MBA Recruiter: Starting Your MBA Career with Cisco Systems
Cisco Systems, a leader in computer networking, is constantly looking for MBA talent. Founded in 1984 by two computer scientists from Stanford University who sought an easier way to connect different types of computer systems, the multinational corporation now hires MBAs from top business school across the country.
Cisco Origins
Since shipping its first product in 1986, Cisco Systems has grown immensely, employing over 72,000 people in over 100 countries around the world. Cisco’s networking solutions can be found in many small to medium enterprises, such as corporations, government agencies, utilities, and educational institutions. These solutions connect people, computing devices and networks, allowing people to access or transfer information with ease securely.
Employment Statistics
Cisco has hires MBAs from top business school across the nation, including recent graduates from the following schools:
- UCLA Anderson School of Business: 5-9 students in 2017.
- Duke Fuqua: 7 students in 2017
- MIT Sloan: MBAs hired from the Class of 2017
- Cornell Johnson: multiple MBAs hired from the Class of 2017
- Notre Dame Mendoza: MBAs hired from the Class of 2017
Cisco Internships
New hires at Cisco are mostly interns or new graduate hires, and the company looks for candidates who are self-starters, innovative, and driven. Cisco offers a variety of short and long-term internships, summer internships, co-op programs, and apprenticeship programs to qualified full-time students.
According to the company’s FAQ for students and new grads, these programs vary in length, but typically range from two months to 12 months. Pay, access to benefits, and other perks vary by location and role. Internship programs at Cisco include opportunities in Cisco’s Digitization Office, Operations, Supply Chain, Human Resources, and Marketing & Communications.
Cisco Systems has launched offices in over 100 countries since its founding in 1984.
Applicants will undergo an interview process that may include a telephone interview to check a candidate’s basic requirements, a competency-based interview where candidate must match your skills to those needed for the role, and a panel interview may be led by several people such as HR staff and hiring managers.
If you’re looking for additional insight in how to apply and interview at Cisco, check out this handy guide published by the company. A few worthwhile tidbits of information include:
Understand the business: Candidates should understand Cisco’s business, as well as its customers, their needs are, and how technology can help them.
Understand the job: Candidates should explain why they want this job, how it fits their goals, and what they can bring to the company. Study the job description.
Reflect on strengths and growth areas: Cisco values candidates who are open, can demonstrate that they value personal development and are able acknowledge strengths and weaknesses.
What MBAs Do At Cisco
Digitization Office: Cisco’s Digitization University Program is a 12-week summer internship available to both MBAs and undergrads. Jobs are located in in London, Bedfont Lakes, United Kingdom, and in San Jose, California (where the company headquarters is located). According to the company, the Digitization Office is at the center of pushing innovation at Cisco and evolving the business. Interns in this program are involved in different functions such as analyzing data to feeding into the global strategy.
Operations: Cisco’s operations internship is a 12 week program offered at Cisco’s Bangalore, Dalian, San Jose, Raleigh, and Krakow offices. It is designed for interns who are pursuing their bachelor’s and/or master’s degree and full-time new graduates. Participants are involved in various functions of the company, such as data science/analytics, compensation and stock, or partnering across business groups to create a more streamlined efficiency processes. The interns ends with a summer showcase where interns present their suitcase project to follow interns, coworkers and company leadership.
Services: Cisco’s Services Academy development programs are available to apprentices, interns, co-ops, and new-graduate professionals. This instructor-led training program helps candidates earn industry certifications, gain exposure to the world’s leading industry experts, and learn on their feet. Participants help provide expert assistance to design, build, manage, secure, optimize, and support networks. This program has domestic opportunities in San Jose, Richardson, and Raleigh, North Carolina, as well as opportunities abroad in Mexico City, London, Brussels, Krakow, Bangalore, and Dalian.
Supply Chain: The Supply Chain Operations University Program helps accelerate innovation, growth, and positive customer experiences at the Cisco. Placements are available for interns and new graduates in Amsterdam, Austin, Bangalore, Bedfont Lakes, Guadalajara, Oslo, San Jose, and Shenzhen. Participants are given roles in various areas of Cisco’s business, such as new product introduction, advanced manufacturing technologies, sourcing and supplier management, quality, sales and operations planning, manufacturing, and logistics.
Human Resources: According to Cisco, the company’s HRLP Rotational Program is for interns with prior work experience who are pursuing an MBA or other master’s degree with an emphasis in Human Resources or Organizational Behavior. The 12-week summer internship program is open to students who are entering the summer before their graduation year, and serves as a gateway to a permanent full-time position in the HRUP/HRLP rotational program. Participants collaborate within an intern cohort to complete and present a business proposal by the end of the summer.
Marketing & Communications: Cisco’s Marketing & Communications University Program is made up of the company’s internship, co-op, undergraduate, new hire, and MBA leadership program. The program aims to train the next generation of digital marketers, and emphasizes continued learning by giving interns opportunities to attend world-class training courses on marketing, data analytics, and leadership.
Working at Cisco
As we mentioned earlier, many new hires at Cisco come through the company’s internship programs, so if you land one of these prestigious internships, you’re chances of gaining full-time employment at Cisco are relatively high. What can you look forward to as a full-time employee? Here are just a few benefits and perks:
- Competitive compensation plan
- Employee stock options
- Tuition reimbursement for continued education
- Annual bonuses
- Employee discount programs
- Employee resource organizations
- Generous paid time off & holidays (including birthdays!)
- Onsite medical and fitness center
If you’re an MBA interested in throwing your hat into the ring at Cisco System, you can browse job openings here.
About the Author
Max Pulcini
Max Pulcini is a Philadelphia-based writer and reporter. He has an affinity for Philly sports teams, Super Smash Bros. and cured meats and cheeses. Max has written for Philadelphia-based publications such as Spirit News, Philadelphia City Paper, and Billy Penn, as well as national news outlets like The Daily Beast.
