Cisco Technical Early-in-Career Programs
Launch your tech career at Cisco
Structured programs for recent graduates, interns and career changers, across engineering, customer experience and sales. Find the right program, see where it's hiring, and learn how to stand out.
- 5Entry-level technical programs
- 4Stages in the interview process
- 0–2 yrsExperience for the CSAP engineering track
Skills-first hiring
Built for the next generation of talent
Cisco's Inclusive Strategy & Entry-level Talent Recruiting (IS&ETR) team runs a skills-first mission: to attract, develop and retain diverse next-generation talent across global engineering, customer experience and commercial organizations.
Engineering
Software, hardware and silicon, test and QA.
Customer experience
Technical consulting, TAC troubleshooting, networking.
Sales & commercial
Pre-sales engineering, renewals, business development.
Programs
Find your program
Compare who each program is for, what you'll learn, where it leads and whether it's hiring now.
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Hiring: annual cohortGlobal
Cisco Sales Associates Program (CSAP)
Associate Solutions Engineer track
A flagship one-year global cohort program combining classroom training, technical certifications and live customer deal shadowing.
Explore CSAP (opens in a new tab) -
Full-time placement
University Graduate Engineering Roles
Software, Hardware/Silicon and Test/QA Engineers
Direct full-time placement into product development teams working on Networking, Cloud, Security and AI.
Search graduate roles -
Hiring in MexicoNot hiring in the US
CX Academy: Technical Consulting Engineer (TCE)
CX Centers Mexico · TAC & Professional Services
Actively hiring full-time TCEs in Mexico, plus one intern cohort this year. Rotational training in customer troubleshooting, network triage and enterprise architecture operations.
A day in the life of a TCE (opens in a new tab) -
Cohort 2 in progress
PROPEL Program
Commercial & Renewals
Specialized commercial enablement for early-in-career and non-traditional talent moving into sales operations, renewals and lifecycle technical management.
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Opens Q3 FY27Poland & Portugal
Cisco Incubator Program
NetAcad-aligned roles · EMEA
A rigorous academy that builds fundamental networking knowledge to launch your career, with the chance to be considered for customer-facing technical early-career roles in Cisco's CX organization.
About the Incubator Program (opens in a new tab)
How to land a role
From search to offer
Three things to know: where to look, what the interviews cover, and how to stand out.
Find the right role
Search directly on the Cisco Careers portal and filter by University / Early in Career, or by business group:
- Enterprise Networking
- Security
- Webex / Collaboration
- Splunk
- Silicon One
The assessment & interview process
Four stages, from a first conversation to a culture interview.
Recruiter screen
A conversation about your background, the role's expectations and mutual fit.
Technical assessment
Coding challenges in a HackerRank or LeetCode style for software roles, or network troubleshooting and system design scenarios for SE and TCE roles.
Technical & architecture panels
Your problem-solving approach, past projects, code maintainability and domain fundamentals.
Culture & leadership interview
Behavioral scenarios aligned with Cisco's Conscious Culture principles.
How to stand out
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Show hands-on curiosity
Share what you've built: GitHub repos, Packet Tracer topologies, home labs.
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Highlight certifications
Relevant certifications help your profile get noticed.
- CCNA
- CyberOps Associate
- DevNet Associate
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Collaborate without ego
Show how you work with others, take feedback and solve problems without ego.
FAQ
Questions about early careers at Cisco
What early-in-career programs does Cisco offer?
Cisco's technical early-in-career options include the Cisco Sales Associates Program (CSAP), University Graduate Engineering Roles, the CX Academy Technical Consulting Engineer (TCE) program, the PROPEL Program for commercial and renewals roles, and the Cisco Incubator Program in Poland and Portugal.
What is the Cisco Sales Associates Program (CSAP)?
CSAP is a flagship one-year global cohort program combining classroom training, technical certifications and live customer deal shadowing. Its engineering track is for recent graduates and early-career professionals with 0–2 years of experience in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, IT or Networking. Learn more about CSAP (opens in a new tab).
Where is Cisco hiring Technical Consulting Engineers?
CX Centers Mexico is actively hiring full-time Technical Consulting Engineers and hosting one intern cohort this year. Cisco is not currently hiring TCEs for any programs in the United States.
What does the Cisco interview process look like?
There are four stages: a 20–30 minute recruiter screen; a technical assessment (coding challenges for software roles, or network troubleshooting and system design scenarios for SE and TCE roles); technical and architecture panels; and a culture and leadership interview using the STAR method, aligned with Cisco's Conscious Culture principles.
How can I stand out as an early-career applicant?
Show hands-on curiosity through GitHub repos, Packet Tracer topologies or home labs; highlight relevant certifications such as CCNA, CyberOps Associate or DevNet Associate; and show how you collaborate, take feedback and solve problems without ego.
Ready to start?
Search early-in-career roles on the Cisco Careers portal, or learn more about life at Cisco.