consistent throughout the entire process. As mentioned earlier, can you answer the question "why Cisco” clearly?

I would say the common mistake is one that you probably see outside of Cisco as well. That would be engaging in the process without being fully educated or informed about the company or the role. This is just my opinion, but when you hear Cisco, I think it's easy to say "Oh, Cisco! I know Cisco." But then, when you get into the interview process and you're given the opportunity to drill down into a specific function or group, you're not prepared for it because you walk into it thinking "Oh, Cisco… huge…IT…I can speak to that." I would encourage any candidate, once you're informed about the group that you're interviewing with, to research that group as well. Don't just come in with the vague Cisco answer.

MTV's list of intern social media fails mentions a 2009 incident where a new Cisco hire got let go for tweeting about "having to weigh the utility of a fatty paycheck against the daily commute to San Jose and hating the work." How closely does Cisco monitor the social media feeds of job candidates and new hires?

CS: In terms of social media policy, we do encourage our employees to openly disclose that they work at Cisco on their social media accounts. I think that people are encouraged to share how they feel about Cisco. I can generally say that those feelings are positive.

I think it just reflects the judgment call that individuals will make from time to time on social media. Accounts aren’t being monitored, but you do have to recognize that you are representing a brand and the company when you talk about them too. I think that, especially in this day and age, people have to recognize that social media is no longer something where you can go in and fly under the radar.

We do encourage employees to use social media. I know some companies may prefer that employees not use it but – if you really work with it – it's a great brand tool too. Our social media team consults on best practices, but we do depend on the good judgment of employees too, so it will reflect on their brand personally if they choose to share something negative as is the case across all (forms of) social media.

Is there anything I didn't ask that MBAs should know before applying to jobs at Cisco?

CS: I came in as an intern and I think taking an internship with Cisco shows that you're really thinking about your future at the company and that you're really excited to be involved with different programs too. So, it's a really great experience all around.

NC: If you're an MBA and you're being hired, you're looking at the MBA as a way to become a future leader. I mentioned earlier that we're looking for people who stand out. I would say we do that throughout an individual's career as well. Have the confidence to make a difference and stand out from the others even within Cisco once you're here and not just in order to get here. Continue that thought process throughout your career.

Interview edited for flow and clarity.