US/Canada

What was your first day like? What did you do?

My first day was a general orientation and overview of Cisco. Much of the day was spent completing the standard new hire administrative tasks, like getting a badge and setting up my passwords, but I also toured the Executive Briefing Center and was given an introduction to TelePresence. At the end of the day, I spent some time getting to know the people on my new team. Overall, my first day was great and I felt very welcome and comfortable with my new team.

What is a typical "day in the life" like the first week?

I’m not sure that my first week was typical, but I spent about half of my typical day in meetings and the other half working through the new hire checklist and familiarizing myself with the company intranet. During my first week, I had several one-on-one meetings with my manager who gave me an overview of our team and each person’s responsibilities as well as how our team fit into the larger CMO organization. I also attended a departmental all-hands meeting to review the fourth quarter results and a Business Marketing offsite at Santa Cruz where we cleaned the beach in the morning and barbequed in the afternoon.

Why did you choose to work at Cisco?

I chose to come to Cisco for a number of reasons. First, I wanted to be part of a world class company with superior products that I would be proud to represent. Cisco is among the most respected companies in the world and is the industry leader in many of our markets. Also, Cisco has a reputation for developing great leaders, and I felt that Cisco would help me develop my management and leadership skills. It was also important to me to work for a global company where I would have the potential to work outside of the U.S. at some point in my career. As part of Worldwide Field Marketing, I already have the opportunity to work on global projects and I will likely have the chance to work abroad when I am ready. Finally, I chose Cisco because of the people. I was very impressed by the intelligence and drive of the people I met during my interviews and I also really liked the culture. It’s hard to explain, but I just felt very comfortable in the environment at Cisco.

What is your favorite thing about working here - so far?

So far, my favorite thing about Cisco is the culture. I can’t speak for all of Cisco since I’ve only been here for two weeks, but within CMO, there is a very open and collaborative culture. Everyone has made me feel very welcome and I already feel like part of the team. There is a lot of teamwork, and people are very willing to help each other out.

What advice would you give to anyone interested in joining Cisco?

The two pieces of advice I would give someone interested in joining Cisco are:

• Make sure you find the right role within the company. Cisco is a very large organization with many excellent opportunities, so do your best to find the position that is the best fit for you.
• If you are considering a marketing position, don’t worry too much about the technical details of the products. You won’t be expected to be an expert on the technical details of the products.