After graduating from an upper-echelon business school, most Marriott School graduates look for companies with similar standards.
One company recognizing those standards is Cisco Systems. According to alumni records, more than 100 BYU grads work or have worked for the company, with degrees ranging from business administration to photography.
“Cisco is really interested in giving us every opportunity to succeed,” says Alex Johnson, a 2008 MBA graduate.
Johnson is an employee in the company's Human Resources Leadership Program, a program started four years ago to help recruit world-class talent from top-tier business schools. After two BYU alumni were promoted to executive positions in Cisco's HR function, the company began to look more closely at Marriott School graduates.
“The focus on leadership development and ethics at the Marriott School is a big deal for Cisco,” Johnson says. “I felt like my MBA taught me the language of business, which helped me jump right in and be quickly respected while adding value. The change management curriculum was also useful for my new role. Being genuine and building relationships based on trust has allowed me to be successful quickly.”
Jason Wilkinson, who earned an MOB in 1996, is a member of the Marriott School's OB/HR Advisory Board and director of human resources at Cisco. Although “a No. 22 ranking is pretty significant,” he cites the Marriott School alumni's maturity and discipline as their greatest assets to the company.
“The overall maturity they bring—whether it's because they've served missions, have family responsibilities, or just have a more balanced view on life—stands out in their ability to immediately influence and collaborate with colleagues beyond what their experience would indicate,” Wilkinson says.
Recent graduate Mike Droubay, another member of the HR Leadership Program, says the company's values are especially important for employees during a stressful economic climate.
“Cisco's leadership does a great job of positioning the company for challenging conditions; we are actively seeking to position ourselves to take advantage of this market transition,” he says.
