I interned with Cisco in the summer as a project specialist intern. I applied for Cisco because I wanted to explore what it was like to work at a big tech organisation—working with Cisco helped me check this box, and to understand what the world’s best places to work really do.
The interview process had four rounds: a version of JAM (Just a Minute), 2 rounds of interviews, and an HR round. My topic for the JAM was, “Necessity is the mother of all creations”. My strategy was to structure with a framework. The structure I followed was: an introduction (what I thought of the topic), an example (the rise of companies that started as tools to help the founders), and my opinion on the topic. The first round of the interview focused on handling uncertainties at work. The second was a stress round, conducted by the hiring manager, which was like a behavioural interview. The last round, the HR round, was a discussion of my interview and my overall experience with the process.
The most challenging part was the stress round; it demanded composure since the manager asked questions about mistakes that could cost me my job, and how I would deal with a situation like that. I imagine what worked for me was focusing on solving the problems under my control, rather than thinking about the uncontrollable. I answered by accepting my mistake and focusing on working towards a solution, instead of being defensive.
Let me give an example on how I did that: the scenario was that I had made a big blunder, which cost the company a lot of money and now the management wanted to fire me, so the question was how I’d navigate the situation. There is no right answer here; no matter what I said, the reply was, “But Nnamya, you are losing your job. Nobody wants to reason with you!” I made sure not to fall in love with the first idea that I came up with. I tried to understand the feedback on each idea and made the next suggestion better. The final suggestion was about how I could not fix the situation and keep the job. I decided to let go of my job, which probably highlighted how I would do the right thing even in a tough situation.
The internship was structured as multiple two-week blocks. The first two weeks involved training on project management basics, followed by a research project. The last four weeks were based on two case studies. Our research topic was to better understand unified communications and how it modifies the way we work. The case studies were based on projects that the team had previously carried out. These case studies helped us apply the learnings from the training on real-life projects. We created the various project management documents needed for such projects. I also had the opportunity to interact with other interns globally present in the organisation, through initiatives designed for the employees.
My experience at BITSoM helped me during the interview as well as the internship. BITSoM taught me the importance of spending time not only on what the company does, but also on understanding the culture. This allowed me to develop more empathy and better resonate with the company’s values. Considering the internship was fully remote, communicating effectively was also very important. Honing your writing skills and learning how to deliver impactful presentations can set you apart in your internship.