Five years. I still remember the day it all started. My world changed instantly.

Those magical words, "Congratulations on the offer. Welcome to the wonderful world of Cisco!" still echo and it didn't take long for me to realize that I was living the dream.

It is my 5th "Ciscoversary." And boy, what a joy ride this has been! Cisco is one of the coolest and most enjoyable places to work. You are always around the best talent on planet, intimidatingly smart people, who just happen to love what they do. Everywhere you look, there are top-notch leaders and mentors who help you find your passion and purpose.

The mentors here at Cisco want you to succeed, as I have been able to experience personally. Back in 2011, I was a part of the Executive Staffing team and happily enjoying my role. My mentor advised me to look for more challenging internal opportunities, as he felt I was ready for a rotation.

I questioned him, "Wouldn't you be disappointed if I move on to another role as I've only been in this one for six months?"

He replied, "I would be disappointed to see you doing this same role for the next 3 months."

Mentors have a leadership quality where you trust them almost immediately -they have your best interests in mind. So I began to seek those internal opportunities within Cisco. To ensure that I was, my mentor followed up with one-on-one meetings regularly on the progress of my search.

During one of these meetings, I asked him, "Are you sure you're not just trying to get rid of me?"

He answered, "I want you to grow."

Finally, I was offered a new role within Talent Acquisition managing internal mobility -it was the same program that helped me to get this role! It felt like Christopher Nolan's Inception, a dream within a dream, as I always wanted to take up such opportunities.

I longed for a career that would let me combine my passion and aspiration. I found myself at Cisco as part of the Rock Star Talent Acquisition team, working on awe-inspiring projects.

I love the forward thinking, fresh and accommodating vibe around the office. I really feel Cisco has a uniqueness at the heart of the brand which makes it the Absolute Greatest Place To Work.

I attribute a huge part of my success at Cisco to networking and communication. I think it's important to get yourself a mentor, a person you can trust and whose opinion you value. It's also important to build your network.

If you're looking for a career where you can expect to be inspired, empowered, and rewarded Cisco's the place for you! Employee growth is top of mind at Cisco.  And that is just one of the many reasons why I love Cisco.

The Talent Acquisition in APJC (the global region acronym for Asia Pacific, Japan and China) team just got back from a fantastic trip! We got the opportunity to meet in person and share our experiences with our counterparts from the region, as we planned how we will drive our talent strategy. It was extremely motivating and was a massive success, and a culmination of my journey to get to where I am.

We work, grow, learn and have fun together. We do it all. It can't get bigger than this. OR can it? Well, watch this space for more

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