A: NetWork Strategic Recruiting Events are a hiring solution for channel partners with immediate and long-term hiring needs. Unlike traditional career fairs, these events are structured opportunities for partners to interview and recruit IT and networking candidates at no cost. They are designed to help Cisco channel partners and Cisco Networking Academies form partnerships that support continuing access to skilled IT workers.

A: Unlike traditional career fairs, employers and candidates engage in structured interviews. The candidates who are invited to these events have been selected based on the hiring needs of employers. Each NetWork Strategic Recruiting Event consists primarily of interviews between employers and candidates.

A: Once an employer has indicated their interest in participating, they will be asked to submit job descriptions and complete a hiring criteria checklist provided by Cisco. The employer will then be asked to register for the event. Ten days prior to the event, each employer will receive an electronic file containing the resumes of qualified candidates. Employers will then work with Cisco to schedule interviews with candidates. On the day of the event, employers will be asked to provide an overview of their businesses and career opportunities during the opening session. Projection equipment will be available to support a presentation. Each employer will then be assigned a private interview room for the duration of the day. At the end of the day, employers will be asked to complete an evaluation and grant Cisco permission to contact them for a report on the event outcomes.

A: NetWork events are designed to run a full day with lunch provided. Each event begins with candidates and employers gathering for introductions and an explanation of the schedule. During the opening session, employers share information about career opportunities within their companies. After the general session, employers conduct interviews with candidates. All participants break for lunch and then resume interviews for the remainder of the day.

A: Representatives from approximately six to eight Cisco channel partners will attend each event. The usual candidate to employer ratio is three to one, with approximately 18 to 24 candidates participating in interviews.

A: Cisco will continue to evaluate the NetWork Strategic Recruiting Events as a viable strategy for job placement of Cisco Networking Academy Program students and alumni. If the events are valued by Cisco channel partners, we will consider hosting NetWork events in the future.

A: Candidates and employers should approach these events as one step in the hiring process. NetWork events provide an excellent opportunity for employers to form relationships with nearby Networking Academies for access to a pipeline of skilled networking and IT candidates. For candidates, these events provide an opportunity to explore the growing job market and learn more about the skill sets that employers value.

A: Cisco channel partners with immediate or long-term hiring needs are invited to participate in NetWork events.

A: Candidates should understand that they may not receive job offers on the day of the event and additional meetings may be required to complete the hiring process. These events provide a great networking opportunity for candidates to meet with employers and discuss the skills they have learned through the Networking Academy program.

A: Depending on the Cisco channel partners attending, each event may be focused on slightly different hiring criteria. Candidates will be invited based on how closely they meet these criteria. As a rule, successful completion of CCNA 4 is a minimum requirement, along with post-secondary education.

A: Yes, the Cisco NetWork event coordinator will send you a Zip file of candidate resumes by e-mail approximately ten days before the date of the NetWork event.

A: Cisco channel partners determine how many representatives they wish to send to an event. Interviews are scheduled in 20-minute segments over approximately four hours. Host Academies are asked to provide a few volunteers on the day of an event to help with introductions, room assignments, directions, and lunch.

A: Employers should begin their review of candidate resumes as soon as they receive them (approximately ten days prior to an event). Requests for interviews with specific candidates must be received by the Cisco team at least five days prior to the event. Employers can find all the information they will need to participate in an event on the NetWork Strategic Recruiting Events Website

A: After you receive the Zip file of candidate resumes, you may contact the sender at least five days prior to the event to request an interview with specific candidates. The Cisco team will coordinate the interview schedule for you and will fill any open time slots in your schedule with additional candidates who meet your hiring criteria to ensure that candidates and employers benefit fully from the experience.

A: No. Cisco will contact all candidates and employers prior to an event.

A: Candidates participate in interviews by invitation only. If candidates have open time slots, Cisco will attempt to schedule additional interviews for them based on their qualifications.

A:  It is important for employers to schedule interviews prior to a NetWork event. If the employer does not specify candidates they wish to interview from the resumes they receive, Cisco will fill all of the employer's open interview slots with qualified candidates.

A: This is unlikely to happen. However, Cisco will provide each employer with their proposed interview schedule three days before the event and if there are not enough interviews scheduled to warrant their attendance, employers are not required to participate. Our intention is to fill in each employer's interview schedule fully to maximize the value of the event.

A: Candidates should not be contacting employers directly. Cisco will handle the scheduling of interviews for the event.

A:  The candidates and the Networking Academy personnel who attend the event have been asked not to forward additional resumes unless solicited by an employer.

A: Please contact us by sending an e-mail to networkevents@external.cisco.com.