Graduate Selection and Helpful Tips
How the Process Works
1. Curriculum Vitae (CV) Screen
The CV screen is the first of four stages in our selection process. We screen your CV to ensure that you meet the minimum criteria for the role.
CV Tips
- Clear and structured: The format is as important as the content. Capture the information clearly and succinctly, and use bullet points instead of paragraphs to detail your achievements.
- Check the information: First impressions count, so make sure that your CV does not contain spelling, grammatical, or formatting errors.
- Length of CV: Keep the CV to either one or two pages, and remember that it is about quality, not quantity.
- Tailor your CV: Consider the skill set required for the job and ensure that your CV is as relevant as possible.
2. Business Aptitude Questionnaire (BAQ)
After you pass the CV screen, you will complete a personality questionnaire. The BAQ is a self-perception questionnaire that helps us gain greater insight into your personality within the workplace. It will show us whether you have the potential not only to fit within our organization, but also to manage the associated responsibilities for the role.
BAQ Tips
- Make sure you set aside 45 minutes to complete the questionnaire and are somewhere that you will not be disturbed.
- There are no right or wrong answers, so do not try to guess what we are looking for. Go with your first instinct.
3. Competency-Based Telephone Interview
After you have demonstrated the potential to work for us, we will schedule a telephone interview to find out whether you have the skills and attributes required for the role. We will ask you to provide examples of where you have demonstrated particular behaviors and skills.
Telephone Interview Tips
- When answering an interview question, draw upon one experience. It can be from your university studies, work, or an extracurricular activity.
- Take a structured approach to your answer by explaining the context, the objective, your involvement, and the outcome of that particular situation.
- Research Cisco and the role. Be clear why you want to work for us.
- Make sure you are in an appropriate location to conduct the interview (for example, a quiet, comfortable place where you will not be disturbed).
4. Assessment Center
If you are successful in the telephone interview, Cisco will then invite you to the assessment center. This one-day event comprises a number of different exercises, assessing the behaviors, skills, and attributes required for the role.
Assessment Center Tips
- The assessment center is very involved, so expect to feel challenged. Try to be yourself and remain positive.
- You are unlikely to get a sense of having excelled in all the exercises. Try to keep in mind that we do not consider any one exercise in isolation.
- The assessment center is structured and thorough for good reason, and no element is meant to trick you.
- Research Cisco and the role before the assessment center. You will have an opportunity to ask questions, but it is essential to be well informed in advance.
