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Cisco Mulls Adding Verbal Interview To CCIE Exams

Posted by Soulskill on from the polygraphs-and-mind-melds-to-follow dept.

Julie188 writes "Here's a new idea to stop certification test-taking cheaters; Cisco is considering introducing a verbal interview portion to its CCIE lab exams across the world. Cisco confirmed that it is running a pilot in its exam lab in Beijing, China that involves candidates taking a 10-minute verbal interview as part of their lab exam. Cisco said that if the pilot is successful, the interview could be introduced as a requirement for CCIE Routing & Switching candidates worldwide. The company has been running the pilot since August."

5 of 117 comments (clear)

  1. Cisco should be careful by bugs2squash · · Score: 4, Insightful

    To avoid bias against people who don't speak English as their mother tongue.

    --
    Nullius in verba
    1. Re:Cisco should be careful by phantomcircuit · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Well this sounds completely wrong but realistically the vast majority of the documentation is in english, just because it's a common language.

  2. Re:Who cares if CCIEs are good conversationalists? by bugs2squash · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I have a feeling that the primary purpose for CCIE is not their ability to fix a network. After all, it should be a rare occurrence that the network needs fixing.

    No - I think that ability to fix a network is low on the list, which is, to my mind, led by...

    1) Generating sales and generally advocating for Cisco

    2) Bolstering a companies IT credibility when bidding for business

    3) raising the bar to exclude cheaper competitors by making access to certified staff a mandatory part of a bid.

    4) Allow board level execs to think the've "done the right thing" by hiring certifed staff who fit the bill.

    In these functions, the ability to fit the mental image of what a technical professional should look like seems to me to be a very strong factor and I think there's a real danger that Cisco will make the CCIE a screentest for the role.

    --
    Nullius in verba
  3. Re:What about other certs? by mazarin5 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    So, essentially your reasoning is that it would be ludicrous for somebody to be offended by a simple, holiday-related sentiment offered in good spirit? Or at least, they shouldn't be nearly as offended by yours as you are by theirs?

    --
    Fnord.
  4. Re:What about other certs? by DeepHurtn! · · Score: 2, Insightful

    No no, in the USA only white, straight male Christians are persecuted. You have no right to be offended.