One Company, Many Careers – Justyna’s career journey from Assistant to Portfolio Activations Specialist
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Over the years, Cisco has practiced #internalmobility promotion, encouraging employees to move and develop within the company. Cisco is all about retaining and supporting top talent to pursue their passion. Under the motto #OneCompanyManyCareers, we will be sharing the success stories of our employees throughout the whole year!
Today’s story is about Justyna, a Portfolio Activations Specialist.
Q: Tell us what has been your career journey at Cisco so far?
A: In 2017, I started with Cisco as an assistant in TAC. I was the main point of contact for assisting managers and directors in TAC, responsible for organizing team events and employee development training sessions. After a year, I moved into the same role in Professional Services, where I began my learning curve, and in early 2021 I moved into a Portfolio Activations Specialist role where I am now.
Q:What or Who inspired you for the change?
A: In Professional Services I met my manager, Anna Barker. Anna saw a big potential in me, and always encouraged me to grow my responsibilities and visibility. I quickly picked up additional project manager responsibilities with smaller projects and joined Connected Poland – a community of Cisco volunteers from all walks of life and various levels of seniority that share at least one passion – giving back to the community (both Cisco and local) – as a co-lead of Inclusion & Collaboration team.
Thanks to Anna, I saw there was more to my skills than I thought, which gave me confidence to apply for jobs where I didn’t tick all the boxes. Yes, I did fail several times, but I also saw this as an opportunity to learn. This push out of my comfort zone was worth the effort because one day, I succeeded and got the position of Portfolio Activations Specialist.
Q: What was your biggest learning through the transition?
A: It was a big change – I never worked with an external client and lacked presentation skills. Cisco’s supportive culture and openness to give people a chance to learn helped me in the beginning – I felt comfortable asking my team about even the smallest details.
For me, this journey brought a great attitude change – I gained confidence in my abilities, developed resilience and patience, and improved my diplomatic skills.
Q: What advice would you give to those who are thinking about a change but are still hesitant?
To anyone, thinking of changing their career, I wanted to advise you to be open, especially with your manager. They should know what you want to do, and you should have a development plan. Don’t be afraid to make decisions even if you lack something – the worst that can happen is that you’d have another opportunity to learn.
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4 Comments
Great job! Keep going!
Amazing Cisco Career story. Thanks, Justyna for sharing and encouraging others to try 🙂
Justyna has been always going over and beyond the scope of her role. She is an employee engagement enthusiast, community impact role model and amazing event project coordinator! Way to go Justyna!
So proud to have Justyna in the Team and see her expanding and sharing her knowledge everyday!