Cisco hosted 1700 hundred interns this summer season as a part of its dedication to creating rising expertise which may in the future work at Cisco. The intern program has been round for many years, which Chris Harrison is aware of very properly. He began as an intern and is in his twenty sixth 12 months at Cisco. We celebrated Nationwide Intern Day by sharing his story.
Deal with the Complete Internship as an Interview
As Program Supervisor, Position Technique and Enablement, Chris Harrison manages instruments and applications to assist workers leverage the abilities that they’ve. It’s a becoming function for somebody who obtained his begin because of pure curiosity, a capability to attach the dots between jobs and take dangers to study new issues.
Born and raised in New York Metropolis, Chris studied electrical engineering know-how at Rochester Institute of Expertise in New York the place college students have been required to finish co-ops (internships) as part of their sophomore/junior and junior/senior years. His first internship was with Motorola.
“At Motorola, I used to be turned on to Cisco as a result of I used to be within the buyer assist group trouble-shooting their modems, and each name I obtained was, ‘I’ve a Motorola modem linked to a Cisco router’ so I needed to study extra about how this Cisco router labored with the Motorola modem,” stated Chris.
How Chris Selected Cisco and Vice Versa
Recruiters got here to Chris’ faculty campus searching for interns. Chris interviewed with Cisco after his curiosity was sparked interning at Motorola. Quickly after, Chris was flown to San Jose to fulfill the hiring supervisor and three take a look at engineers who drew on the whiteboard and requested how he would clear up completely different conditions.
“After I landed [in New York], I already had a voice message saying, ‘Congratulations, you’ve been chosen for this internship,’” says Chris. The intern place was a take a look at engineer on Cisco’s Restore Operations workforce. Chris had the chance to return to Motorola, however he was impressed that Cisco flew him to San Jose for an interview and nonetheless remembers the absolutely stocked break rooms with free drinks, popcorn, and sweet – completely different from something he’d skilled on the East Coast. It appeared definitely worth the danger to attempt one thing new quite than going again to Motorola.
“Folks have been strolling round in shorts and flip-flops,” stated Chris. “In my thoughts, this was so California, a bit laid again. Northern California and Silicon Valley within the 90s had a distinct vibe, and that was one thing I used to be serious about.” He moved to San Jose and lived within the dorms at San Jose State College for the summer season.
Connecting the Dots Between Work and the Classroom
The Cisco internship was completely hands-on. The Restore Operations workforce needed to handle units in for restore from the second they arrived till they have been shipped again out. “Earlier than, I sat within the cubicle,” stated Chris. “With this job, I went to the manufacturing facility flooring.”
They have been chargeable for the circulation, the take a look at scripts to ensure issues have been working accurately, and for updates. Chris would rotate each two weeks to study completely different components of the method. Additionally they developed a take a look at line on the manufacturing flooring and typically simulated a failure and requested the place the issue was.
“Studying learn how to discover the place issues have been damaged helped me learn the way they labored, and my internship expertise was excellent,” says Chris.
Chris rapidly made the connection between the restore work he was doing at Cisco and the technical assist work from his Motorola expertise and tied all of it again to what he was studying for his Electrical Engineering Expertise diploma. All of it got here collectively, and he may additionally apply what he realized on the job to the speculation he was finding out in class.
Shock on the Job
One Saturday, Chris shocked his boss. “It was Saturday, all my associates have been, out and I had nothing to do, so I made a decision to go to Cisco, go to the lab and do some work,” he stated. “I
put collectively some take a look at racks to take to the manufacturing facility, blasted the music, and closed the doorways behind me. Then abruptly, the music stops,” stated Chris.
It was his supervisor, who checked out him and requested, “What are you doing right here?” Chris defined after which requested his supervisor the identical query. His supervisor stated his household was away tenting and invited Chris to the films after which dinner. It was an sudden second that left an impression on each of them.
Chris returned to highschool across the Thanksgiving vacation. Weeks handed. Then, on January 5, Cisco’s recruiter phoned Chris. “How’d you want to return to Cisco full-time whenever you graduate?” requested the recruiter.
Chris was shocked at how early the supply arrived, as full-time provides are normally made within the spring. In keeping with his supervisor, “Any 20-year-old prepared to return in on a Saturday is somebody I’d like to have on the workforce.”
Chris doubts that this one incident was chargeable for his touchdown the job however insists that it was the serendipity of this occasion and the constructive impression he made with workforce members as somebody simple to work with that contributed to this final result.
Twenty-six years and lots of roles later, Chris continues to be having fun with the alternatives at Cisco, and far of his work right this moment entails leaving a legacy for future generations to develop and develop satisfying careers.
He attributes longevity at Cisco to the flexibility to have a number of alternatives and completely different careers and the assist of leaders and mentors all through the corporate.
“It was life-changing for me to return to school after the internship,” says Chris. “It was numerous work, however I didn’t consider it as a job. It’s all the time been about enjoyable and studying. That is why I’ve stayed so long as I’ve.”
His recommendation for these in search of internships and job alternatives?
“If you’re right here [in the job or internship] it’s all the time an interview, even whenever you don’t suppose others are paying consideration. The chance to make a great impression isn’t whenever you get the internship. It occurs the minute you stroll by way of the door.”
Consider all the expertise as an interview, since you’re not simply interacting along with your workforce and different groups.
Chris says this expertise gave him his first glimpse into what professionalism meant, how individuals interacted and engaged, and helped him mature in his profession as he returned to school.
“Even when you’re there for 3 months, you don’t know what [others] will suppose,” says Chris. “Regardless that you might be labeled as an intern, consider it as an interview to see how you’re employed in that setting.”
Chris’ Recommendation for Interns
-Don’t be afraid of the chance; the employer doesn’t anticipate you to know every little thing.
-Employers need recent views from a school scholar – recent concepts and new set of eyes.
-Don’t be afraid to interact and meet new individuals inside new organizations and this may occasionally increase your community inside that group together with along with your friends. (Chris continues to be associates with members of his co-op group from faculty, lots of whom are actually administrators and VPs at different firms.)
-Networking is vital with group and along with your friends as properly. Study as a lot as you possibly can throughout and after the internship.
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