By Brent D. Griffiths
Publication Date: 2026-02-08 09:44:00
Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins says he hates interviewing internal candidates for promotions.
“I think when we have two or three internal candidates for a promotion, the whole interview process is stupid,” Robbins said during a recent interview on TBPN. “What are we going to learn about them when we sit down in a room for 30 minutes and ask them questions when we can watch them work?”
This frustration, Robbins said, translates into his belief that “every day you’re working is an interview for your next job.”
Robbins, who started at Cisco in 1997 as an account manager, said it’s also not enough to simply strive to climb higher and higher on the corporate ladder.
“You also have to have people who care about making sure their peers are successful as well,” he said. “The person who is solely focused on getting to the top as an individual, it’s probably not going to happen for them.”
Robbins’ advice for advancing your career.
There’s a simple exercise, Robbins said,…