This put up was authored by Inês Lille, a Project Specialist Intern on the Project Support Office EMEA Team.
When I began interviewing for Cisco, I used to be overwhelmed. Since I used to be a young person, I dreamed of becoming a member of the corporate, so I put a variety of stress on myself to land this position. I didn’t imagine I used to be the primary candidate for a mission administration internship, as I used to be a telecommunications bachelor graduate and was learning pc science. I felt like an impostor amongst folks with enterprise and administration levels whose abilities and academic background match the position description.
However, I took a leap and went for it.
I knew I had loved an elective college course — Introductory Project Management — and didn’t wish to pursue a extremely technical skilled journey. I used to be overjoyed once I received the information that I received the position! It was a dream come true. And you is likely to be asking your self, “Why was Cisco your dream, even as a teenager?”
Well, I’ve seen firsthand how my mother’s emotions and perspective on her work modified earlier than and after touchdown a job at Cisco. I realized about all of the wonderful feats Cisco has completed and the tradition and values it so avidly fosters. I received to see my mother in the midst of workdays as she might work from home. I volunteered alongside her and realized how Cisco matches every hour spent with a $10 donation to the trigger. I even stole some Cisco goodies from her and have worn “my” Cisco cap mainly each single day of the summer time.
Of course, the truth of reaching one thing you’ve longed for is all the time completely different. When I first began this internship, I went by the onboarding journey with an incredible facilitator. I had a variety of enjoyable and met so many unimaginable folks. Then, I had per week reviewing Cisco technical architectures, together with one other week of soppy abilities coaching. I felt able to tackle something!
I began engaged on small duties, discovered a mentor, attended conferences shadowing my colleagues, and realized that I understood 10%, possibly 15%, of what was stated throughout these conferences. That’s once I began to actually grasp how large Cisco actually is.
I started writing down each single piece of data I heard, even when I didn’t perceive it. I used CTRL+U to shortly underline the phrases for applied sciences or acronyms I wasn’t certain had been proper, and later looked for the whole lot that I couldn’t perceive on our unimaginable ShareLevel information database and tidied up the notes to make them legible. If I nonetheless wanted to grasp one thing, I’d ask somebody. My group is generally made up of interns with lower than a 12 months’s expertise, so I used to be fortunate that everybody on the group had been by this very lately and had the persistence to elucidate issues, typically greater than as soon as, to assist me perceive.
Before I knew it, I used to be doing duties by myself, taking requests from our pipeline on the Project Support Office, the place we assist mission managers, and I began engaged on customer-facing tasks with the assist of my mentor.
Diving headfirst into challenges that originally intimidated me, I volunteered for numerous roles, akin to being a facilitator for the Project Management Office All-Hands solely a month after becoming a member of Cisco and as a panelist for My Onboarding Journey. Currently, I’m within the course of of making a PowerPoint design and animation workshop for the PMO, as I really get pleasure from making shows and have realized lots alongside the way in which on the right way to improve them. Additionally, I’ve joined native Cisco college engagements, embracing alternatives that push me out of my consolation zone.
I’ve even leaned on my technical background to assist our group’s transition from a sunsetted software to Microsoft platforms. This concerned engaged on automations to streamline requests from mission managers immediately into our pipeline. I’m additionally creating an automated availability tracker for our group and have contributed to the Project Support Office ShareLevel web site.
And lastly, I absolutely embrace Cisco’s dedication to steady studying, seizing alternatives to increase my information by on-line programs on studying platforms.
Beyond my position, I’ve had the prospect to volunteer for various causes, now proudly contributing as a part of the Cisco group. On considered one of these, I set to work with my native cohort and a really particular visitor — my mother!
All of those alternatives and actions have helped me evolve in numerous methods: I’m making progress on my studying journey, doing a greater job at presenting, I’m extra assured in my work, I’ve met wonderful folks, and I’m constantly motivated as I really feel like I’m bringing worth to the folks I work with and the corporate.
I’ve by no means been somebody who has been very enthusiastic about what they did, however similar to with my mother, that each one modified with Cisco. My schooling was a variety of onerous work and tears. So, I by no means thought I’d be the particular person to say this, however I really love what I do, I like the individuals who work right here, and I like the place I work.
Are you prepared to like the place you’re employed? Explore early in profession alternatives.
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