I think there’s a certain perception of the corporate world and the interview process associated with it. In most cases, we assume an abundance of formality and at least 15 years experience – right?
My name is Hope, I am part of the graduate sales associate program and I have been here at Cisco for 7 months now. I wanted to write this blog and share my unique Cisco interview experience and my understanding of why interviews shouldn’t be perfect…. to some extent. Once you’ve read on, I’m sure you will understand why.
After passing the application stage, I had my first ever telephone interview. Unfortunately I had a few small barriers to overcome: I was on holiday in Tenerife and it was scheduled for three days time. I spent the next few days frantically fumbling 
over my laptop, reading news article after news article, reciting copious amounts of Cisco product codes and trying to work out what on earth ‘the network’ actually is. The day finally came and the chain of events began.
In short, I sat in my hotel room, in my bikini, hung up on my interviewer twice, dropped my phone as the maid burst in and at end; presented my dad with a £50 international phone bill. Let’s just say it was far from smooth. On the other hand, I was successful and made it to the next round.
Despite my disbelief, according to the interviewer, I did everything right. I laughed off the awkward moments, didn’t panic when things went wrong and all in all, was myself. In sales, we’ve all had that less than graceful cold call where you put the phone down and start reevaluating your life. Now, it seems apparent that this is normal.
My role now involves building and developing relationships. I spend my days talking to customers and partners in a variety of different roles and industry verticals. It is my job to understand how their business operates, what challenges they are facing, and in turn align Cisco products to add value and make their jobs easier. Who wouldn’t love me for doing that? I have come to find that in this job, very often, there is no right or wrong way to do something. Things don’t always go to plan but we improvise depending on who we are dealing with and their requirements. All people are different and business is about people.
So don’t get bogged down with ‘the perfect interview’ – as far as I’m aware, it doesn’t exist. If something goes wrong, learn from it and move on, oh and never give your 21 year old daughter your phone when you’re abroad!!
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