A job with Cisco

In My Humble Opinion
1

You guys helped me when I first registered so I am back again.

I am going on a second interview with Cisco Systems in Dallas, and I am wondering about Sales jobs in general.

Do you think a sales job with a company like Cisco has room for advancement? I guess what I am asking is do you think these guys give people realistic opportunities for advancement?

I basically want a job at a good company like Cisco because it gives me a nice foundation of experience.

Any experience you have with big employers, etc would be appreciated.

I am specifically applying to start as a ASR (Associate Sales Rep). The job is apparently in the field, not in a cubicle, so that’s a plus :wink:

2

Cisco does give people realistic opportunities for advancement. You do have to take initiative yourself, though. Take internal education classes, find a mentor, join networking groups. You may end up sounding like Lumbergh from Office Space, using the word “metrics” every other sentence, though.

3

Thanks Gary! I am certainly ready to take such initiative. I am not planning on working for a company without the dedication (I am young enough to have nothing better to do heh). I just wanted some feedback as to the opportunities. You have helped immensely.

4

You’re very welcome.

5

I’ve got a friend who just got recruited by Cisco for an “entry level” software engineering job, and they were apparently feeling confident enough about their prospects to offer her a pretty sweet package.

However, as a network and security admin at a small company, who often works with my counterparts at the Fortune 1000’s that are our customers, I’ve got a feeling that Cisco is in for a real asskicking in the low-to-mid range. There are just way too many other alternatives in that space these days for it to go anything but commodity.

If you’re selling carrier-class switches to Verizon, you’re probably okay. If you’re selling PIXes to small/medium-sized businesses or divisions, you might wanna keep that resume up to date.

I say this having never looked at Cisco sales figures in my life, so take MHO with a grain of salt.