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Invited for an interview with Cisco? Let’s set you up for success

Prashanth Seshadri
28 July 2021

My name is Prashanth and I’m part of the recruitment team at Cisco. I have been hiring for some of the exciting & diverse roles for the Customer Experience (CX) business across the EMEAR region. Over the last few years we have seen significant growth of our Cisco Poland team, adding in a lot of new talent in a variety of roles. So whatever your experience is, whether you are an early in career talent or experienced professional, networking or software engineer, finance or HR specialist, sales or business development manager – Cisco has a role for you.

The world has moved virtual, and so have our interviews. Here’s something to help you enhance your virtual interview experience. Gone are those days where candidates were invited to offices for interviews. With the use of amazing platform like Webex, meetings are made easy, simple with an extraordinary experience.

Here’s some tips to make sure you ace your interview. Like you, we also want you to be successful!

Before your interview

• Understand and confirm the interview date and time. Invites are sent from different time zone calendars. GMT, EST, CET – We are everywhere!
• Make sure you keep an eye on spam folders and not overlook updates – “sorry! I did not see your mail ”.
• Do take the time to confirm your participation – remember: interviews are always scheduled based on your availability.
• Need any reasonable adjustments? – we’re happy to help you
• In case you can’t make it – do let the recruiter or coordinator know at the earliest. We always re-schedule with a smile.
• Go through the job description and do some research around the role, the panel for the interview and the interview format.
• Check with the recruiter for any preparation required or any areas the interviewers will focus on – presentations, role play etc. – we always have some tips!
• If you have not used Webex in the past – do a trial run with your friends and family to play with the features and get a feel for it (Webex is free to download and use)—you’ll fall in love with it!

For your interview

• Most of our interviews will be competency-based panel interviews. You will have a chance to meet a lot of our leaders during the process. Feel free to say “hello”.
• Dial in few minutes before the interview – you don’t want to rush last minute.
• Dress as if you were attending an in-person interview at Cisco office – remember it’s still a professional interview.
• Select a quiet place which is free from distractions and has good internet connectivity. You don’t want people walking around when you are talking to us – avoid coffee shops & trains please
• Use a laptop or PC. We also recommend mobile phones as back up if your laptop fails.
• We always use ice breakers & introductions to calm you down. So, take time to look around the webex room & feel comfortable. You can do an audio, video & weather check.
• It’s a conversation, not a debate, so be a good listener and then answer when it’s your turn
• Ask us to repeat the question or get more clarification on what the panel wants to hear. We want to ensure you got it right.
• Answer to the point and check if they need further explanation – we would love to know more but have time constraints.
• Take time to ask some questions – it’s your chance to drill us & know more.
• Keen to get feedback post your interview? – wait for the recruiter to come back with update and next steps.

And…

• Don’t worry if the technical things go wrong. We are assessing your skills for the role and not your expertise in using Webex – you’ll become a pro in using it once you join Cisco.
• Your battery could run low, internet might drop, or you may not see the video – don’t worry! These things happen. Just enjoy the conversation like we always do.

Wishing you all the best!  So, get ready for the wonderful Cisco experience. We are excited to meet you.

Ready to join our outstanding team? Explore open roles at the Kraków office!